Group Ride Guidelines

 Welcome new riders! If you will be joining any of our group rides, please be mindful of the following guidelines and club etiquette: 

A face covering is optional while riding, but please adhere to local requirements for indoor masking when entering public areas at ride meet-ups and stops. 

 Basic group riding skills are necessary to maintain safety for us all! Our rides often have as many as 30 people, and you should be comfortable riding around others. What do basic skills look like? This video demonstrates the basics of how to ride in a group: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lK5MPtMrMqU

  • Call out and signal early and often to others. You should know basic hand signals  to indicate hazards in the road, when turning, passing, slowing down, or when cars are coming up. When in doubt, use your voice.

  • Some rides form pacelines, meaning that riders are in close proximity to each other.  If you are inexperienced riding 3 feet immediately ahead of, behind, and next to another rider, please let your ride leader know this at the outset so that they can support you. You’ll need to communicate and manage your personal bubble around other riders.

  • For safety reasons we ask riders attending organized group rides to avoid using TT bikes. Clip-on aero bars are ok to have on your bike, but during group rides we ask riders to NOT use them as group riding dynamics may require quick reactions.

 If you are new to group riding, we encourage you to join our introductory ride on the first Sunday of each month!

 We ride together as a group, and typically regroup at the top of climbs. Please be aware this does not always happen on the weekday early morning rides as people are often on a timeline to get to work. 

 Be prepared with your own fuel and hydration. The weekday early morning rides do not have a coffee/snack stop and the longer weekend rides usually only have one or two, so please plan accordingly. 

 If you are unfamiliar with the route or are not sure if you can keep up, please let the ride leader or a club member know and they will try their best to make sure you know your way home. Our rides are inclusive and friendly, but they are NOT ‘no drop’ rides (except the introductory ride) where someone is guaranteed to wait for you if you fall behind. If you do become separated from the main group, we expect that you will be self-sufficient in finding your way home. We suggest ensuring your phone and cycling computer are charged in case you need to navigate yourself. 

 Treat others with respect! This includes everyone on the ride and those we cross paths with on the road. We are a community founded in positivity and inclusivity, and behavior on group rides should reflect that. Abusive or hateful language and actions will not be tolerated.

 Please feel free to reach out to the ride leaders (listed on the weekly ride page) if you have any questions about a ride.