Summary
- All club riders are responsible for their own safety and wellbeing. Bikes need to be well maintained, and riders need to be properly equipped, including wearing a helmet.
- Riders are also responsible for the safety of others in their group. They need to ride a sensible distance from the kerb and each other, helping to maintain group coherence.
- Hazards and changes in pace or direction should be communicated from the front of the group, but all riders need to echo communications and signals for the benefit of the group and other road users.
Our club rides are social events designed for enjoyment as well as exercise. They are not primarily aimed at riders seeking to improve their fitness and speed. They need to be safe for us, and considerate of other road users, which means taking responsibility for ourselves and others, adopting good group riding skills, and communicating effectively between ourselves and with others.
Taking responsibility
- Helmets should be worn on all club events.
- Riders are expected to ensure the roadworthiness of their machines and to be properly equipped. Carry sufficient tools (and know how to use them) to deal with minor mechanical mishaps, including pump, spare tube, tyre levers, multitool with chain splitter, quick link, zip tie.
- Each rider should carry a note indicating emergency contact details and any relevant medical condition that may influence performance, or need treatment during a ride. Smart phones can display this data on the lock screen (set up via Health app on iPhones) or a physical note can be carried in a wallet or taped inside a helmet.
- Bring food and drink (and payment options for cafe stops) for the planned ride, taking account of weather conditions.
- Additional clothing such as waterproof jacket and spare gloves may be needed at some times of the year
In autumn and winter the club recommends you fit mudguards to your bike, to protect yourself and others, and also to use front and back lights.
Group riding introduction
We ride closely in a group as it makes riding on the road both safer and easier for each of us, as well as making it simpler for other road users to see us and navigate around us. In this club, the ride leader will usually post the route outline as a GPS file the day before the ride. They will be able to explain the route in more detail, including distance, amount of climbing and cafe stops at the start of the ride, and will check that group size is appropriate. The safety of the group is the responsibility of all riders. Everyone in the group is responsible for checking the person behind is keeping up, to avoid splitting the group or losing someone off the back. Before setting off it is good practice to designate a back marker who can communicate messages forward to the group and ensure no one is left behind.
Group riding skills
Riding in a group needs additional skills to those of being a safe cyclist and following the Highway Code.
The usual formation for a group is to ride in pairs in two parallel lines or in single file, depending on prevailing road conditions.
The group should be able to ride as a single coherent unit, maintaining a consistent pace and position, to enable other road users to anticipate our movement along the road, and to allow them to make safe judgements about overtaking.
Obstacles should be pointed out well in advance and communicated down the group, to promote gradual changes in direction. We also need to anticipate changes in gradient so that braking or gear changes are smooth and timely.
When riding in pairs, the inside rider should maintain a position between 0.5 – 1.0 m from the kerb. The outside rider should then leave about a bars width between them and their partner. Avoiding sudden changes to speed or position will maintain the safety of the group.
A good position is reasonably close (0.5 – 1.0m) to the rider in front without overlapping their back wheel. It is also good practice not to ride directly behind the back wheel of the rider in front, but offset your wheel 15 cm either side in case you need to take evasive action.
On longer climbs the group may naturally break formation as people climb at different rates. Never ride between two riders in front. Pass on the outside, never on the inside. The front riders should wait at the summit so the group can reform to continue the ride together. Avoid congestion at road junctions when letting people catch up. It is better to find a safe place to wait beyond the junction.
Practice getting out of the saddle on steep gradients without kicking back your bike into the rider behind. As with any manoeuvre, a quick backwards check and a warning shout should keep everyone safe.
While riding in pairs is safe, there are times when the group needs to single out. To do this, inside riders maintain a steady pace whilst allowing space to develop between each bike. The outside riders slow off slightly and fall in behind their partners.
Aim to be relaxed on the bike and do not fixate on the wheel in front. It is important to look ahead and stay alert to possible obstacles rather than try to rely on fast reactions. This is especially important if you are feeling tired or feeling low on energy. Watch out for hazards such as pedestrians, wet leaves, gravel, potholes, drain covers, etc. However, riders at the front will always try to indicate obstacles so that the information can be relayed backwards.
Riding in formation can be intimidating for new riders. If this is a concern, talk to a club member about it, so we can place you safely in the group until your group riding skills and confidence improves. The point of being in a club is to develop your cycling. We are here to help.
The skills outlined above are something to ‘aim for’ in near perfect conditions, but in reality, the weather, the proximity of traffic and the nature of the roads requires us to exercise collective judgement.
Remedial actions can include:
- splitting a large group into smaller units leaving space for traffic to overtake between the units;
- ‘singling out’ rather than riding in pairs, always advisable in heavy traffic or on narrow lanes
- pulling in to a safe kerb side space to allow vehicles to overtake
Communicating with the group and other road users
The club has adopted a number of calls and signals to help ensure rider safety. These may vary between clubs and not be universally understood! Communication to the whole group is important so every rider is expected to echo any signal or call.
The Holmfirth phrasebook:
- Shout of ‘Car Up’ – there is a vehicle behind, probably wanting to overtake the group. (used for any vehicle). Back marker rider to call out ‘singles‘ or ‘single out’ if the group needs to move from double to single.
- Shout of ‘Car Down’ – there is an oncoming vehicle ahead, possibly going to cause a threat or obstruction.
- Shout of ‘Mile Off’ or ‘Ease Up’ means slow the pace at the front when a back marker recognises gaps appearing in the group.
- Shout of ‘Slowing’ and moving horizontal left arm up and down from a front rider means the group is slowing down. Any rider needing to stop or slow down should call out a warning first.
- Shout of ‘Stop’ or ‘Lights’ and signal of hand up means the group is stopping (often for traffic lights and pedestrian crossings)
- Road surface hazards ahead– such as pot holes, poor surface or debris that will cause deviation from the ‘normal’ route. Use a downward pointing hand to indicate the presence of an obstruction, hole, glass, gravel etc.
- Left arm around the back signals moving out (often for a parked car), but if for pedestrians ensure the group moves out in plenty of time.
- Right arm around the back signals to ride in single file.
- Shout of ‘All On?’ is asking if the group is together. The response of ‘All Aboard’ or ‘All On’ should be given by the last rider if they are present. If no response of ‘all on’ the group needs to slow.
Slow right down when passing horses, and pass them as wide as it is safe to do so.
Call out to horse riders well ahead of catching up with them. Keep calling until the riders indicate they know you are there. They may want to turn the horse so it can see you.
You may also need to warn pedestrians of your approach, on narrow lanes and particularly on bridleways – a bell is useful, but so is a cheery greeting.
The group should use recognised Highway Code signals to indicate a change of direction. All members of the group should signal clearly, to ensure any following vehicle is made aware of intentions. Communicate positively with fellow road users. Give thanks to courteous behaviour. However much you feel provoked, avoid hostile gestures.
Particular care is needed when crossing in front of traffic as some drivers may not display awareness of priorities at junctions. The lead rider should indicate when it is safe to proceed with a shout of ‘Clear!’, but you still need to check before proceeding.
Other things to mention: If you’re having an off day, or you decide to leave the ride early mention it to the back marker, or let the rest of the group know.
E-Bikes
As more of us are riding ebikes, powered riders need to be mindful and respectful of their unassisted companions. Do try to match speed and direction with other members of the group.
On hills, it’s ok to go up hills on an ebike a little bit faster, but be respectful of those putting in a great deal of effort. It’s polite not to overtake a rider as they are on the point of reaching the summit.
Links