Windrush Triathlon Club led rides guidance
Road cycling is a great sport which is currently under-going a massive boom in Britain. Those of you who have been out on our club rides will know the thrill of being able to escape London under your own steam out into the surprisingly beautiful countryside in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
This guidance is aimed to maximise your enjoyment of the regular led rides advertised on our website.
It is important to note that these are not coached sessions. The people leading the rides are experienced riders familiar with the routes but they are not qualified coaches and they do not take responsibility for your safety or the safety of other people you may hit while on these rides.
You are responsible for ensuring your own safety and the safety of others.
Road cycling is by its nature hazardous and you should take care to ensure before coming on these rides:
a)That your bike is properly serviced. You need to pay particular attention to ensuring the brakes work properly, that the tyres are properly inflated and in a good condition and that the headset is appropriately adjusted to ensure safe steering. If in doubt we recommend you take it to a good local bike shop such as Bon Velo for servicing.
b)That you insure yourself against claims from third parties relating to injury or damage. Cyclists can injure other people and they can be sued. If you join organisations such as British Triathlon, British Cycling, the London Cycling Campaign this public liability insurance cover is included.
c)That you consider taking out Personal Injury cover to insure yourself against the consequence of any injury you have – for example if you are unable to work for a period.
d)Under 18s are welcome on our rides but must be accompanied by an appropriate adult.
Before coming out on the ride we would ask that you make sure
a)That you arrive on time – it is annoying to others to have to wait around especially on a cold or damp day – we leave very promptly. If you are new to group riding please let the leader know at the start
b)That you have some sort of identity on you and an emergency contact number. It would also be useful if you take the mobile number of the person leading the ride just in case you become detached (we do try to ensure this does not happen of course)
c)That you have your own pump, spare inner tube and tyre levers in case you have a puncture. However nobody gets abandoned because of mechanical problems – we will do our best to help you fix the problem on the road and if not ensure you get to either a bike shop or rail station
d)That you have sufficient drink and snacks/gels for the distance we are covering. A mobile and a debit card is also useful just in case as is sun block on a sunny day (yes sometimes it is sunny)
On the ride
a)In a group ride we ride at the pace of the slowest rider. We will give an indication both of how long and how fast each ride is. It is not fair to arrive at the start of a steady ride and expect others to keep up at breakneck speed. You should also consider whether it would be fair to others prepared for a challenging ride to have to accommodate much slower riders
b)All riders must observe the Highway Code at all times on these rides. We do not cycle through red lights, cycle on pavements, ride three abreast, cycle the wrong way up one way streets or cycle on the wrong side of the road. Anyone who breaches these rules may have their membership terminated or refused
c)Wearing a helmet is strongly recommended. You should dress appropriately for the weather.
d)When riding in a group there are some standard hand signals that can be easily explained to you at the start of the ride please ask if you do not know what these are
e)If there are holes, parked cars, glass, grates etc in the road please warn those behind you passing the message back down the group so that everyone is forewarned.
f)If the road narrows be prepared to get into single file. When singling out the rider nearest the middle of the road slows down to pull in behind the rider nearest the curb.
g)If you are going to slow down shout “easy” – remember bikes don’t have brake lights and you really don’t want to be rammed from behind
h)If you get a puncture shout out to let people know to ensure you don’t get dropped and to stop people riding into you
i)Tempting though it is at times abusing aggressive motorists rarely achieves anything and often provokes. Needless to say we do not tolerate abuse of other cyclists whether or not they are with us.
Cycling is a fantastic sport and our rides go through beautiful parts of Surrey, Kent and Sussex. Even Richmond Park is a stunning venue for cycling.
We look forward to seeing you on one of our rides.
Windrush Triathlon Club Committee