Support Team
We are all Holy Rollers
The Holy Rollers are not just a group of bicycle riders. We are so much more!
If you want to be involved in the Holy Rollers, but cannot ride, consider one of these options:
- Contribute to United Methodist Missions: The United Methodist Holy Rollers ride their bicycles to increase contributions to missions by raising awareness. To support the Holy Rollers, please make a generous, tax-deductible contribution to Advance #982450 in response to the devastation of Ukraine by Russia and the devastation of Turkey and Syria by earthquakes, or contribute to the Conference Mission Offering. The Holy Rollers help take up the offering at Conference, and it is especially nice to know that our rides have increased the amount of money available for missions locally and around the globe.
Holy Rollers are people who contribute generously to help those in need. - Local Church Rest Stop Support: Folks at the churches that we pass provide us with encouragement and make sure we have what we need to keep going. Most of the stops we make at churches are “Rest Stops” so we do not stay very long. We use these stops to fill water bottles, grab a snack and use the rest rooms. Our SAG vehicles carry a lot of these supplies, but we love to meet and talk with church members while we’re there. We enjoy seeing and hearing the history of these faith communities.
Holy Rollers are people who meet us, greet us, and encourage us as we travel along the way. - Overnight Stop Support: As we gather at the beginning of a journey or at the end of a very long day on the road, the people who greet us at our overnight stop are incredibly important. They do whatever they can to make us comfortable. Sometimes they provide transportation to a local YMCA to get showers. They may help us get air mattresses and sleeping bags ready for the night, or they may give assistance to riders who need to find mechanical help for their bikes at a local bike shop. They may provide nourishment for our bodies by providing delicious meals. In the morning, after we have loaded support vehicles and gotten ready to take off on the next stretch of the journey, they join us in worship or prayer and wave goodbye as we take off down the road.
Holy Rollers are people who display radical hospitality to a group of worn out travelers. - A limited number of volunteers are needed to help along the route: If you are interested in volunteering to accompany the Holy Rollers, please contact us (the Ride Coordinator will receive this message). These volunteers are required to officially register for the ride after being accepted. Friends and family may connect with the riders at rest stops or at overnight indoor camping locations if they wish. However, to ensure the safety of the riders and not impede traffic flow, anyone who is not in an official support vehicle cannot drive along with the riders, but should travel to those locations by an alternate route.
- SAG (Support and Gear) Drivers: Volunteers who drive their personal vehicles to carry snacks, sports drinks, water, tire pumps, tools, assorted bike parts, first aid kits, and any other supplies deemed helpful to support the riders. Each SAG vehicle should be equipped with a bike rack and have at least one empty seat so there is room for cyclists who need transportation to the next rest stop. SAG drivers watch for any problems along the route, such as dogs who may chase the riders, and take measures to warn or protect the riders. SAG drivers work together to keep track of all the riders, try to make sure riders don’t miss turns, and retrieve wayward riders when they do.
Holy Rollers are people who keep the entire group moving down the road.
SAG Drivers include:- Ride Leader: Assuming overall leadership of our merry band of bicyclists and support personnel, the Ride Leader is involved in the development of the ride in all its aspects. He / She often drives the lead vehicle and makes last minute changes in the route. The Leader conducts group meetings at the beginning of each day’s ride and at the gathering the night before the ride where route details and other pertinent information is disseminated. Training of other support personnel and supervision of the preparations before and during the ride are the Leader’s responsibility. He / She assigns SAG vehicles to positions that provide the best support for the riders.
Holy Rollers help lead others along the way. - Ride Coordinator: The person who is the Ride Coordinator works with the Ride Leader to develop the route. This volunteer coordinates with the point person at each stop to keep information flowing. By driving the proposed route during planning and again three days before the ride, the Coordinator checks for any issues that may create hazards for the riders. The Ride Coordinator maintains the roster of registered riders and prepares rider packets with jersey numbers and cue sheets. He / She also plans for food, supplies and equipment needed for the ride and makes purchases.
Holy Rollers plan faithfully for the future. - Driver Pulling Support Trailer: The Holy Rollers use a customized trailer as a “mobile rest stop” and to transport or secure bicycles. It contains large coolers for food and drinks and the large fluid dispensers containing water and sports drinks. One volunteer with a vehicle equipped to pull a trailer drives this unit. It moves ahead of the riders to set up at rest stops. The driver also watches for times when impromptu rest stops are needed by riders. The driver and SAG Assistants make sure the supplies of food and drink are adequate for our needs and re-ices the coolers when needed.
Holy Rollers are always pulling for travelers along the way. - General SAG Driver: This support driver follows the route along with the cyclists, providing support in all its facets, while ensuring that laws are followed and safety is ensured. These drivers may be positioned or given specific tasks by the Ride Leader, such as following the last rider, going ahead to prepare a stop, or tracking down lost riders.
Holy Rollers find the lost sheep.
- Ride Leader: Assuming overall leadership of our merry band of bicyclists and support personnel, the Ride Leader is involved in the development of the ride in all its aspects. He / She often drives the lead vehicle and makes last minute changes in the route. The Leader conducts group meetings at the beginning of each day’s ride and at the gathering the night before the ride where route details and other pertinent information is disseminated. Training of other support personnel and supervision of the preparations before and during the ride are the Leader’s responsibility. He / She assigns SAG vehicles to positions that provide the best support for the riders.
- SAG (Support and Gear) Assistants: People who accompany the drivers of SAG vehicles play a variety of rolls. They travel with the support team and may be transferred from one vehicle to another as the need arises. Duties may include, but are not limited to: putting out Holy Roller directional signs from a vehicle that moves ahead of the group or picking them up from the trailing SAG wagon, handing out snacks at rest stops, refilling water bottles, helping to direct riders at intersections, keeping drivers on the right path, helping with communications between SAG support, loading SAG wagons at the beginning of the day and unloading them at the end of the day, running errands whenever needed.
Holy Rollers do whatever is necessary to help others. - Motorcycle Escort: People who provide specialized SAG support by driving their motorcycles to accompany the Holy Rollers. They especially help with traffic control, keeping count of the riders and locating those who have gone astray. Motorcycle escorts cover the entire span of miles where bicyclists are riding when they get spread out. They help with communications between the other SAG drivers.
Holy Rollers are people who ride on two wheels with a motor!
- SAG (Support and Gear) Drivers: Volunteers who drive their personal vehicles to carry snacks, sports drinks, water, tire pumps, tools, assorted bike parts, first aid kits, and any other supplies deemed helpful to support the riders. Each SAG vehicle should be equipped with a bike rack and have at least one empty seat so there is room for cyclists who need transportation to the next rest stop. SAG drivers watch for any problems along the route, such as dogs who may chase the riders, and take measures to warn or protect the riders. SAG drivers work together to keep track of all the riders, try to make sure riders don’t miss turns, and retrieve wayward riders when they do.