The Team

Ride Leader Guidelines

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

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

2. 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.

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

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

5. Load the gpx for the route to your Garmin/Wahoo and to your mobile phone by way of back-up. It’s useful to be able to check on your phone where you are in relation to the plotted route in the event that you have strayed from the route, especially if you are doing the route for the first time.

6. 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.

7. Move off the decking area in front of the cafe as soon as possible after the posted meeting time and start assembling your group in an appropriate place.

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

9. Do not lead more than 7 riders. If more than 7 riders attend, split the group and ask someone else to take half.

10. Appoint a Backmarker if leading more than 6 riders.

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

11.1. introductions – make sure everybody knows everyone else’s name.
11.2. mobile number – give out your number to the members of the group.
11.3. route – destination, places en route; approximate mileage and elevation. Who has loaded it on their navigation device?
11.4. any proposed coffee/lunch stop
11.5. comms – calls and handsignals especially “Car up!”, “Car back!”, slowing down/stopping and moving out to the right and the need to pass on calls and handsignals down or up the line (as appropriate).
11.6. riding etiquette – the three golden rules of group riding:

11.6.1. Do not ride off the front. 
11.6.2. Check regularly on the rider behind you and shout “Slow!” or “Man down!” if a gap develops in the group behind you. 
11.6.3. Slow down and regroup at junctions and after hills.

12. Ensure that the ride 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 the riders in each group become consolidated and are not immediately overtaken by another group.

14. Keep to the following speeds on the flat – Steadies 16/17mph; Steady+ 17/18mph; Inters 18/19mph; Inter+ 20/21mph; Advanced 22/23mph.

15. Stop periodically to allow the riders to re-group, do a headcount and receive any feedback from the Backmarker.

16. Do not stay on the front all the time but give others the chance to take the front. (Either peel off the front to the right, after first checking it’s clear behind, and reinsert yourself further back in the peloton or flick your right elbow to signal that the rider behind you should overtake and take the front). Alternatively, ride as a chain-gang or in two-abreast formation.

17. 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.

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

The Backmarker:

1. Ensure that you have the gpx for the route.
2. Arrive at the appointed meeting point at least 5 minutes before the appointed meeting time.
3. Ride at the back of the group and check the Ride Leader’s navigation.
4. Observe the riding skills of the riders in the group.
5. Provide draft to any rider who is struggling in the hope of bringing them back into the group.
6. Give feedback on pace etc. to the Ride Leader at stops.

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.