Cycling

Cycling

7Oaks Tri Club welcomes road, time trial and off-road cyclists. We have an active schedule of rides and are lucky enough to have fantastic riding around the Sevenoaks area. The club organises group road rides to cater for various levels of rider on Friday, Saturday and Sunday year round (weather permitting) so that members can train and ride together. In addition to this, between April and September we join forces with other local clubs to run weekly Time Trial events; in winter we provide weekly virtual group rides and workouts on Zwift. Other club benefits include ad hoc maintenance workshops and the loan of bike boxes for travel abroad, all included within the cost of membership.

You are welcome to join the club and only cycle, in fact there are many members who treat us as a dedicated cycling club. If this is for you, we have a ‘dry’ membership option (which also includes all other benefits of the club, except pool swimming). We also have a fantastic range of high quality bike apparel to adorn yourself with!

Ride logistics are managed via the club Facebook site and various WhatsApp groups. We also have an extensive club route library and are always willing to include more if you’d like to share.

New members will be given a "Welcome Ride" as their initial club ride. This will allow them to determine which regular ride group suits them best and provide an opportunity to interact with other club members by asking questions. It also serves as a way for the ride leader to confirm that new members have read and adhere to the club's code of conduct for group riding, which can be found at CycleEtiquette. This ride is approximately 50km at the pace of the slowest rider on the day. The "Welcome Ride" is available most Saturday mornings (please refer to the Training Times schedule below). For those who desire or require assistance in this aspect, we offer informal training sessions with our in-house Level 2 British Cycling coach. Distance and pace to suit those present. Please contact the Cycle Rep cyclerep@7oakstriclub.co.uk for more details.

We recommend watching this video on riding in a group safely and this video on safe riding on the road by British Cycling. GCN also has a rich library: GCN on Group Riding Etiquette5 bike skills everyone should know.

Please email the cyclerep@7oakstriclub.co.uk if you have any questions.

Tom Jenkins – Cycle Rep

Cycle Etiquette

Group Riding Expectations

Safety is the number 1 priority of the club. We want everyone to get home safely, every ride, every time. To reinforce this, we have the following expectations of all riders on every club ride:

 

YOU MUST:

  • Know and obey the Highway Code.
  • Ride in a manner that positively promotes cycling and 7Oaks Tri Club. You are an ambassador for the club and must treat other road users with care, patience and diplomacy.
  • Ride as a unit and not be stretched out along the road. Start out together and re-group regularly if become separated. Look out for each other. Whenever possible ride in a bunch and (when appropriate) rotate the order (sometimes called “through and off”). Experience has shown that this promotes increased group awareness of positioning, hazards, care for each other and performance. This can be best achieved using recognised calls and signals.
  • Where appropriate, ride in pairs unless it is unsafe to do so. Go back to single file in situations such as: single track lanes; blind bends or busy roads where motorists are likely to become overheated. The outside lead rider and the last rider are responsible for calling out “single” when they believe it is appropriate.  All other riders must comply.
  • When it’s necessary to go from pairs to single file, the inside rider of a pair rides forward and the outside rider drops back into the space behind.
  • You should ride no more than a bike length behind the rider in front of you. If the pace is too fast, call out “Easy Up/Hang on!” If rotating the bunch, the last person calls “I’m on”.
  • Ride at an appropriate distance from the curb to avoid debris / drains / car doors / pedestrians etc..
  • Use recognised vocal and hand signals to communicate any potential hazards to the group such as: potholes or debris on the road, horses or walkers, traffic (esp tractors or vans), when the group is slowing or coming to halt. Common commands are: “Car Back/Up”, “Stopping/Slowing”, “Gravel/Hole”, “Right/Left”, “Horse/Runners/Walkers”.
  • Use common sense to pass commands up and down the line to ensure everybody has heard. Accepted standard signals can be found at Road Cycling - essential guide for cycling hand signals.
  • If someone punctures or suffers a mechanical, the whole group stops to assist. If for some reason this does not make sense e.g. extreme cold, can’t be fixed etc – the ride captain makes a call and may send the group on.
  • Attempt to make eye contact with other road users to understand  whether they have seen you or not.
  • Inform the ride captain if you intend to leave the ride early. They will stop and look for you if you don’t.
  • It is recognised that hill climbs are potentially a time when a group naturally splits and riders may ride at their own pace. This said, the ride captain reserves the right to keep the group together on climbs if deemed safer to do so. Regroup after a hill climb at a safe location (somewhere away from hazards).
  • Do not loiter at junctions. Get across as soon as it is safe to do so. If you like to pass on a message regarding the lack of cars, use “Clear for Me” as opposed to “ Clear”. Everyone must make their own decision that it is safe to cross
 

