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This Rider Guide is a collection of best practices and forward thinking from numerous cycling professionals, and our forty-years of running group rides. This Guide goes far beyond any standards you may have seen before. We hope you find this information valuable.
Why do we offer rides? Why do we lead so many rides? Why is this so important to RSC and RHQ? Why do we take this sooooo seriously? The whole point is to ride. And we want to ride new roads and trails. To experiment. To ride with friends -- new and old.
The term super domestique comes from European road racing. Everyone on a team is either the leader -- there's only one -- the rest are domestiques. Every once in a while there's a domestique that's as good as the leader, sometimes better at some skills. Riders call these riders super domestiques because they're super at supporting the ride leader even though the super is just as good as the leader.
We use the term SuperDom to embrace the idea that we're not "ride leaders" or team leaders. Our job is to help everyone perform better, be safer, learn new things about cycling, and not intimidate anyone. We're not leading the rides, we're Shepherding the rides -- being that rare super domestique.
We have a few expectations for our Super Domestiques. Please take these to heart.
Arrive early: Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the ride.
Communicate: If you're running late or can't make the ride, call us (413) 461-7433 as soon as possible. DO NOT email or text; we won't get this message until too late. Txt messages go into our email, we don’t check emails within an hour of the ride start.
Before Rollout
When you arrive and have yourself ready to go (should be 10-15 minutes prior to rollout), say hello to the NEER representative (usually found at the red van) so she/he knows you are there and ready to start helping!
Be certain you have all of the required tools and equipment that we require of all riders. You are under no obligation to use your tools or bike parts to help someone else fix a mechanical issue.
Bring your cell phone and make absolutely certain you will hear if it rings during the ride. You must be able to accept a call if we need to reach you during the ride!
Be friendly and welcoming to other riders. Help the NEER representative in terms of saying hello to riders pre-ride, introduce yourself to people, if someone looks flustered or behind in getting ready, offer a helping hand.
There will be a NEER representative rolling out the various groups. This person will discuss the rules of the ride and specific instructions for that specific ride. Please pay attention since this all applies to you.
You may want to run your group differently than we have announced at the ride. Please be ready to explain to those with whom you’re riding how you will run the ride. For example, you may want to have your riders rotate and take turns who is pulling at the front. Explain how this should happen to the riders. You may ask riders to ride together on hills, as another example or stay together rather than regroup at specific points. Think about this prior to the ride and be ready to discuss it with your riders prior to roll-out.
Do you want the names of those who are riding with you? Feel free to have a name swap prior to rolling out.
Follow all of the rules of the road & of the ride. If a rider is not riding safely, gently suggest to the whole group how to ride more safely (so as to not single out an individual). If that doesn’t work, you’ve done your job. Be sure to get the person’s name and let the NEER representative know who the person is for follow-up actions post-ride. We don’t want you to feel like you need to patrol the ride, but we do want you and your group to be safe throughout the ride.
De-escalation: Keep your cool in all situations. If you're stressed, everyone will sense this and that will raise everyone's stress level -- thereby making your job more stressful. If riders think you're okay then they think everything is okay.
Help riders ride better. You help riders ride in a paceline, follow road rules, and generally become better cycling citizens. We offer Alliance members training on how to do this and how to minimize the stress of managing challenging riders.
If there is a medical emergency: First, call 911. Don’t hesitate to make this call regardless of how bad you think a person is hurt. Minimally, if a rider has done damage to his/her helmet, the rider needs to find a ride home or see a medical professional. Never offer to drive anyone anywhere. Next, call us at 413-461-7433. If you can’t reach us at this number after trying it two times, leave a voice message with complete information about what has happened, the time you’re making the call, and your return phone number. Take your time to think before resuming the ride.
Be a good representative of the sport and the cycling community. We are always being judged on the roads and trails. You’re leading a ride, so it is imperative that you model and represent the best of what cycling is.
Say thank you to the group you lead. Invite them to come back again.
Let us know if there were any issues of any kind or challenges you had and if you have ideas for improvement.
Provide us feedback. We are endlessly working on making the rides safer, better, more fun, and more diverse. Your feedback is critical to making NEER rides a success.
The opposite of good. At the end of this document we summarize the behaviors that are not acceptable from Super Domestiques.
All of this information is on our website so new riders should come prepared. However, not everyone reads the required materials.
It is not your job to police this but if you notice a rider that doesn't have something on this list, let us know immediately.
Some bikes are not allowed on our rides. Here's what's not allowed:
Poor condition. The bike must be in good working order. If you're not sure about something, have one of our mechanics check it out.
Aerobars. These are really dangerous in a group ride. They are dangerous handling and in a crash they are dangerous for injury.
Flat pedals on any ride that involves drafting. Clip-in pedals make the rider a lot safer.
One or no brakes. The bike must have two brakes in good working order. No fixed-gear bikes.
