Guest Post: This article is written by Jake Sigal, Founder of Roll, a new cycling event discovery platform that helps riders find rides and races and see what their friends are signing up for.
Race organizers spend countless hours planning routes, coordinating volunteers, securing permits, and creating great experiences for participants. But one challenge remains constant: helping the right riders discover your event.
That is where platforms like RunSignup play a critical role. RunSignup powers registration and event infrastructure for thousands of races and rides. Roll is designed to complement that ecosystem by helping riders discover events and see what their friends are doing.
Roll (roll.ooo) is a web platform that helps cyclists discover rides and events in one place. Roll aggregates events from registration platforms like RunSignup and adds a lightweight social layer that lets riders follow friends, see what others are riding, and get notified when friends join events.
Roll integrates directly with RunSignup to surface cycling events to riders while sending participants back to the official registration pages organizers already use.
Example of the Roll event discovery feed showing upcoming cycling events from RunSignup.
The goal is simple: more informed riders and better-attended events.
Why Roll Exists
Roll was built by cyclists who participate in events and group rides regularly. Like many riders, we often found ourselves asking the same questions:
- What rides are happening near me this weekend?
- Which events are my friends signing up for?
- What should I ride if I’m traveling or new to an area?
At the same time, we have deep respect for the work organizers put into events. Local race directors and club leaders are the backbone of the cycling community. Their events deserve to be discovered by riders who want to participate.
Roll’s mission is to help riders find those events while supporting the organizers who run them. More Rolling, Less Scrolling.
How the RunSignup Integration Came Together
To make event discovery accurate and useful, Roll needed to connect directly to the systems organizers already trust.
Working with Matt Avery and the RunSignup product team, Roll integrated with the RunSignup platform so event data can appear in Roll’s discovery feed. This ensures event information stays consistent and directs riders back to the official registration pages. Matt and the RunSignup team were also open to supporting new cycling-focused features in the API, including rider counts, RSVP auto-sync, and ride tags that help riders filter by bike type or event type (race, charity ride, shop event, etc.).
RunSignup was welcoming and supportive throughout the development process, including Roll’s alpha and beta testing, and helped us work through bugs and UX friction points.
What Riders See in Roll
Riders can see upcoming events and which friends are planning to attend.
For riders, Roll acts as a discovery layer on top of the event ecosystem.
Instead of searching across multiple websites, riders can see:
- Upcoming rides and races near them on Roll
- Events their friends are attending
- Rides happening when they travel to a new area
When a rider finds an event they want to join, they are directed back to the official RunSignup registration page to complete their registration.
Why This Matters for Race Organizers
For organizers using RunSignup, the Roll integration provides additional visibility without adding extra work.
Your event data already exists in RunSignup. Roll simply helps surface that information to riders who are actively looking for their next ride.
Benefits include:
- More event discovery
- Relevant participants already engaged in cycling
- No additional management since registration still happens through RunSignup
A Shared Philosophy: Supporting Communities, Not Owning Them
One belief shared by Roll and RunSignup is that cycling communities belong to the people who build them.
Race directors, volunteers, clubs, and participants create the events that make the sport special. Technology platforms should support those communities, not replace them or try to own the rider relationships that organizers build.
From the beginning, the RunSignup team understood that philosophy and helped ensure the Roll integration respects organizer workflows while keeping registration traffic flowing back to official event pages.
Event pages in Roll direct riders to the official RunSignup registration page.
To open registration on RunSignup (aka BikeSignup), simply create your event in the easy RunSignup race wizard. RunSignup supports competitive races, fundraising rides, regular group rides, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do organizers need to do anything to appear on Roll?
If your cycling event is listed on RunSignup or BikeSignup, it can appear in Roll’s discovery feed automatically.
Does Roll replace RunSignup registration?
No. Roll is a discovery platform. Riders complete registration on the official RunSignup event page.
Can riders see who else is attending an event?
Yes. Roll helps riders see which events their friends are planning to ride, which often helps riders decide what to join.
How can Roll help my event?
When someone follows or favorites their friends in Roll and their friends RSVP in Roll or RunSignup, they get notified by (opt-in) email, txt, or in web notifications that their friends signed up for the event, creating a snowball networking effect.
Does Roll change how organizers manage events?
No. Organizers continue managing registration, communication, and logistics through RunSignup or BikeSignup exactly as they do today.
What happens on Roll when an event organizer updates the event in RunSignup
Roll syncs with RunSignup daily so all event changes are pushed over to the Roll platform.
Looking Ahead
The RunSignup integration is an important step in helping riders discover events and helping organizers reach more riders who are actively looking for events.
As Roll continues to develop new features around event discovery and rider connections, the focus remains the same: supporting the existing event ecosystem and the organizers who make it possible.