Awareness & Consideration are key to ensuring an environment that is safe & fun. It is the responsibility of each individual to practice safety in respect of their own actions, as well as their conduct regarding other cyclists, motorists and people on the roads.
As Member of CycleLab SuperCycling Club powered by Toyota you are required to undertake to follow this code...
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT
CLUB KIT - must be worn on all club rides.
HELMET – must be worn on all rides.
GLOVES – are important protective gear and should be worn.
LIGHTS (Both Front & Rear) – must be utilised whenever riding in the dark; be visible to oncoming cars.
ROAD WORTHINESS – of bicycles & equipment must be maintained.
CELL PHONE – should be carried for safety in event of a breakdown, crash or getting lost etc.
SPARES – You should carry basic spares: Tube, Pump, Tyre Levers etc.
RIDING ETIQUETTE & CONDUCT
BE PREDICTABLE – ride in a consistent manner – keep a line.
INDICATE – before making a move.
CALL OUT HAZARDS – the rider in front is responsible for the one following.
KEEP AN EVEN PACE – do not brake or slow unexpectedly – be aware that there is a compounding effect in the following pack.
STAND WITHOUT DROPPING BACK – call before standing out of the saddle & take care not to loose half a wheel.
DO NOT HIT THE BRAKES – look ahead and anticipate.
KEEP ADEQUATE DISTANCE to AVOID OVERLAPPING - be defensive to avoid being bought down.
OBEY THE RULES OF THE ROAD – conduct one’s self with the same consideration as one would expect from any other road user, particularly motorists. Aggressive gesture & behaviour by cyclists will alienate motorists and is likely to lead to endangering other cyclists.
STOP AT ALL TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND MAJOR INTERSECTIONS – especially where one’s route crosses over an intersection & there is a group of riders following.
DO NOT HOLD UP FOLLOWING TRAFFIC – where ever this practical – i.e. single file on single lane roads where motor vehicles are frequently coming past & treat as a neutral zone. Double file is ok where there is a double lane & preferably a tarred verge. NO STOPPING IN THE ROAD.
CITING DANGEROUS PEOPLE – report to the Club Committee any incidents with motorists or cyclists where their actions endangered cyclists/motorists & where they were transgressing any road laws – provide facts and details i.e. dates, registration numbers, motor description, witnesses etc. The Club will trace the motorist/cyclist and attempt to positively influence them to take more care – a database will be maintained so that more stringent action could be taken in the future e.g. legal proceedings.
GROUPING
It is preferable that cyclists of equal ability & fitness ride together. No more than 20 to 30 is a manageable bunch for a Club Ride – therefore bunches should be divided when necessary. It is important to choose a group where one is comfortable & with one’s capability.
“A” & “B” GROUPS – are generally the ‘racing’ bunch and will not be expected to hold back for anyone who cannot keep up.
“C” & “D” GROUPS – are geared towards our social riders & beginners. These groups should stay together and collect stragglers by stopping or slowing from time to time. We have up to 4 D groups on the Saturday rides.
Out & Back Rides are intended to ensure that people are not “abandoned” who drop off or have a puncture. Circular or destination routes obviously require care to be taken that people are not simply left – particularly, where it may be unsafe for an individual.
WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE AN ENJOYABLE & SAFE CYCLING ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR MEMBERS AS WELL AS GREATER CYCLING FRATERNITY OF SOUTH AFRICA. WE ENDEAVOUR TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND WE RELY ON EACH OF OUR MEMBERS TO TAKE INDIVIDUAL & COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO THIS END.
WHAT TO EXPECT FORM YOUR MARSHALLED RIDE
With the size of our club, marshalling the groups on a Saturday morning is a real challenge;
It impossible to marshal everyone in the club personally;
All we can do is provide a safe environment with a variety of ability groups for you to choose from to ride in, then a great cup of coffee and social chat afterwards with fellow, likeminded cyclists!
Each Club (JHB, PTA, CT, Durban, PE, Heidelberg, Nelspruit) operate their club rides slightly differently according to the amount of members participating on that club ride.
The JHB Club for instance does provide marshals to control the appropriate Pace for each group on the ROAD rides:
A Group
Ave Speed 32km plus per hour (No marshals)
B Group
Ave Speed 30km plus per hour (No marshals)
C Groups
The groups will be split according to the amount of riders wanting to join a C group ride. The groups will be split by approx 30 riders in a group and be named C group 1, 2, 3,…. Ave Speed of C group 1 will be 28-30km per hour (One Marshal will set the appropriate pace at the front and control the bunch speed)
The remaining C groups will be riding at a average speed of 26-28km per hour (One Marshal will set the appropriate pace at the front and control the bunch speed)
D Groups
These are predominantly the bigger groups! As the majority of our members make up this type of rider.
The groups will be split according to the amount of riders wanting to join a D group ride. The groups will be split by approx 30 riders in a group and be named D group 1, 2, 3, …. Ave Speed of D group 1 will be 24-26km per hour (One Marshal will set the appropriate pace at the front and another will control the back of the bunch)
The remaining D groups will be riding at an average speed of 22-24km per hour (One Marshal will set the appropriate pace at the front and another will control the back of the bunch for each group)
E Group
(This is the Migration Group; for people coming out of the Beginners Clinic to main stream club ride) The Ave Speed will be less than 22km per hour (One Marshal will set the appropriate pace at the front) The club van is a sweep vehicle that leave after the E Bunch and stops for any club member with any problem what so ever.
