CLUB RIDES - FOURWAYS - GAUTENG - ROAD & MTB

Cycle Lab Active Ride departs from Cycle Lab Megastore Fourways at the following times:

• April - 06h30 (Transition to winter month)
• May to August - 07h00
• September - 06h30 (Transition to Summer month)
• October to March - 06h00

Please arrive 15 minutes early for a parking space and to find your group.

ROAD RIDE GROUPS

Please wear you club shirt and ICE ID bracelet for all club rides.

If you are ‘dropped’ by your bunch; Chances are you chose the incorrect bunch and need to drop back one bunch. If the bunch you chose is too slow; then next time choose a slightly faster bunch but don’t ride ahead of your Group Leaders. 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!

Listen to the Group Leaders, 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. Please help us so we can help you to have the best possible Saturday club rides!

MTB RIDE GROUPS

Please wear you club shirt and ICE ID bracelet for all club rides.

And....

Just for the Ladies we have CLAW, Cycle Lab Active Women, with a minimum of 3 rides per week to choose from. More information here.

• Please select a group that you are capable of riding with, chat to a Group Leader before departing. 
• Do not choose a group that you are too strong for as this will interfere with the average speed of the group. 
• The MTB Beginner ride starts at the Cycle Lab Bike Park. You will be taught practical MTB Skills.
• Before the ride, you will be addressed by your Group Leaders to explain the ride to follow.
• Please leave a gap of about a minute between groups. 
• Depart in order of strength, A group leaves first. 
• Always be equipped with a small maintenance pack to be able to address bike maintenance issues should they arise whilst on the outride.
• Tubeless is highly recommended and compulsory from Group D upwards.
• Please note that ride times may differ due to unforeseen mechanicals that riders may experience.
• 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 Group Leaders to look after everyone!
• Our Group Leaders have a thankless task for which they are not paid!
• 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 cyclist, but will need to be a capable cyclist.

GROUP LEADER GUIDELINES

The following are guidelines (and some rules) for marshalling a ride. Should you have any suggestions, please forward them to the Club committee!

ROAD: roadcommittee@cyclelabclub.co.za

MTB: mtbcommittee@cyclelabclub.co.za

Due to the large numbers of members at Cycle Lab Active, it is imperative that we have marshalling during our Club Rides on Saturday mornings.

The Group Leaders are drawn from the club and are volunteers. No matter what the reason for marshalling, the Club relies on its Group Leaders to ensure that Club Rides are safe and enjoyable for all members.

As much as possible we try to have one Group Leaders at the front and one at the back. The Group Leader in the front generally sets the pace and the back Group Leaders acts as a sweeper. Both are there to ensure that the ride is structured and enjoyable.

Group Leaders arrive at least 10 min before the ride to be briefed and to collect the Tracker Active device which tracks the group and can dispatch medical assistance if required. 
The Groups need to be split into manageable sizes

Group Leaders must introduce themselves to the group and brief them on the ride.

For Road: 

• LSD (long steady distance) approach is adopted. This means that we stay together on the climbs and pedal on the downhill and flats.
• DO NOT tear the group apart by surging on the climbs and by going ahead of your Group Leaders.
• Trust Group Leaders in terms of pace setting. They know what they are doing.
• To control stronger cyclists in the group who may want to surge ahead and pull the group with them.
• Group Leaders will from time to time call out instructions to the Group. Please adhere to them.
• Ensure all mechanical failures are aware of the support vehicle and can contact it, if required.
• Within reason control a crash site by alerting medical services and safety car where required.
• To ensure that the groups obey all relevant trac laws. More advanced groups often “skip” red trac lights, for example.
• To ensure that entire group is accounted for at the end of each ride.

For MTB: 

• Adopt the buddy system so that no-one is left behind.
• Group Leaders will attempt to stick to time and distance but due to unforeseen circumstances such as mechanicals, times may vary.
• To arrange for two or three short stops (typically around 45 seconds each)
• Speeds are determined by riding time and not average time.
• To allow the group to re-join after some of the more dicult sections.
• Within reason control a crash site by alerting medical services and safety car where required.
• To ensure that the groups obey all relevant trac laws. More advanced groups often “skip” red trac lights, for example.
• To ensure that entire group is accounted for at the end of each ride.

For any comments or suggestions please contact you club desk or either committee on

ROAD: roadcommittee@cyclelabclub.co.za MTB: mtbcommittee@cyclelabclub.co.za