SCCC - Guidelines for Club Rides

Everyone has their own riding goals, interests and abilities, and they are all legitimate. Making the rides a positive experience for the most people is the goal. We would like to encourage EVERYONE to review the ride guidelines; this includes those seasoned riders that have been riding for years. It is probably a good idea to periodically re-familiarize yourself with these.

There are the usual issues regarding basic safety & preparedness. Arrive at the ride on time, ready to ride; start time means rolling out time, not arrival time. Show up prepared; have your spares, tools, etc. that you will need; don't expect someone else, including the ride leader, to have them. Try not to run stop signs and red lights, but if you do, be considerate of those who didn't, and wait for them. Ride in a responsible & predictable way in traffic & in cycling groups. Sudden moves around other cyclists & moving cars makes for some very stressful, sometimes painful, moments. Always wear your helmet.

Often the rides seem to cater to certain ability levels, but that is because frequently they are the only people volunteering to lead the rides. Ride leaders choose the distance, route and pace of the ride they lead. Even with that said, most rides can accommodate a wide variety of riders.

Know your limits. The determining factor on our advertised rides is usually pace, not average speed. Pace is considered the typical speed on flat ground. The speed will decrease and increase throughout the ride. If you are not able to maintain the advertised pace for the distance given, then you should not attempt that ride. You might want to initiate an alternative ride.

On the flip-side of that issue, respect the advertised pace listed for a ride. Although no one is going to be monitoring the pace of the riders, but if the ride is advertised at 13-15 mph, and you will be riding 10 mph faster than that, you should consider initiating another ride that is geared towards your riding interests.

Some of the Saturday rides move along at a blazing pace. Don't feel that you have to keep up with the lead group. Some riders try to stay with the fast group too long and then become exhausted for the rest of the ride. We've also had riders make a wrong turn when between groups and get lost. If you get dropped and don't know the route, stop and wait for someone that does. The ride leader generally will stay towards the back of the entire group, making sure that everyone (still on the route) makes the turns & is not stranded on the road.

Our After-Work rides are a little different. There is not a ride leader, only a point of contact. Most of these rides are considered "on-your-own" rides, meaning if you get dropped, you’re dropped. Riders like to come out and push themselves on these rides. Find a group that you can ride with; there are usually different groups of many abilities on these rides.

As a club event, we want to encourage the group dynamics, a sense of comraderie. That might include helping someone who has mechanical difficulty, waiting at the top/bottom of a long hill, or waiting for someone stopped by traffic. Another “group” quality is helping fellow riders stay with the group by taking a pull in front (but not increasing the pace that would drop the weaker riders) or pulling a “dropped” rider back to the rest of the group. Gathering at rest stops allows people to refuel, socialize or possibly change the mini-group they were riding with. Someone might decide to ride with a slower or faster group if given the chance. On the flip-side: when the ride stops for a rest break, try to be ready to go when the others are. An exception to this would be in cold weather; when waiting for a long time in cold weather is difficult.

If the weather is questionable before the start time, call the ride leader to confirm whether the ride will take place. During the colder months, rider leaders are not obligated to host the ride if the temperature is below 40 degrees at the start time. Riders that want to go ahead with the ride are welcome to do so. If you are not sure if there will be a ride, call the ride leader to verify.

This is not meant to discourage anyone from attending the rides. The intention is to help address the individual rider’s expectations. When unmet, riders tend to be frustrated and discouraged from doing future club rides. Hope to see you on some rides.