The Team

Ride Leader Guidelines

All ride leaders are to follow these guidelines to ensure safe and enjoyable riding.

1. Download the ridewithgps app (or similar navigational app) to your mobile phone.

2. Click on the route link in the Meetup event and “pin” the route in the ridewithgps app.

3. The day before the ride, have a look at the route on your laptop in order to see where it goes and whether it is a clockwise or anticlockwise loop.

4. Check the Meetup event page to see which of the members who have signed up have the ranking of the level you are leading.

5. Add your mobile number to the “How to find us section” of the Meetup event page.

6. Load the gpx for the route to your Garmin/Wahoo and check that you know how to use the ridewithgps mobile app to check on your location on your phone in the event that you make a navigational error and stray from the route. (Press the compass arrow).

7. Arrive at the appointed meeting point at least 5 minutes before the appointed meeting time and introduce yourself to the members you will be leading.

8. At the appointed meeting time start assembling your group in an appropriate place allowing for the fact that the groups should depart in descending order of speed.

9. Do not take riders who have a ranking below the level you are down to lead.

10. Do not lead more than 6 riders. If more than 6 riders of the relevant level attend, split the group and ask someone else to take half or ask the gatecrashing rider(s) to drop down to a group that is not full.

11. Deliver a pre-ride brief to the participating riders dealing with:

• introductions – make sure everyone knows everyone else’s name.
• mobile number – give out your number to the members of the group.
• route – destination, places en route; approximate mileage and elevation. Who has loaded it on their navigation device?
• any proposed coffee/lunch stop
• anti-clockwise rotation front rider gives right elbow flick; no. 2 rider leads the rest of the peloton past. The rider who was on the front eases off and joins the back. Do not use clockwise rotation unless you are on closed or very quiet roads. (Rolling a turn into the middle of the road is dangerous).
• comms – handsignals – slowing down/stopping, moving out to the right; calls – Car up! Car back! All up! Man down! and the need to pass on handsignals and calls down or up the line.
• riding etiquette – the three golden rules of group riding:
  • Do not ride off the front/surge.
  • Check regularly on the rider behind you and shout “Easy!” or “Man down!” if a gap develops in the group behind you. If you hear a shout of “Easy!” or “Man down!”, pass it up the line.
  • Regroup after hills.

12. Ensure that your group leaves as punctually as possible. Do not delay the start of the ride for the benefit of people who message to say they’re running late and/or will meet the group en route. People who don’t come to the designated meeting place, do so at their own risk.

13. Lead your group out of the park according to the following order: Advanced, Intermediate+, Intermediate, Steady. This is to ensure that groups do not immediately need to overtake each other.

14. Keep to the following speeds on the flat – Steadies+ 17mph; Inters 18/19mph; Inter+ 20/21mph; Advanced 22mph.

15. Do not stay on the front all the time but give others the chance to take the front. Use anti-clockwise (rather than clockwise) rotation. Flick your right elbow to signal that the rider behind you should overtake you (pulling the rest of the peloton with him/her). Ease off to facilitate the overtake by the rest of the peloton and join the back of the peloton.

16. If a rider is unable to keep up with the pace of the ride to a point where he or she is spoiling the ride for the others, stop and have a conversation with the rider. Sometimes the rider will volunteer to drop out. If not, consider whether it is appropriate in the circumstances to ask the rider to leave the ride. If so, check that he/she has a smart phone and/or can navigate his/her way back or to a train station. Otherwise, consider escorting the rider to a train station.

17. At the end of the ride, conduct a post-ride brief to discuss how the ride went and how the participants rode.

REMEMBER THE TWO GOLDEN RULES OF RIDE LEADING:

1. LOOK BEHIND regularly to see if the group is together. If not, slow down!
2. ACCELERATE SLOWLY from junctions – it takes time for everyone to set off and clip in.