Ride Etiquette

Updated October 2, 2024

Members should be aware of and abide by the following guidelines for their own safety, the safety of others, and to foster a welcoming, safe, and fun environment for all who participate.

Members may face disciplinary action up to and including being suspended or expelled from the Club if exhibiting dangerous or otherwise inappropriate behavior, especially but not limited to repeated violations.

RIDE PREPARATION AND GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

You are expected to arrive on time and prepared for the ride that is scheduled and all contingencies that may occur on a ride.

• Arrive ready with a well-maintained bike and with the right clothing for all the possible temperatures and weather conditions.
• Be self-sufficient. Bring all the nutrition and hydration appropriate for the ride. Be aware of the route. Bring the repair gear you may need such as tubes, tools, pump, etc. Know how to change a flat. Have a plan in the event your bike suffers damage that prevents further riding – you cannot expect the Ride Leader or others to stay behind.

  The Classes and Resources page on the WWBC website lists locations where you can learn basic bike maintenance, and many of these clinics are free.

• Announce if you are leaving the group early. If you voluntarily drop from a ride early or are comfortable staying longer at rest stops than the rest of the group, notify someone so the group doesn't think they lost you.
• Carry identification and emergency contact information.

Ride Leaders have the following strict requirements:

• Helmets and brakes (e.g., no “fixies” without handbrakes) are required on all rides.
• Unsafe bicycles are not allowed. Your bicycle should be in good working order.
• Earbuds and headphones are not allowed. This is for your safety and those around you.
• Category 2 e-bikes (ones with a throttle that don’t require pedaling) are not allowed on Club rides, only Category 1 and 3 e-bikes (ones that assist the rider’s pedaling)

RIDE ETIQUETTE

Follow these ride practices to foster individual and group safety as well as group cohesiveness. Riding in a reckless, inconsiderate or unsafe manner is a danger not just to yourself but also to all those around you, and it reflects poorly on the Club.

• Listen for and look out for the Ride Leader and obey their instructions. Follow the regrouping policy set by the ride leader, which varies by ride level and leader.
• Do not ride at the front if you are new to the ride, don’t know the route, or don’t have the route accessible on your bike computer or on a cue-sheet.
• Communicate with your fellow riders. Use hand signals and call out turns, stops, road obstructions, cars back, walkers up, etc. Repeat the message through the group. Hand signals are a critical method of communication among your cycling group.

  Here are some external websites that explain common hand signals. Note that some signals are not standardized and may vary from club to club or even among riders within clubs. If you are on a ride and see a signal you don’t know, ask what that signal means.

• • https://bikeleague.org/videos/signaling-and-scanning/
  • https://www.theblackfoxes.com/stories/hand-signs-for-group-rides
  • https://www.bikelegalfirm.com/bike-hand-signals
• Ride predictably in the group. Other riders expect you to ride in a straight line and at a pace consistent with those around you, avoiding sudden lateral movements or speed changes. Call out when needing to quickly veer around obstacles or rapidly brake.
• If you need to stop or slow down — whether due to a mechanical issue, dropped belongings, to take a drink or eat something, an important phone call, or to take a picture — do so in a manner that minimizes disruption within the pack. Announce your intent to others, let them all safely pass, then slow down and head to the shoulder or off the road.
• Don’t bunch up too close together. Do not cross wheels (your front wheel coming beside another’s back wheel).
• Share the road. Be courteous of all road users. The safest way to share a road is to do what’s expected and be mindful.
• • Obey all traffic and right-of-way rules.
  • Do not blindly follow the rider in front of you through intersections; each rider is responsible for his or her own safety, and one rider cannot assume the intersection is clear for the remaining group.
  • Stay to the right of the road as much as is reasonable and safe. Allow vehicles to pass when going slow, and leave enough room within the pack for cars to make short passing intervals. If vehicles start to accumulate behind the group, pull over at the next safe area and allow those vehicles to pass.

  The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department has published a Bicycle Safety Brochure offering clear and concise guidance on safety measures and rules of the road.

• Pass on the left, and only when safe to do so. Say "On your left!" to warn cyclists ahead.
• Ride 2x2 only where safe. WWBC is a social club, and many of us love to chat, but only double up where and when it’s safe. Allow for cars coming from behind to pass.
• Maintain the group’s pace. Help to keep the group together. If you’re at the front of a group, keep the existing pace. If you feel the group is going too fast or too slow, say something and either they’ll adjust or perhaps someone will pull back or ahead with you. Small groups inevitably form, but no one should be intentionally dropped.

For an excellent series of posts providing additional safety advice and insights, see David Schorow’s Safety Tips