START A UNDERGROUND LEAGUE
Each Underground League is made up of a network of GPS based race trails organized by the Community in the Ride Hermes mobile app. Organizing a League requires locating, setting and managing trails that meet the needs of your community. Other responsibilities can include obtaining sponsorship, awarding prizes or organizing live events.
We strongly recommend you have a close connection with the Community and knowledge of local trails. A Ride Hermes App account is required to manage your trails and Messenger is needed to communicate between League Leaders.
2024 Season:
May 25th - September 2nd
Spring: March 1st - May 27th
Fall: June 29th - September 29th
2024 SEASON
The 2024 race season starts May 25th, 2024 and ends September 2nd, 2024. Early "Spring" and late "Fall" sessions are available for locations where weather wont allow for the normal season dates. Each season is three months long. All seasons must close by September 29th, No exceptions.
LEAGUE NAME
Choose a name that describes your area and community. The use of Underground in your name will identify it as part of the “Collective” and the benefits that come with it.
LEAGUE LOGO
A League Logo is required, Think of it as your “brand”. Recruit the local community to assist. Fiverr or similar services are helpful to find cheap freelance graphic designers.
CONNECT
Facebook, Instagram, Youtube. Connect and communicate with your community. One form of Social Media is required to become an official Underground League. Recruit "Trail Ambassadors" to help manage trails. This can include reporting trail condition, mediating when issues arise and maintaining relations with the Trail Community.
RIDE & RECORD
Record on Hermes and have others record Rides also. You can make any Ride into Trail.
FIND TRAILS
All trails must range from a half mile to two miles. Ask your Onewheel Community for trails suggestion or find new trails with apps like Trailforks, MTB Project or All Trails.
MAKE TRAILS
Choose your top ten trails and make them into Trails. in the Hermes app. Make sure to add a description and information. Use the guide for tips on choosing the right trails. You can use any Trail for your season.
FORM YOU LEAGUE & SEASON
Form your "League" in the Hermes app. Upload your logo, add a description and include any social media links. Continue in the app with "New Season". add start and end dates, describe the season and select Trails to be added. Add vehicles to be allowed under "Vehicle Class".
SUBMIT
Submit your League through the Rider Hermes Underground Portal (coming soon). Leagues must be completed and submitted no later than two weeks prior to start of season. Your Circuit will be added to Hermes Underground and Underground Website after the application has been approved.
Each League will be evaluated to be part of the official 2024 Underground Season. Any League not selected will be a raceable League in Hermes,, but not included in the Underground season standings. We ask that only official Underground leagues use the Underground name and branding.
ENJOY
There is no right or wrong way to manage a League. Find sponsors, make jerseys, organize live events, make your league yours!
Selecting Trails
There is a lot of considerations when choosing the right Underground Trail. Is the Trail enjoyable? Does it track correctly? Is it safe? Will PEV use cause problems with the Trail Community? Here are some things to help make the right decision.
1. Distance 0.5 to 2.0 miles (Short trails do not track as accurately)
2. Accessibility
3. Avoid high traffic trails
4. Navigate with one path to the finish. Use the fastest route to avoid shortcuts
5. Cell service.
6. Legal and trail community friendly
7. Downhill or flat Trails preferred (Climbing gives advantage to light riders and high powered boards)
8. Charging access
Set "Start" and "Finish" gates on a straight path with no other trail nearby. Gates require a safety area of 20 yards with no other segments of the trail in the safety zone. Tight turns or tree coverage near gates will negatively affect GPS accuracy and can cause errors.
Avoid setting Start and Finish Gates at the same location. Set Start Gates away from rest areas where riders gather before or after a run. Riders can accidentally activate a gate if they get too close
Once a Trail is selected, ride it multiple times on the same recording. You will see if the Trail tracks well by where the lines deviate. This is GPS drift. Some drift is expected, but excessive drift should be avoided near the Start and Finish Gates. It's recommended to have others ride it, preferably with different phones and cell service. This is what a proper GPS track looks like after three runs on one recording.
How far apart should trails be?
Locations of your trails is dependent on your community and available Trails. We had a League with over 500 miles between Trails and another where all Trail were located in a single park. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Most important thing is that your Trails meet the need discussed on this page