Before the ride
- Show up on time, ready to ride
- Ride at your level — join rides that you can keep up with. The posted pace is a group commitment.
- Come prepared — spare tube, pump, basic tools.
- No headphones — you need to hear traffic and hazard calls. This is about safety.
Riding in the group
- Ride a straight, predictable line.
- Don't overlap your front wheel with someone's back. This is the #1 reason for crashes in a group.
- Max 2 abreast; single file when traffic or road width demands it
- Brake smoothly. Sudden stops cause crashes.
- Don't attack off the front (unless it's a Hammerfest) — the pace is a group commitment, not a race
- Regroup at major intersections and the top of climbs so no one gets lost — but the ride moves at pace; it won't slow for stragglers
Communication
- Call it out: "car back," "car up," "slowing," "stopping," "hole," "gravel"
- Passing? Say "on your left"
On the road
- Stop at stop signs and lights, even as a group — running them as a pack is unsafe and illegal
- Flat or mechanical? Call it out, signal, pull off safely