Ride Club Etiquette

*Ride leaders reserve the right to turn away anyone who is deemed unprepared before a ride or is exhibiting unsafe behavior on a ride.*

1. Be On Time

   Many riders have busy schedules and want to get as much riding in as they can. Each group ride typically starts within minutes of its posted start time. If you’re late, you’ll miss the ride. No one wants to make a poor first impression by being the one who holds up the start of a ride. It is a good idea to arrive at least ten to fifteen minutes before the start of the ride.

2. Communicate

   Communication is key to safe group rides. Roads are full of traffic, loose gravel, signs, pot holes, parked cars, animals, pedestrians, etc. and visibility is limited for cyclists riding in a pack. It is important to communicate to the other riders in the group by calling out and pointing out hazards with simple hand gestures. Signal all turns to the group and to motorists. Hold up your hand high in the air if you have a problem like a flat, so riders behind know to be careful. Be attentive to the ride leader when he/she is describing the route and possible hazards. Even if you are an experienced rider, there may be important announcements about route changes or new hazards such as road construction. Make an effort to make new riders feel welcome. The two most obvious things that can make a new rider feel unwelcome are, being ignored and being dropped. Experienced club members should talk to new riders and, if necessary, assist the ride leader in keeping track of new-comers and making sure they get back if they have trouble keeping up.

3. Know who is behind you

   Each rider is responsible for making sure that the rider behind them doesn’t get lost or dropped. They do this by waiting for the next rider each time there is a turn, traffic light or any type of road condition that could cause a rider to get dropped. Additionally, it is especially important when riding in town that the group does not proceed through stop signs until it is safe for the all riders in the group to do so.

4. Ride Smart & Be Safe

   Follow the Rules of the Road as defined in the Highway Traffic Act—a bike is a vehicle. We ride 1 metre out from the road edge (paved shoulder is not legally part of the road, we may or may not chose to ride on it). We take command of the entire lane when safety requires it such as through construction areas, narrow lanes, yields and roundabouts etc. and we release control of the lane once we are completely clear of the hazard/chokepoint.

5. Group ride dynamics are interesting and ever changing. 

You have to be alert at all times. To be safe it is important to ride smoothly by not over reacting and by avoiding hard braking. Be alert as to what is going on up the road in the front of the pack, and anticipate what traffic will do. Inexperienced riders that panic and touch a wheel may crash or cause a crash. You can avoid problems by practicing these simple rules:

• Make sure your bike is in good working order. We can help with this – a spring tune-up is a great idea.
• Be relaxed.
• Be predictable in all your actions. Move around slowly, flowing like water.
• Stay alert at all times.
• Communicate hazards by calling and pointing them out.
• Hold your line. Especially in corners.
• Do not pass in corners.
• Don’t overlap wheels. A slight direction change or gust of wind could easily cause you to touch wheels and fall.
• Leave enough space between yourself and the rider in front of you to suit your abilities (generally a metre or so for a beginner).
• When preparing to stand up on the pedals, get out of the saddle slowly over two pedal strokes to avoid shooting your rear wheel into the rider behind you.
• Be aware of the rider(s) around you.
• Don’t brake hard unless absolutely necessary.
• Pass and change lanes slowly and carefully, like you would in your car.
• Remove aero-bars for all group rides.