General
Addiscombe Cycling Club wants to ensure that all members feel comfortable in and enjoy participating in club rides and other club activities. It asks all members to adhere to the following personal standards in order to ensure this.
- All members must obey the Highway Code and any other legal requirements.
- All members should demonstrate polite and proper behaviour and conduct at all times.
- All members should be fair, respectful and considerate to other members, as well as other individuals whether involved in the sport or members of the public.
- All members should attempt to provide positive role models for others in the sport and must not act in any way that brings the club into disrepute.
- All members should listen to the briefings of and follow the instruction of their ride leader.
Club Run
- All newcomers should introduce themselves to the Captain or, in his absence a Vice-Captain, at Coulsdon South Station.
- Newcomers, depending on experience, should ride in the slower groups to begin with – 17mph or below, especially if new to riding in a group.
- When riding in a group, please ride responsibly and considerately, within the group, not only for yourself but others in the group and the group as a whole.
- Groups normally ride in two lines with riders taking turns on the front in rotation.
- Remember that when on the front you have responsibility for keeping the group together and within the specified average speed and/or level for that group.
- Ensure signals and communications are relayed throughout the group: point out and shout warnings of potholes and other hazards to riders behind.
- Let people know if you are slowing down or stopping with a call of “Easy” or “Stopping”.
- Advise if vehicles are coming up (from behind) the group or down (oncoming) the group when necessary and consider instructions such as whether the riders on the front need to speed up, slow down or rotate.
Signals and Communications
Signals:
- Hand up in air indicates slowing down/stopping (and combine with a shout of “easy” or “stopping”)
- Hand (right or left) swung across back indicates obstacle – whether pedestrian, obstruction etc – ahead on whichever side indicated (and combine with a call of e.g. “car on the left”).
- Point out potholes by pointing in general direction of them (and shouting “hole”)
- Glass, gravel or other loose material indicated by waving open hand parallel to road on relevant side
Shouts:
- “Easy” – when slowing down
- “Stopping” – when stopping
- “Car up” – for a vehicle coming from behind
- “Car down” – for a vehicle oncoming towards the group
- “Clear” – for no traffic coming when turning a corner/crossing a junction (but this is not a substitute for checking for yourself)
- “Car left/right” – for traffic coming when turning a corner/crossing a junction
- “Single out” – go to single file (if vehicle coming from the front, the outside rider should move in and behind the inside rider; if vehicle coming from behind, outside rider should move to the front of the inside rider and in both cases inside rider should ensure they move forward or drop back as required)
Riding Formation:
- Do not ride more than two abreast and do keep the group as compact as possible by following the wheel in front and do not allow gaps to form. No half wheeling (when two people ride side by side with one continually edging half a wheel in front of the other resulting in an increase in speed as the half-wheelie keeps trying to catch up and the half-wheeler keeps edging half a wheel in front…)
Horses:
- Horses should be passed with care, especially when coming up behind them.
- Consider singling out.
- Do not freewheel if you have a noisy freewheel – the noise may “spook” them – and KEEP TALKING and/or endeavour to let the horse rider(s) know well in advance of your approach
If you need further clarification on these and other queries or concerns, ask the Captain or Vice-Captains.