The rider must have:
Signed the NEER ride waiver.
If the person has already ridden with NEER once before, he/she must be a member to ride again (this is a condition of our insurance and is non-negotiable).
A helmet in good condition.
Mobile phone for emergencies.
ID.
Cycling shoes with cleats.
Suitable clothing for the expected weather conditions.
Enough water for the ride, unless there are planned food stops.
Enough food for the ride. If the ride is more than 30-miles distance and if there are no planned food stops along the way.
No earbuds.
Some rides require headlights and taillights. These rides are:
Anytime we're rolling out at sunrise or before. While there is sunlight, drivers have a hard time seeing well at this time of day.
There's a chance we might complete the ride at or after sunset. Even if we're getting back right at sunset, drivers have a difficult time seeing well as the light fades. Don't take chances.
We take safety seriously. If we hear from the Super Domestiques about poor riding from anyone, you will hear from us.
Do not get near the yellow line.
Stay away from the center of the road where there are no lines on the road. Cars take turns wide.
Ride steady: at a steady pace. Be a smooth riders. A smooth rider is a safe rider.
Follow traffic laws as if you were driving a car.
Stop at signs, red lights, etc.
Sign al when you’re turning.
Ride double file on wide roads. Ride Single file on narrow, busy, or turny roads. The Super Dom will indicate when which is preferable.
Two abreast at stops: Never go wider than two abreast. Leave space for cars to get by.If you're irritated by any of these rules, don't ride with us. Safety first, always.
Watch for the rider behind you, it’s everyone’s responsibility for the group to stay together, not just the Super Domestique’s.
Be good representatives of cycling.
Ride well. Ride safe.
Have fun.
Here are some ways to make that person feel more welcome and more likely to have a safe and rewarding ride.
Say hello.
Small talk can make the rider feel welcome. Ask why they came out.
"Do you do much group riding?" "What groups do you usually ride with?" [This give you a sense of whether they'll be comfortable in a group.]
"What kind of pace to do you usually ride?" [Is this the correct pace for them? Is this someone you'll want to keep an eye on today?]
If the person isn't sure what group to ride with, we strongly suggest going with a slower group than they think appropriate. This provides them a chance to get used to our type of ride. And sometimes people think they're a lot faster than they really are. A new participant is more likely to have a good experience with a group that's too slow than too fast.
Get to Know Your Group of Riders
Ride at the front and at the back. Riding at the back is more useful than riding at the front. Know the route so during stretches with not turns you can get to the back and see what's going on with the group.
Don't Lose a Single Rider
This is simple:
In the pre-ride meeting:
tell riders at the back that they are responsible for not letting anyone fall off the back without the Super Dom knowing about it.
If someone does decide to drop out of the ride, tell the ride leader. Otherwise we'll spend a lot of time trying to find you.
Do a rider count before you roll out from the start. We tend to cap rides at 10-12 riders. Sometimes a group can be larger but we do our best to avoid this.
Do a recount about half a mile into the ride. Sometimes riders will tag onto the back of the group. We do our best to avoid this but it still happens once in a while.
Do recounts throughout the ride.
If you start to lose a rider, slow down and let that person catch up. Now, keep an eye on that person because that's the person that will likely have trouble throughout the ride. See the section on "when a rider can't keep up" for what to do if your average pace begins to drop below the promised speed.
Slowing Down the Pace
A few of our rides have no maximum pace, for those that want to prove they're faster than anyone else -- Wednesday Morning Worlds is a good example; if you've signed up to lead one of these you'll know it.
The majority of our rides advertise a very specific pace. We take these paces very seriously. Sometimes we'll have a cyclist join a ride and want to go faster than the advertised pace. If riders want to go faster than the promoted speed, or do intervals, hill sprints, town line sprints, show you how fast they are, etc. there are other rides for that kind of thing. We expect people that join our group rides to ride with the group, at the pace prescribed -- or those riders can join a different ride. You, as SuperDom, should not chase down faster riders. Let the Jackrabbits do their thing during the ride and ignore them. You should focus on riding a steady promised pace. If a rider is bouncing around, let us know who that person is so we can have a conversation with the rider and correct the situation in the most appropriate manner.
Here are some ways you can ensure that riders will ride at the pace promised.
Preemptive: Pre-ride meeting:
Make sure people know the pace and that you're serious about the pace.
Tell riders that if they ride off the front they're on their own and that you will not chase them down. If they miss a turn they are on their own. It's fine for riders to ride ahead, on most rides, but as soon as a rider is off the front, that rider is doing their own ride; it's their responsibility to keep the group in sight.
Confirmation: It can be difficult to tell if you're riding the correct pace or not. The easiest way to know is to use your GPS computer to keep one eye on the average speed. If you'd like help setting up your GPS unit to show average pace on the map, let us know.
Massachusetts Cyclist Laws
Obey traffic laws just like cars.
