Bike Roswell! Group Ride Guidelines 10-2023

 

Ride related

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT (for the group prior to the ride)

• Sign our waiver 
• Consider supporting BR by becoming a member

• Wear your helmet and keep your ears clear 
• This is a group ride, let’s try to keep it as a group and avoid surging / big gaps
• You should not overtake your groups leader other than helping them pull/share the load
  • On longer climbs people can climb their own pace and regroup at top
• Always obey traffic laws, signals, and signs.
• Use hand signals and vocal cues to communicate intentions, such as turns, stops, slowing down, or hazards in the path.
• On Red Lights stay behind cars, do not overtake them on the right side unless there is a clear shoulder on both sides of the road and no chance that a car is making a right turn.  (Example, Highway 9 and Riverside)
• Always be courteous and respectful to motorists, pedestrians, and other cyclists.
• Download the route if your Bike Computer supports it
• Feedback is Welcomed!
  
  

RIDE LEADERS

• Designate a ride leader and sweeper for larger groups
• Leaders and Sweepers should communicate through WhatsApp during the ride if needed. WhatApp allows you to share location for 30 minutes for example. 
• A group should not be bigger than 20 riders, if this is the case we should split.
• Maintain a consistent pace, avoiding sudden surges or stops.
• You can do mid ride announcements on what is working well and what is not working well.
  • For example: when you see surging it should be addressed. 

 

 Mechanical Protocol

• When a mechanical occurs ideally only 1 or 2 persons should stay behind to assist
• Rest of the group should continue to the dedicated regroup / break area
• The helper will communicate with the ride leader(s) via CALL / MSG on status
• The ride leader and the mech. helper should jointly decide to either wait or roll on

Suggested response guidelines:

• Typically a fast fix (tire, chain drop, etc., 2-5 min) group should wait
• Long fix (10-15+ minutes) group should move on

 

Lights Protocol

Front light 

• Solid during night – medium/low setting
  • The light should be angled down to the road
• Blinking or solid during day

Rear Light

         During the Day: 

• Blinking Light Preferred for visibility

         During Dusk / Night / Wednesday Ride

• We strongly urge people to put SOLID lights on when riding in a group.
• If a Rider has a strong need to keep blinking light on they should ride on the back of the pack to avoid blinding riders behind
• Lights need to point straight or slightly down so the fellow rider does not get blinded.
• Adjust the brightness down to the dimmest settings

 

Double Pace line Protocol

• 8 Riders or Less we will preferably ride Single File
• 9 riders or more we will preferably ride the Double Paceline
• Exception to Double Pace line: Steep Climbs and/or where the road is narrow
• Examples on where the group should switch to single line
• South Loop:
  • Norcross past the bridge (Hog Wallow Creek)
  • Grimes Bridge Climb
  • Riverside/Dogwood intersection West to Hwy 9
  • Willeo Climb
  • Bowen Road Climb (to Waverly/Little Sister)
• West Loop
  • Little Willeo to Johnson Ferry (after Karls Gate regroup)
  • Lower Roswell Road Descent (through the roundabout)

• North Loop
  • New Providence First Climb after the bridge and the second climb
  • Providence 2-mile climb
  • Wiley Bridge (after Cox Rd)