Advice For Ride Leaders

The Ride Leader's Role

The Ride Leader's role is to conduct the ride in a safe manner, to plan the route and to ensure the pace is consistent with the level of ride. Whilst all riders share an equal duty of care for themselves and their fellow riders, the ride leader will inevitably feel additional responsibility so other riders are encouraged to support and not openly criticise them. However as Ride Leader you can be expected to have specific knowledge of the chosen route and should be prepared to override unsafe decisions being suggested by others. Ride leaders are covered by British Cycling’s insurance providing they adhere to Stratford Cycling Club policy and follow the Highway Code.

Planning the Route

Distribute the route in advance.

Consider the group’s capabilities and make sure the route chosen is appropriate for the ride you’re leading. If it’s your first time leading a ride we suggest you choose a route and café that has been used by the club before. Pick a route that you like, and are familiar with and you won’t need to worry about the roads or the quality of the coffee. 

For Sunday Rides the Ride Leader should already be familiar with the roads used on a route and have ridden the majority of them before. Google Street View is a fantastic aid for checking the quality of a road, familiarising yourself with a new section or reminding yourself of the layout of a junction. These days it is the norm for people to have a route on their head unit so please distribute a GPX in advance. You may want to arrange a co-leader so that if the ride needs to be split you already have somebody able to lead a second group. Even if you're familiar with a route use one of the many plotting apps so you're certain of the distance and elevation gain.

Avoid busy main roads. We are fortunate enough to have thousands of miles of quiet unclassified roads on our doorstep so take advantage of them. There is no magic formula for calculating the average speed of a ride based on distance and elevation gain so experience and knowledge counts for a lot. 

More information for Special Events

The regular Sunday Club runs and other weekly rides follow a pattern that will be familiar to club riders however special events such as longer Endurance Rides and Gravel Rides will vary in format so it is important that Ride Leaders provide as much information as possible. The ride description should be communicated in advance so that club members may decide whether the ride is suitable for them. The Ride Description should include: Destination, route, distance, elevation gain, surfaces, café stops, target average speed (or Sunday Ride designation of C, B, A etc) and the type of bike that is suitable.

For Special Events it is reasonabe for a Ride Leader to ask for an explicit intention to ‘join the ride’  in advance. It may be necessary to limit numbers or require a certain level of ability to join a ride.

Before The Ride

Assemble the group before setting off so you can check who’s there and how many riders there are. Groups will have a maximum of 15 riders so if you have more than that, the ride will need to be split into two groups and a Road Captain assigned to the second group. The second group should leave at least 3 minutes after the first to create a 1km gap between groups. Individuals must not change groups without consulting the Ride Leader.

If you’re leading a C Ride or B Ride on a Sunday pay particular attention to any guest riders or new members. You should consider assigning a regular member of the group to ride with them and look after them.

During The Ride

As Ride Leader your responsibilities include: delivering the ride that has been described, keeping to the expected speed, warning of particular hazards (ie a steep descent with tight corner at the bottom), keeping the group together, choosing a safe place to stop as a group. The Ride Leader is not expected to always be on the front however they should consider moving to the front to guide the group through complex sections where there are multiple junctions or for stretches of road where local knowledge will help in guiding the group past potential hazards.

Before a climb starts tell the group where they should assemble to wait for slower riders. Chose a safe spot within sight of the top of the climb and away from a junction.

Mechanicals during the ride.

In the event of punctures, breakdowns etc the priority is to keep the group safe. Clear the Carriageway/trail if possible or instruct the group to continue to a safe waiting place. Ride Leaders are not expected to be bike mechanics and often others in the group may be able to help with mechanicals. No one should carry out any repairs or adjustments that they are not reasonably confident they can carry out successfully.

Delays

Sunday Rides are expected to be back to Stratford by 13:00. If there are multiple mechanicals or the café stop is particularly busy then you may find you’re running late.  This is understandable and others in the group should be understanding. If you’re running very late consider if there is a short cut to make up time and asking the group if they want to do this.

In the summer when it’s warmer and people are generally fitter there may be an appetite for a slightly longer Sunday Ride with little or no contingency for delays. If your ride falls into this category communicate this in advance so riders know that they be later getting back to town.