Riding in Club Groups

Ride Leaders' Responsibilities and Safety & Etiquette for group members

Club rides are social events and not disciplined training rides but there are some group riding rules which all members should follow for their own safety and that of other road users. Although designated ride leaders have specific responsibilities, all riders in the group are just as important as any other member to the safety of the group. BE AWAKE, BE AWARE AND ENJOY THE RIDE.

Responsibilities of Ride Leaders:

To comply with the Club's group insurance policy all Ride Leaders must be entered on the Club Register of Ride Leaders. Any member of the club committee can be contacted if you intend to become a new ride leader.
Before you set off with your group ensure that all are aware of the intended route. This may be done by giving an explanation at the start point and other directions along the route or by publishing a downloadable file, eg Ride With GPS, before the ride date. The club has no hard and fast rule on this point as ride leaders can make their assessment based on their knowledge of each group. Where a ride is likely to have to split into two or more groups on the road a downloadable file might be preferred.
No rider should be dropped from the group.
In the event of an accident that could result in an insurance claim against the club, the ride leader has the responsibility to note down the relevant details, including date, time, place, names of those involved, vehicle details and any injuries etc.
If there is any need to talk to any other road user, particularly if this is an abusive motorist, only the nominated ride leader should do this. Ratae RC always shows courtesy to other road users, even those who possibly don't deserve it!

Safety & Etiquette for group riders:

All riders should act with courtesy towards other road users and comply with the spirit of the Highway Code..

Riding in a group requires a level of skill and care for the safety of both you and the group and other road users.

Communication within the group is everybody's priority particularly when it comes to pointing out any hazards such as:

Holes: shout "Hole" and either point to the hazard or state whether they are left or right
Similarly, when any gravel is spotted shout "Gravel" and point at the hazard.
Pedestrians or runners: Again, shout whether they are on the left or right and move out in good time.
Horses: Whether approaching from the front or behind slow down and be prepared to stop if the horse shows any nervous actions or if the horse rider asks you to stop. When approaching from behind announce yourself, a friendly hello, good morning or bikes behind will do and when you get an acknowledgement from the rider, make a slow, wide pass of the horse.
When it is necessary to slow down or stop, eg approaching a junction, the leading riders should shout "Slowing" for "Stopping" before the action of slowing down smoothly.
Never overlap your front wheel with the back wheel of the rider in front. If you touch wheels it inevitably causes one or both riders to fall. So, either ride side by side or where single file is required, with a safe distance bearing in mind the speed of the group and the road conditions..
If you are passing or coming alongside a rider always let them know by stating "on your right" or "on your left".

Ratae Road Club Equality Policy

Ratae Road Club (the Club) is fully committed to promoting a safe, positive, and enjoyable experience for all, regardless of race, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and ability and disability (within the context of the sport of cycling).

The Club recognises that unlawful discrimination is unacceptable and will not tolerate direct or indirect discrimination, harassment or bullying.

The Club will take, or support, positive action to eliminate individual and institutional discrimination:

The Club respects the rights, dignity and worth of every person and will treat everyone equally within the context of the sport.
The Club is committed to everyone having the right to enjoy their sport in an environment free from threat of intimidation, victimisation, harassment and abuse by other members.
The Club members have a responsibility to oppose discriminatory behaviour and promote equality and respect for other members.
The Club regards any incidents of discriminatory behaviour as serious misconduct and will deal with this in accordance with the provisions of the membership rules within the club’s constitution.
The Club's management committee is responsible for implementing, maintaining and dealing with any breaches of this policy.

Information about rider third party insurance

The club has taken out insurance with British Cycling that covers all our appointed ride leaders of non-competitive groups, e.g. Wednesday and Sunday club runs and Founders' Day rides. Although this insurance covers leaders and organisers for their own negligent actions it does not cover any actions of individuals within the group.

When riding in our competitive time trials and hill climbs rider insurance is provided by Cycling Time Trials and the cost is included in your entry fee, which we pass on to CTT as a levy for every rider. This levy forms the greater part of the entry fee we charge you, the rider.

Although the club does not insist that its members have personal insurance against third party risks we strongly recommend that everyone obtains their own insurance cover. If a rider causes injury or damage to any third party, including a fellow rider, any other road user or pedestrian, a claim for damages e.g. to property or for personal injury may be taken out against you.

Third party insurance for cyclists can be obtained through a number of sources. There are a number of cyclist-specific policies on the market or cover can be arranged through existing home insurance policies. Also, membership of both British Cycling (to which Ratae RC is affiliated) and CyclingUK includes their own third party insurance. (see www.britishcycling.org.uk & www.cyclinguk.org)

In issuing this guidance the Club wishes to make it clear that it is not authorised to give advice on which type of Insurance suits you, nor is it making any recommendations. Please shop around for the best cover for your types of riding.

Ratae RC Summer Series Points Trophy system

Every season brings questions from members about how are the points awarded for the series' trophy. I hope this short explanation helps:

Points are awarded every time a club member completes an event in the summer time trials series. Points awarded are based on the position they finish in the table of members taking part in each event, as follows:

1st: 60 points

2nd: 55

3rd: 51

4th 48

5th: 46

6th: 45, thereafter reducing by one point per finishing position.

When the six events have been completed the highest four sets of points are taken for each rider to arrive at their own final points total. The trophy winner is the rider who has accumulated the highest number of points in his or her four best rides. There are separate awards and a trophy for both men and women. Simple!!

This points system was devised by the late Bob Bragg, past President and Chairman.

Ratae RC Handicap Trophy

The purpose of handicapping in time trials is to create as near as possible "a level playing field". Normally riders times are referenced to the fastest rider, generally referred to as the scratch rider, in which case his or her handicap is zero. We will differ slightly this year, in as much as the riders times will be referenced to a "scratch time" and not to a time recorded by a club member. In this case the scratch time will be 21:00 minutes.

Club members best times recorded this year (2023) on the Gilmorton 10 mile circuit (ACC 10/9) will be used to calculate their handicap.

The following formula will be implemented to calculate the riders handicap:

Best time (in minutes & seconds) - 21:00 = Riders handicap.

For example, if a riders best time is 27:30, then their handicap is 6:30.

If a club member taking part in the Handicap Trophy event has not recorded a time this year on the Gilmorton circuit it will be down to the handicapper (Time Trial Secretary) to use their judgement and skill to apply a handicap that is considered appropriate based on the riders ability and past history.