This is an attempt to explore the dynamics of club rides, with an eye to understanding what makes one ride successful and another only so-so...or worse. It is not about listing or leading club rides. For that point of view, click here. It is rather about how we all function on rides: ride etiquette and protocol.
It is not the intent of this article to lay down the law regarding proper behavior on rides. No single set of rules will cover every contingency. Route, tempo, personalities, weather, and myriad unexpected occurrences make each ride special...a canvas for improvisation and creative problem solving...and of course for fun. In other words, we make it up as we go along, using common sense and basic courtesy to make each ride function smoothly and amicably.
Having said that, there are a few basic tenets of bike etiquette we can use to establish the essential structure of a good ride. If you are new to club rides, these fundamentals may be new to you. If you’re a veteran club rider, reading them again may help to remind you of some home truths you have perhaps come to take for granted.
Be prepared! We publish the routes in the newsletter for a reason: so you can familiarize yourself with where your ride will be going. Get out a map and bone up on the roads if you’re uncertain. If you get lost, the ride leader has to worry about you, and the group may even have to alter the ride to hunt for you or wait for you. In a worst case scenario, not knowing the route can even lead to an accident: you might miss a turn while those around you are veering in another direction. We’ve seen it happen more than once. Don’t be one of those lost sheep that inconveniences the group. Being prepared also means having your bike in decent working order so that the potential for mid-ride mechanicals is minimized.
Becoming familiar with the route has been made easier with a feature the club now offers: every ride on our weekend calendar will be linked to an on-line, printable pdf of route slip and map. Go to our website and click on the appropriate link, then print out your own route slip (with miles broken out for each turn) and map.
The ride list says, “RSVP with ride leader.” This is the most universally ignored admonition in our club. We’re not going to belabor that here, but we do hope you will call the ride leader ahead of time if you have any questions or if you plan anything special for the ride, such as meeting the group somewhere along the route.
Club rides hit the road ten minutes after the time listed in the ride schedule. Those ten minutes are meant to be spent in passing out maps, making introductions, discussing the route, etc. You are expected to be ready to ride at the beginning of those ten minutes. You are not supposed to be still putting your gear together at that point, and you are most definitely not supposed to be just pulling up in your car at ten minutes after the posted time, with all your prep work still to be done. We understand that anyone can be late now and then, but if you are late every week, then your club mates have a right to be upset with you: you are being discourteous to them.
If you’re a regular on club rides, you probably hang out with your buddies at the start of the ride. Cyclists are no more elitist or clique-ish than anyone else, but it’s only natural to gravitate to your old friends to chat. Often though, there is one new person standing off to the side, alone, unsure of how to mingle with the gang. (This must have been you on some other ride, years ago.) If you notice that person, take the time to extend a hand and introduce yourself. Who knows? That stranger may turn out to be the best biking companion you’ve ever had. But it you don’t reach out to them just once, they may become discouraged and move on to another club...or even to another sport.
Regroups and getting dropped: a big subject! In our ride list, the guidelines for both A and B tempo rides say, “waits for all riders.” In contrast, the D guidelines say, “slower riders may miss regroups.” These guidelines are all appropriate for their tempos. While the C guidelines don’t go as far as the D about slower riders missing regroups, the term, “waits for all riders” is conspicuously missing from its description. This intentionally non-specific language leaves some room for decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis. Using common sense and common courtesy, and considering the circumstances--at that moment, on that ride--the leader and/or the group may decide to wait for slower riders...or they may not.
Riders are expected to be able to ride competently at the listed tempo on a given ride. If they are unable to do so--at least on the C and D rides--then other arrangements may need to be made. Sometimes a more experienced rider may offer to buddy up with a slower rider and assist them in finishing the ride. At other times, the leader may talk to the off-the-back rider, go over the route, and see that they are comfortable on their own. While we do want to be supportive and inclusive on our rides, it is not always reasonable to expect the majority of the group to alter its tempo to accommodate one or two riders who are in over their heads.
On the other hand, the fastest riders in the group--those off the front--should remember to call regroups on a regular basis. Hammering, winning hill primes, and sprinting for city limit signs can be lots of fun, but if being first is so important to you that you can’t regroup every so often, then perhpas you need to move from a social-recreational cycling club to a race team.
Aside from regular regroups, there are the stops caused by emergencies, either the mundane flat tire or the more serious accident or terminally broken bike. In all of these cases, the group should stop at least long enough to determine if the problem is quickly fixable. If it is, everyone should wait and pitch in as needed to speed the repair. In cases of complicated repairs or accidents, improvisation comes to the fore: each problem will be unique and will require a unique solution. We never want to leave anyone behind who is hurt or dealing with a repair, but that doesn’t mean every single person on the ride has to stand by for hours while the bike is mended or until help arrives for an injured rider. As long as the ride leader or other responsible parties on the ride have taken the matter in hand, there is no reason why the balance of the ride can’t proceed.
