Ride Guidance and Ride Leadership
a. Guidance for ride participants
Riding in a group should be more fun and should also be safer. However this relies on everyone doing the right things at the right time. Much of this is just common sense and simple consideration for others, however the list of things to be aware of also includes a large number of less obvious tips which represent the collective wisdom of the Club Cycling community handed down over the years.
As safety of all riders is paramount, all new members participating in Club events are asked to adhere to our best practice group riding guidelines. Also be prepared to follow whatever additional guidance may be found necessary from the person asked to lead a ride on a particular day. For the duration of the ride they are the "Captain of the Ship" whose job is to get everyone home safe.
For those who have never cycled in a group before, it can take a bit of time to get used to and requires a reasonable level of both underlying fitness and bike handling skills. We are keen to encourage new people into the club and are happy to provide a bit of help, if necessary, to bridge the gap.
Our guidelines for group ride participants are based on national best practice and we ask all new riders to familiarise themselves with these before riding with the club for the first time.
Please click on this link to see our detailed guidance for ride participants
b. Guidance for ride leaders
The majority of the club group rides use planned routes and are led by an experienced club member which makes them ideal for all those who just want to turn up and enjoy a pleasant, relaxed cycle with friends. When everything goes perfectly being a ride leader can be a very rewarding thing but it is also not without its challenges. All of our ride leaders are volunteers. Whilst the guidelines below have been provided primarily to help them they are useful for all members to have an appreciation of.
Please click on this link to see our detailed guidance for our ride leaders