⚠️ SAFETY FIRST ⚠️

Every type of cycling activity outdoors comes with risk. It's important to always prioritize safety when biking, and to be alert at all times. Here are the safety rules that will apply to all of our club rides without exception:

1. Always wear a helmet. You will be sent home if you show up to a ride without one.
2. Never listen to any audio while on a group ride outdoors, including music, podcasts, and phone calls. This includes having one earbud in one ear, or having transparency mode on! Even playing music out loud can distract you and make it hard to hear other cyclists, cars, and pedestrians. Hearing can save your life and the lives of those around you.
3. Understand signals, and know how to signal. Signaling is actually required by law under the California Vehicular Code. It tells those behind you (both cyclists and cars) what you are doing and helps prevent crashes. It is always good practice to use signals, even if you are the last cyclist in a group or biking alone. The 3 major signals you'll see are left, right, and stop. Check out these descriptions of the signals. A quick search will also show you what they look like. We will use other signals as well to communicate slowing/braking, potholes/debris on the road, and oncoming traffic. If you cannot yet signal, you should be yelling "left turn", "right turn", or "stopping" loudly.

☝️ BEST PRACTICES: Group Rides

Aside from these safety rules, there are also some things to know about group riding dynamics. Each club member has a responsibility to do their best to adhere to these best practices.

1. Ride single file or at most 2-wide. You should never be blocking an entire lane on a road. Bridge crossings, 1 or 2-lane roads, and roads with heavy car traffic are all examples where you should be riding single file. It is okay to ride 2-wide on wide roads that have minimal car traffic. 
2. Ride in the bike lane when it's there. When it is not, stay to your right as best as you can and watch behind you for traffic approaching from the back.
3. Do not congregate in the road. When we regroup, everyone should always stop out of the way of traffic. Do not spill over into oncoming traffic, intersections, or crosswalks.
4. If you are in aero, maintain a minimum of 3 bike lengths between you and the rider in front of you. 
5. Protect your front wheel by not overlapping with the rider in front of you. You should either be riding right next to or directly behind another rider. 
6. Avoid sudden movements that are not accompanied by a signal, such as swerving to avoid roadkill without verbally calling it out or manually signaling. 
7. Turn your bike lights to solid. Blinking lights can make depth perception difficult for your fellow cyclists and other vehicles, and impede road visibility.

✌️ BEST PRACTICES: Pace Lines

Pace lines require additional handling and awareness since riders are generally closer together and can be reaching higher speeds on average.

1. Over-communicate to your fellow riders. You should be calling out any turns both verbally and manually, and any obstructions on the road like cones, branches, glass, etc. You should also be letting everyone know if there is an oncoming car or bike on a narrow road, or a slower cyclist that your group plans to pass.
2. NO AERO unless you are leading.
3. Do not join unless you are 100% confident in your own and others' abilities.
4. Request to join a pace line. Don't be that stranger who just tags along without asking.

✅ ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST

Before you leave the house, go through this checklist so you have everything you need for a successful and fun ride!

Make sure you've done:

• Checked your tires for damage
• Pumped your tires
• Lubed your chain
• Charged your lights/shifters/power pedals

Make sure you have:

• Bike
• Lights, both front and rear
• Spare tube and/or patch kit (to be extra sure a flat doesn't ruin your ride, bring both)
• CO2 cartridge and device and/or hand pump (again, bring both as an insurance policy)
• Tire levers
• Multi-tool
• Emergency cash
• Identification or emergency contact (you can use something like Road ID or put an easily findable sticker on your helmet)
• Appropriate nutrition based on length/elevation gain of the route and weather
• Cellphone

Make sure you're wearing:

• Helmet
• Shoes
• Bike shorts with padding
• Gloves
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Cold weather: extra layers, booties
• Rain: waterproof clothing