Riding Etiquette

[johna]

I've been pretty impressed by how smoothly the road rides have gone so far this year. Below is some useful information adapted from an old post by Ben.

Before you come for a ride with us please read and agreed to abide by the club’s good practice guidelines and take note of the club’s risk assessments.

Everyone coming on rides now should be fully paid up members of the club.

Things to remember for a ride;

• HELMET - Always wear a helmet (NO HELMET = NO RIDE)
  
  
• DRINK - Always bring AT LEAST one bottle of drink with you if we will be riding for an hour or more.
  
  
• ENERGY - Cycling is an endurance sport and therefore you burn a lot of energy. If you run out of energy (we call it ‘bonking’) it will hurt and you will have to ride home very slowly. Energy drinks, energy bars, energy gels or just bananas, chocolate, a malt loaf or whatever will provide you with energy – at least some form of energy is essential for a ride.
  
  
• WHAT TO WEAR? Dress appropriately for the weather conditions (Do not come out in the middle of winter in shorts and a jersey). Please do check the weather forecast before you set off - If people are not dressed appropriately for a ride you will not be able to take part in that ride. In the winter, on your top-half you should wear a base-layer with a L/S Jersey with a windproof jacket or winter jacket. On the bottom-half you should wear shorts with leg/knee warmers or full length thermal tights and over-socks/overshoes on your feet.
  
  
• A MECHANICAL? Check the condition/ cleanliness of your bike especially the brakes, rims and tyres/ tyre pressures and also check for general wear and tear on other parts – prevention is better than the cure so it is much better to carry out repairs on your bike at home than out in the wet, cold Peak District. If you need any help post on the Techies Anonymous section of the forum or search the Internet.
  
  
• UCARD – On an official university ride (i.e. one scheduled by the club or arranged through the forum) please remember to bring your UCard
  
  
• LIGHTS – In the winter it will get dark before the ride finishes. So you need a front light, a rear light AND a rear reflector for your bike to be road legal at night. It is strongly advised that EVERYONE has AT LEAST small lights (white front and red rear) if the group happens to get caught out and comes back in the dark – it has happened many times.
  
  
• Other things to carry on a ride are; spare inner tube(s), pump, multi tool, tyre levers, a chain tool (if not in the multi tool) and a rain jacket (if it is forecast to rain).
  
  
• Optional things - Tyre patches, energy gel (It will get you home if you bonk), a spare tyre, spoke tool (if not in the multi tool).
  
  
• Do remember to ride safely and be considerate to other road user including cars and other cyclists.

And remember generally endurance athletes live longer

If you’re not sure of anything or want more information post up here or send me a message.

Have I missed anything?

John.

[johna]

Thought this was quite cool

[Jerome Jacob]

'like'