VCB Etiquette Guidelines 05

“We all bear a responsibility of care for the safety of anyone we are cycling with”

1. At the start of each ride, riders agree the route and pace of group(s) Ultimately, riders must ride together within your chosen group(s).

2. It is accepted that the entire group will ride together collectively to the Café stop at halfway. However, with all riders consent, this can then be divided into faster / slower groups for the return.

3. If this occurs, as a pre-requisite, there must be a minimum of two riders within each group, fast or slow to ensure no riders is left to return home alone!

4. Courtesy:

Front riders remain “the eyes” of the group and should, therefore, warn of:

Hazards ahead
Changes of speed, severe gradient & direction
Potholes
Manhole covers
Parked vehicles
Approaching vehicles, pedestrians etc.

Warnings should be both verbal and by pointing / hand signals and given in plenty of time.

Any warnings or directions given by the lead riders should be repeated by the following riders and passed down the group from pair to pair.

After any interruption in the ride, e.g. road junctions, roundabouts, stopping for any reason, after a climb or descent, the lead riders should make sure that all riders are back in the group before moving off at the agreed pace. It is OK to keep moving, and is preferable to keep moving, but slowly until everyone is back together. Don't make dropped riders have a long chase to get back on, this will make them even more tired!

Exceptions are:

• When riders are a long way down, then stopping is an option to consider.

• When the route involves negotiating roundabouts, road junctions, etc, then waiting at a corner, etc, may be necessary to ensure dropped riders follow the correct route.

• If novice or unfit riders are present, avoid letting them ride for long periods by themselves on hard sections of the route, i.e. long hills or climbs.

General Safety Points;

• Try to ride as a close knit group, including most climbs.

• Ride in line with the rider in front of you; do not overlap wheels.

1. Be aware of riders behind you; do not brake suddenly, swerve in/out of the riding line, stop pedalling to take a drink etc.

2. Always look behind you / under you when overtaking riders in front of you. An accident at the front affects everyone behind!

• When climbing in a group and you cannot hold the wheel in front, do not let a gap open up in front of you - let the rest of the group behind you move forward to keep the group together.

• Communicate with other riders. If you notice gaps occurring because the pace at the front is too high, ask the riders at the front to ease off. Keep the group together.

• Throughout your ride, change riders at the front frequently, stronger riders doing longer turns, weaker riders undertaking shorter.

• Rear riders should warn of any overtaking vehicles, or instruct the group to form single file to help following traffic when necessary (“Car Back”)

• It is the responsibility of the rear rider(s) to warn the group ahead if any riders are dropped, including themselves. The front riders are responsible to respond and slow down collectively, or with consent, split into two “paced” groups (but only after the café stop!)

In promoting VCB positively at all times, VCB members will abide by the highway code and be courteous to all road users at all times.