All of the suggestions above are just that: suggestions...not rules. There are no carved-in-stone commandments governing club ride behavior, nor should there be. There is only one rule in effect, and that is the Golden Rule: treat your fellow riders the same way you would want to be treated. Keep that in mind and you won’t go too far astray.
Leading a club ride is the simplest and yet the most essential contribution you can make to your club. After all, our rides are at the heart of who we are and what we do. Without our rides, we’d be just another social club. Those who have led rides before know it’s fun to do--allowing one to dream up unique and interesting routes to share with your friends--and they also have learned that it’s very easy to do...neither intimidating nor tedious.
The process begins with your imagination: envision a cool collection of roads or trails that you would like to inflict upon your fellow club members. It can be a basic route done many times before or it can be brand new to the list, or something with a special twist, like a visit to some event or point of interest. Once you have the germ of an idea, check your schedule for the weeks ahead.
If you’re unsure how to get this far, check the specifications listed in the left column on page 4 of the newsletter, next to the ride list. Once you understand our simple system, it’s easy to plug your own agenda into that template and plan a ride appropriate for you. And rest assured, if it’s right for you, it will be right for some other members of the club, as we have riders at every level of the recreational cycling food chain.
Many club rides are stored at the club website in the archives of past ride lists. If you need help coming up with a route, this is a good place to start. Beginning in 2005, all of our past club rides are not only on file at the website, but come complete with downloadable maps and route slips, so choosing a route is now just a mouse click away.
Find a date that works for you and then call or e-mail the club Ride Director (Bill Oetinger, 823-9807 or srcc@ap.net). Bill is also the newsletter Editor, so he can not only help you fine tune your route, he can polish up the wording of your listing in the monthly calendar.
For publication in the monthly newsletter, ride submissions need to be in the Editor's hands by no later than the 15th of the previous month.
That will get you on the calendar. Now what? Making maps comes next for most people. You can make your own from scratch or from copies of existing maps, but you don’t need to go to all that trouble. As noted above, the club offers ready-made maps and route slips for all rides on the weekend calendar.
As soon as the newsletter goes to the printer each month, we set to work producing route slips and maps for the month’s rides, and these are posted with the on-line ride list at the club website. (Gordon Stewart, who provides this service, should send you an advance copy of your ride’s route slip so you can check its accuracy before it goes on-line.) Anyone visiting the website can click on a link and pull up a printable pdf of route and map.
Print out as many copies as you think you’ll need. How many copies is that? Depends on how popular your ride turns out to be. Some club rides attract over 50 participants; others only a few. Not all riders will need maps and some can share one. Also, some folks will go to the website and print their own slips/maps for your ride. So it’s hard to predict. Figure on around a dozen copies.
Maps and route slips in hand, that brings you to the actual ride...showtime! Rookie ride leaders can feel a bit of stage fright at this point, as if they’re being judged for their performance in the role of ride leader. Relax! You have to understand that the riders who show up to do your ride are predisposed to have a good time. They’re a great audience, and if they didn’t already like the route you posted, they wouldn’t be here.
While non-club members are welcome on our rides, our insurance policy dictates that non-members must sign a liability waiver before the ride. The ride leader circulates this form (one form for all non-members). Waiver forms can be printed from the club website. On most rides, there are unlikely to be non-members, but if a form gets signed, it should eventually be given to the club Secretary.
If you’ve planned your ride correctly, so that it matches your own abilities and ambitions, you should end up staying in contact with the group. You may be leading from the front or from the back, but you can stay on top of things either way. Some ride leaders choose to lead from the rear, knowing the faster riders tend to be autonomous and the slower ones need more assistance. Others lead from the front so they can control the regroups and the pace. Almost anything will work, and almost all of your riders will be fairly self-reliant, so you won’t end up riding much differently than you would on any other club ride.
Ocassionally, problems do come up on rides. Sometimes a person will show up who is clearly out of their depth for the specs of the ride. If you find them falling behind over and over, you are within your rights as ride leader to advise them that the group may not wait for them at each regroup. (Talk to them: make sure they have a map, know where they’re going, and are generally comfortable riding alone.) We always encourage new riders to join us, and we make great efforts to include everyone, but it is important to remember that coming on a ride implies a contract between the leader and the participants. The leader undertakes to provide maps and guidance; the riders undertake to show up on time, to understand the published route, and to be able to ride competently at the listed tempo.
Sometimes an accident will occur. A rider may be injured or a bike may be damaged to the point of not being ridable. In these rare instances, the ride leader may need to deal with the situation in some way that changes the day’s plans. We deal with each crisis as it arises, and there is no single best way to sort each one out.
Fortunately, such cases are extremely rare. Most people leading club rides--on a regular basis over many years--will never have to deal with such a problem. Most days, your biggest challenges as ride leader will amount to deciding where to regroup and where to go for lunch after the ride.
Is leading a ride harder than not leading a ride? Of course it is. But for that small outlay of effort, you and your club and your friends will reap immense rewards. Give it a try. You might be surprised at how much fun it turns out to be.
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