SAFETY – RESPECT – FUN
Download: Group Riding Skills Please read and follow the guidance on club rides. Cycling on the public roads has some inherent danger attached, but as a Club we want to support and encourage people to ride safely and enjoyably, respecting their fellow riders and other road users. By following a few basic "rules of etiquette", we can achieve this, so please read the text below. If you are unsure about anything then please email the Club Secretary in advance of the rides, or ask your ride leader before the ride sets off. These rules are based on best practice issued to us by British Cycling, and on the collective decades of cycling experience that the ride leaders have.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT RIDE
Always ride with a group that goes at a rate you can sustain over the entire route. The Club has a number of ride types, so please choose the one that best suits your ability and fitness. You can see the available rides on the Rides App on the Club website. Use the App to Join a ride so ride leaders will know how many riders to expect.
SAFETY
This is the single most important consideration for our club rides, and we ask you to take this very seriously: Helmets are required on all ICC rides. Please make sure yours is in good condition. If you have had a fall or it has been somehow hit or damaged, replace it immediately.
Should there be an incident, please support the ride leader and offer any help you can, whether it be making a phone call to seek help, warning other road users (often the most critical thing to do), or assisting with any injured riders.
It is essential that your bike is in a safe and roadworthy condition with, for example, working brakes and charged batteries for lights, e-shifting or e-bikes. If you are unsure, many local bike shops will offer a bike-check. Lighting and high-visibility clothing should also be used as appropriate.
Ride leaders (or more likely their sweepers) will always try to help with mechanical issues, but are not trained mechanics. All riders should be able to fix basic problems such as punctures and be familiar with the workings of their own bike. Always carry spare inner tubes that are the correct size for your tyres. On every ride, it is the responsibility of each rider to have their own plan to get home in the event of a major mechanical failure or similar. We recommend that riders carry a spare layer of clothing to stay warm in case of an incident, or needing to pause to fix a mechanical.
Safety tips:
• Stay alert at all times.
• Hold your line. Don't overlap wheels
• Don't look back -relax!
To be safe it is important to ride smoothly, don't over react, avoid hard braking, be alert as to what is going on up the road in the front of the pack, and anticipate what traffic will do. Inexperienced or inattentive riders who brake suddenly or touch a wheel may crash or cause a crash. Focus on the rider(s) ahead. Beware of pot holes in the road. Don't brake unless absolutely necessary. Don't accelerate suddenly, although there may be circumstances when riding on the front of a group where you need to accelerate "through" a situation, to avoid the group behind crashing.
YOUTH
Ilkley Cycling Club encourages the progress of youth riders as they develop. All riders under the age of 18 need to complete a consent form for the Club's Youth Officer unless they are riding with a parent or a guardian. Only riders aged 14 years and over can join club rides unattended and must conform with the guidance and advice found on the Youth Road Riding Policy which can be found on the Youth page of the ICC website. Youth riders and their parents (whether riding or not) are expected to be familiar with the information in this document.
RESPECT
We ask everyone, when riding on an Ilkley ride to have respect for their fellow riders and other road-users: Please follow the highway-code at all times, including stopping at red lights and riding no more than two-abreast. Please respect ALL other road users including drivers, pedestrians, runners, dog-walkers and horse-riders. Where appropriate and safe to do so, allow drivers to get past you on narrow roads