YOU MUST NOT

  • Break the law, e.g. jump red lights or cause criminal damage
  • Wear headphones during a club ride.
  • Ride off the front of the group except on a declared ‘max effort’ segment or occasional hill climbs – if you prefer to ride alone, go alone
  • Half wheel (i.e. ride with our front wheel overlapping and close to the rear wheel of the rider in front)
  • Deliberately aggravate or react to motorists
  • Wave cars through
  • Change direction or brake harshly without warning those behind you (unless emergency)

 

In the extremely rare occasion that riders are deemed unsafe to themselves or the group, the club reserves the right to remove the privilege of joining club rides.

The Role of the Ride Member

  • Take responsibility for yourself (Skills, equipment & behaviour)
  • Arrive at the meet point on time and be a member of the relevant ride Whatsapp group
  • Have the proposed route downloaded onto their GPS device (if possible)
  • Have appropriate equipment which must include:
  • A well-maintained bike. If you must ride your TT bike or have TT bars attached, you cannot use these whilst on a group ride
  • No helmet, no ride
  • Rear light recommended all year round – often weather/visibility can deteriorate.  Both a rear and a front light are MANDATORY for winter riding
  • Puncture repair kit and at least 1 spare tube to be self-sufficient
  • Mobile phone
  • Cash
  • ICE information. Ideally your ICE information will be on a Road ID bracelet or a card so your mates can locate it quickly
  • Mudguards on both front and bike wheels are recommended for winter riding
  • Sufficient food and drink for the ride duration
  • Club kit whenever possible. It helps us bond as a team and gives us a sense of identity. If we get the group riding right it gives us a strong local presence too!
  • Adhere to the group riding expectations, which includes bunch riding
  • Respect and comply with the ride captain’s directions/instructions
  • When the last rider – take responsibility for calling out “single” – see below
  • EVERYONE is responsible for:
  • Passing communications up and down the ride
  • Keeping the ride together.  Therefore, throughout the ride ensure you look over your shoulder to check the riders behind
  • Consider joining British Cycling which includes third-party liability insurance
  • Inform the ride captain if you intend to leave the ride early. They will stop and look for you if you don’t.

The Role of the Ride Captain

  • The ride captain is a volunteer and takes no responsibility for individuals whose safety remains with each individual. They are experienced riders from the local area, but are (most likely) without formal British Cycling qualifications.
  • The ride captain will plan an appropriate route taking into consideration the time of the year, the expected weather conditions and the specific ride they are leading.  The route will include one or two possible “stretches” to allow riders to ride at pace on an individual basis with a subsequent agreed meet up point
  • The route will be posted on the Club Members Facebook Group page in advance of the ride and the respective WhatsApp group
  • The ride captain will be at the meet up point 5 minutes before the agreed meet up time
  • Prior to the start of the ride the ride captain will run through a short briefing which will cover:
  • An overview of the route
  • Highlight any known hazards eg crossing a major road, poor road surface
  • Expected pace
  • Identify the “stretches”
  • Planned coffee stop
  • Check everyone is on the appropriate ride WhatsApp group
  • A reminder of key/theme of the month group riding etiquette points
  • The captain will look to keep the group to a maximum of 8 and may well suggest the group divides at the start but discretion is allowed
  • During the ride the ride captain will:
  • Lead the ride
  • Ensure the ride stays together
  • Issue directions to riders which must be followed
  • Ensure everyone is accounted for.

Virtual Rides

Virtual Rides with Zwift and Discord

During very bad weather (or lockdown!) the club sometimes organises Zwift rides with the use of Discord to communicate. They work really well and are great fun. Keep everyone together is selected so it doesn’t matter how much power you are putting out you can still keep up. Anyone can join provided you follow the bike rep on zwift so that he/she can invite you.

New to Zwift or Discord?

Don't worry. Take a look at the 'Discord how to guide' listed below for instructions on how to join and use. Join the 7OaksTriClub Zwift Club to join club virtual events