We have a few simple rules to make life easier for everyone:
Club Ride Rules:
- Ride a well maintained bike:
- Brake blocks should be correct for your rims and in good condition
- Lube your chain
- Bars should have bar end plugs
- The following are not permitted on club group rides:
- Tri-bars
- Fixed gear bikes
- Helmets are mandatory on Windsor Vélo rides
- Lights are mandatory in the winter when visibility is likely to be poor
- Carry a spare tube, tyre levers and gas/pump (minimum).
- Always ride with discipline – see Group Riding below
- Obey the Highway Code
- No jumping red lights
- Always be courteous to other road users or people crossing the road
- Learn the hand and oral signals when riding, they can be found here
- Keep both hands on the bars – cycling whilst using the phone is dangerous, pull over to make a call
- Wear club kit on the official club rides
Weather and Safety
During the cold weather we have experienced a couple of incidents sliding on black ice. We therefore have a policy that if the ride leader deems the conditions too dangerous the ride will be cancelled. Please check What’s App in the morning of the ride for updates.
Please note that if you decide to ride once the ride has been cancelled, it must not be referred to as a ‘Windsor Velo Ride’ on Strava or any other social media.
Group Riding
Riding in a group requires discipline and some simple rules:
- Safe Group Riding
- Hold your line and trust the rider in front
- Ride immediately behind the cyclist in front
- Cover your brakes at all times
- Never brake suddenly in the group – free wheel to adjust your speed
- Don’t look back, looking back causes you to shift your line
- Do not overlap your front wheel with the rear wheel of the cyclist ahead
- Ride with your front wheels in line with the cyclist next to you and at the pace of the slower cyclist to avoid creeping – avoid half wheeling
- Ride bar to bar – shoulder to shoulder in line with the other rider
- Keep the group as compact as possible – close the gap to the bike in front
- Don’t ride between the two cyclists ahead of you to have an unobstructed view or listen to their conversation as it looks to other road users that group is riding three abreast
- Communicate obstacles and pot holes with signals
- Signals move down the group, repeat them once you’ve heard them.
- Only point out obstacles that are worth pointing out (pot hole etc)
Maintaining the effort and staying as a group:
- Maintain the effort, not the speed – ride steadily and keep a constant speed while in the group.
- If the group splits, riders up front should ride easy to allow the dropped riders to catch up.
- If you are struggling to keep up let someone know. The ride leader will make the call as to whether you cycle back along or accompanied based on the current location or in their opinion you’re fit to ride alone
- You are always responsible for the rider behind you.