Sunday, August 3, 2008

Please remember the rules of the road when showing up on a group ride. Safety is the most important aspect of group riding. There have been some concerns voiced about the lack of safety/ communication happening (at times) on these rides. With the size of groups that have been showing up to rides, we have to be very aware and careful for ourselves and for those around us.

Obviously, the list could be a lot longer with regards to safety. These are simply the concerns mentioned recently. If you have anything to add to this, please do so. Thanks.

1. Please point out and/or voice about a car coming up behind. Same thing if there are tires, glass, signs (yes, there was one laying on on the shoulder the other day), cars parked on the shoulder, gravel, ruts, dead animals, dirty diaper (yes, it's still under the Roca bridge) mailboxes, rocks, or anything else that you personally wouldn't want to pull your bike through.

2. Please motion if you're slowing, stopping, turning or anything else that might cause an accident with the people behind you, who don't know what you're doing.

3. Make sure the communication takes place from the front of the group, all the way to the back. With the size of groups we've been having lately, on the Monday and Wednesday rides, the people in the back are having trouble hearing, or not hearing at all the warnings from the front of the pack. If you hear it and you're behind someone who said it, say it and/or motion again, please, and let that carry all the way to the back, so everyone is alerted. There has been a lot of debris on 77, in particular, and I know of an instance recently where a person in the back wasn't aware of what they were about to go over, until they were practically on top of it, and had to swerve out into possible traffic to avoid the object. Obviously, that should not have to happen.

5 comments:

Bob K said...

Well put, Nicol. Anything that might cause anybody to need to brake or change their line needs to be called out.

bryan said...

Here here!

Remember also that as cyclists -- especially visible ones like race team members -- we have a responsibility to be ambassadors to the non-cycling public. That means stopping when we're supposed to stop and following all of the rules of the road.

We've had issues with various things in Omaha. It's frustrating to say the least.

frtucker said...

This is a good time to be reminded of these basics. People are in better shape this time of year, and therefore riding faster, which leaves little time to react, so communication is essential. After a recent fall, I'd hate to see anyone experience the pain of biting the dust.

KimC said...

Maybe consider breaking the group into 2-one riding <17mph and one >17mph. The groups have been big, w/alot of different levels of riders.

gravy said...

I think the designated leader of the ride should voice this at the beginning of each ride. Also, ride route, distance and expected time should be included with the pre-ride announcement...

Of course I feel the post ride destination is the most important part of the ride though... and I'm a caboose.