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On the day of the ride:
- Arrive early to coordinate pre-ride activities.
- Leave yourself time to formulate your pre-ride discussion.
- Be available to answer questions about the ride, mileage, lunch stops,
food, etc.
- Bring a current NYCC sign-in sheet.
It is important that every ride leader ask each
rider to sign-in and provide emergency contact information. The sign-in
sheet must be retained by the leader until the end of the ride. In the event that an
accident has occurred that requires completion of the Incident Report (see below), the leader
will submit the sign-in sheet along with the completed Incident Report to the VP of Rides.
- Ride leaders should be familiar with the ride leader guidelines and
be able to cover these points in a 2min pre-ride talk.
While participants sign in, take the opportunity to assess their bikes
and their suitability for that particular ride.
- If they have not participated in a club ride before, you might casually
ask them questions regarding their current riding status: i.e., how far
they’ve ridden, what pace, etc., and determine if they might have
a problem keeping up with the group.
- Although it might seem unfair to turn back a rider at the start or at
some point before you get too far along on the ride, it would be more
of a burden to hold the group up every few miles waiting for that person
to catch up.
- If they are physically unprepared, lack adequate water, snacks, spare
tube, pump, railroad pass or their bike is poorly maintained, it would
be equally unfair to leave them stranded, even with a cue sheet.
Pre-Ride talk/discussion
After everyone has signed in, introduce yourself, welcoming everyone on
behalf of the
NYCC.
- If you weren't able to talk to all of the new riders previously,
ask for a show of hands of those who have not participated in a club
ride before and talk to them about their status before you take off.
- If you don't carry a cell phone, you might want to ask the group who
has one.
Describe your ride as advertised in the Ride Listings, including distance and pace (cruising speed).
- Members must rely on the pace (cruising speed) and ride description as advertised, therefore, the
leader is expected to adhere to his/her description accordingly. To deviate from this at the start
would certainly be unfair to any participants who planned on doing the advertised ride. Monitor
your speed often during the ride, as it is easy to be pressured by riders "pushing the pace." Make
allowances for hills. Keep the speed up hills proportionate to the pace.
Announce your drop policy.
- If you do not intend to drop riders, ask all riders to look out for each other.
- Also, announce where you intend to wait for lagging riders.
- Regardless of the level of ride that is planned, it is important to inform participants
what to expect in terms of a drop policy.
The following group riding skills should be made clear to all riders:
- Impress upon the group that cycling with a group, as opposed to cycling
alone, requires special cycling skills.
- Safety has to be one of the major concerns of group riding. There
is a certain cycling etiquette, or rules of the road, which need to be followed.
- Emphasize predictable, single or double line riding attentive to local traffic
laws and common sense. Do not bunch up at lights or while riding-maintain the line. Failure to
do so may anger motorists and other cyclists who may want to pass us and could contribute
to an accident. Don't allow cyclists to "move up" at a stop. They may do so while
riding alerting other riders by saying "passing on your left." (Never on the right).
-
Notify the group that you'll be indicating your intentions
by using hand and voice signals, such as stopping, slowing, left turn, etc., and
calling out conditions such as holes, glass, doors etc., and expect them to do the same.
- By not doing so, they might deprive a rider behind them from reacting
to a dangerous obstacle and might cause injury or damage to their bicycle. On the
other hand, make riders aware of their need to focus on their own in situations
such as going through intersections or turns by not always following the group
blindly. Discourage riders from "pace busting." They break the ride tempo and
compromise group safety.
- If they go to the front, other riders may follow and the ride leader will
no longer maintain control of the ride.
- If riders insist on going past the leader, other than where indicated (such as hills), they
should be asked to leave the ride.
The importance of a pre-ride discussion cannot be overemphasized. It lets riders
know what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. Try to keep it brief, covering
the topics above and anything else that will ensure a safe and pleasant ride.
After the Ride
Congratulations and thank you for leading your ride!
If any noteworthy accidents occur on your ride - even if a call to 911 wasn't required - please fill
out the accident Incident Report promptly after the ride and contact the NYCC VP of Rides
whose contact information is available on the NYCC Contacts page for futher
instructions on submitting the form. You should also submit the sign-in sheet for the ride.
Thank you.
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