Beginners Clinic
Every Saturday there is a Beginners Clinic FREE of charge (area specific), starting at 6am at Cycle Lab. (winter times 7am)
TIPS
- If you are dropped by your bunch; Chances are you choose the incorrect bunch and need to drop back one bunch.
- If the bunch you choose is too slow; then next time choose a slightly faster bunch.
- Be very careful not to go the front and rip the bunch to pieces and mess up the entire bunches ride because you are too strong for the bunch you choose to ride in!!!! Always remain behind the marshal.
- Please help us so we can help you to have the best possible Saturday club rides!!!
- Ride no more than two abreast
- Listen to the Marshals, if they ask you to stop for a short while to regroup, and then please STOP. Not keep rolling slowly. One or two strategic re-group points for less than 45 seconds can make all the difference for 80% of the group.
– – – –
The MTB Rides operate slightly differently:
For the JHB MTB Rides, there are four groups:
Fast Group – go there at your peril, fast, hard and tough. A 4 hour ride done in 3 hours. This ride is for the podium contenders. No Waiting.
Intermediate – Controlled pace but still 3 hours at a good pace – THE CLUB RIDE. There will be waiting at times for riders to catch up and regrouping.
Transition - Slower but great route and controlled. Waiting at times too.
Beginner - Great bunch to start your MTB journey, at the park or down the Spruit
A Saturday Ride is our Official Club Ride;
Please wear your full Club Kit (Top and Bottom)
TIPS
The 2 most important Bunch Riding Tips:
1. Don’t ever look behind you!
2. Don’t overlap on the wheel in front of you!
– – – –
GENERAL
Please help us to make your Club rides as pleasant as possible. We cannot do it without your cooperation; there is no way in this world we can provide enough marshals to look after everyone!
Our Marshals have a thankless task for which they are not paid!
We are going to spend time educating our Marshals as to the appropriate speeds, re-group points etc.
If you are prepared to help us with Marshalling please contact your club secretary, remember the groups we need the most help with are slower groups, so you do not need to be a Top Top cyclists, but will need to be a capable cyclist.
GUIDELINES GIVEN TO THE MARSHALLS
These are the guidelines we give to our club marshals
Due to the large numbers of members at Cycle Lab Supercycling Club, it is imperative that we have marshalling during our Club Rides on Saturday mornings.
The marshals are drawn from two groups: the race team members and volunteers. No matter what the reason for marshalling, the Club relies on its marshals to ensure that Club Rides are safe and enjoyable for all members.
The following are guidelines (and some rules) for marshalling a ride. Should you have any suggestions, please forward them to the Club committee!
Firstly, please ensure you are aware of the dates you are required to marshal on. If you do not have these dates, please get them from the Club office. If you cannot make a specific date please arrange for a substitute. Do Not just Not pitch up! It is not the Club office's responsibility to arrange for a substitute, but they can provide the marshal list so you can contact other marshals to swap out with.
On your allocated marshalling dates, please arrive at the Club at least 10 minutes before the ride. Also, please get yourself a reflective bib from the Club support vehicle. Finally ensure you know which bunch you are riding with and find out where they are.
The aim of a Club ride is to allow Club members to either train by selecting a group that will challenge them, or else have a social ride where they can meet other people. Our aim as marshals is to ensure these two objectives are met.
The announcer's tasks are to:
- Make sure members know of the “Buddy System” and the support vehicle;
- To slip the groups into manageable size groups
- Ensure people are aware of ride etiquette (keep left, in twos, ...);
- To announce the groups, their distances and average speeds; and any other club announcements
- To dedicate a marshal to the front of each group and who will handle the rear, when there is more than one marshal for a group;
- To ensure the groups' starts are clearly announced and that they start on time.
- To take control of the group at the start;
- To control the appropriate pace for each group from the front.
- To not allow surging on the climbs
- To arrange for two or three short stops (typically around 45 seconds each)
- To allow the group to rejoin after some of the more difficult sections;
- To control stronger cyclists in the group who may want to surge ahead and pull the group with them;
- To ensure that the groups obey all relevant traffic laws. More advanced groups often “skip” red traffic lights, for example. This is unacceptable for marshalled groups since the groups are larger and a clear intersection for the front of the group may not be clear for the rear, the riders are not as well versed in road riding and may miss an oncoming car, and so on. In addition to the safety aspect, the Club Rides are a very visible show of the Club to the public and the disregard for traffic laws does not reflect well on the Club.
- Alert the lead marshal if there are problems at the back due to speed;
- If a member is having problems due to speed and he is clearly in the wrong group, suggest to him to drop out and wait for the next bunch ;
- Ensure all members who puncture have a buddy;
- Ensure all mechanical failures are aware of the support vehicle and can contact it, if required.
- Remember that each individual is not your responsibility – you must look after the group. Ensure that members in trouble are helped out and then keep with the group.
These are your duties. The Club Rides are not a training ride for you. You are required to ride at the group's pace and not leave the group until your return to Cycle Lab.