Use hand signals to let people know you plan to stop or turn.
Give pedestrians the right of way.
Give pedestrians an audible signal before overtaking or passing.
Ride two abreast, but facilitate passing traffic by riding single file when necessary.
Keep one hand on your handlebars at all times.
Wear a helmet.
Use a white headlight and red taillight or rear reflector if you are riding at least 1/2 hour after sunset or 1/2 hour before sunrise.
Massachusetts Motorist Laws
Check for passing cyclists before opening a car door.
Stay a safe distance to the left of a cyclist when passing.
Do not return to the right until safely clear of the cyclist.
Pass at a safe distance and, if it is unsafe to pass, use another lane or wait until it is safe to pass.
Do not make an abrupt right turn after passing a cyclist.
Yield to oncoming cyclists when making a left turn.
There are two important points about stop signs that often seem to get lost or are believed to be unimportant.
First, we stop at stop signs. That might not sound very cool but we, as cyclists, follow all automobile traffic laws. While some stop signs may seem useless, if a sign is posted, we come to a full stop on our group rides. This includes having the ride leader put a foot down to the ground. At least three times over the years we've seen crashes caused by confusion at stop signs. If some riders are stopping and some riders are expecting to only slow down, this has caused accidents. This is easily avoidable by always coming to a full stop at signs. And by making sure the every rider understands, prior to roll-out during the pre-ride meeting, that we stop at stop signs. Additionally, we take the law seriously because rolling through a stop sign is extremely dangerous due to crossing car traffic. Towns don't put up stop signs because they like the color red. They do it for safety.
Second, we stay one or two abreast at the stop sign intersection. We never take up the full lane -- three or more across. We stay to the right of the road and make sure that cars can pass. It's way safer this way. If we take up the road or a lane it makes it more difficult for the car when it's inevitably going to pass us. When we stay to the right of the road the car can pass us immediately and therefore be safer for all of us.
We do our best to avoid routing by too many stop signs, but sometimes they are unavoidable.
Potholes
Road conditions change throughout the season so new potholes and road obstacles appear each week. It's best to assume there is an obstacle ahead; always be aware. No matter how many times you've ridden a section of road there could be a new pothole, tree branch, or turtle anywhere at any time.
Rain Rides: We often ride in the rain. For these rides, safety is super important. We ride cautiously. And, fenders are required.
Post Storm Rides: Big storms often bring down branches and lots of leaves. Be extremely cautious on these rides.
Autumn Rides: Falling leaves mean slippery corners and hidden potholes at road edges. Be extremely cautious at this time of year.
Spring Rides
After a long winter of snow and ice, the road sides will be covered in sand. Be extremely cautious at this time of year.
We may require fenders depending on the weather.
We don’t ride trails until they dry out, spring trails are much wetter than autumn trails.
Icy Rides:
We only allow riders that have studded tires to join us on these rides.
Mixed terrain rides: we usually require studded tires when there is snow on the ground due to the chance of ice being present.
Road rides, generally: These are the tricky rides. Here are the basic rules if we will host a road ride when there’s snow on the ground:
When there is no snow anywhere on the roads, or limited to drifts and very small banks: We ride, regardless of the temperature. Studded tires strongly recommended because there will be icy patches on the road. Sliding out and hitting the deck at 15 mph is really dangerous. Sure, studs are heavier and slower but it's winter so it'll help keep you warm. Go slow and stay upright; that's our motto.
When there is snow on the ground but no snow in the air: We ride if there is a reasonable shoulder on the road -- if the roads are plowed reasonably. This is generally true within 24 hours of most snowfall. Again, studded tires are critical along with a taillight.
When snow is supposed to be falling at the time the ride is scheduled to roll out -- and there's about 6+" of snow already on the ground. We don't do a standard road ride in these conditions because drivers have a difficult time seeing and being in control. Instead, we invite you to join our mixed terrain snow ride.
When snow is falling at the time the ride is scheduled to roll out -- and there's not much of anything already on the ground from previous snowfall. We don't do a standard road ride in these conditions because drivers have a difficult time seeing and being in control. Instead, we will host a mixed terrain snow ride. That ride will be on trails so if you don't have anything that fits studded tires, you won't want to join this ride.
Mixed terrain rides, generally: Always happening but with different routes than usual. We'll use either snow routes or mud-friendly routes; we'll make decisions the day of the ride because conditions change so quickly.
Here are the protocols for if something goes wrong during your ride.
In general, regardless of what's happening:
Keep calm and be positive. If you appear calm everyone else will feel a lot calmer. This state makes any challenge a bit easier to manage.
Get everyone off the road. People love to congregate and seem to forget that a car may come around a corner at 40 mph.
Triage: Figure out what is and isn't important. Don't jump to conclusions.
Ask questions. If you didn't see what happened it's important to record people's perception of what occurred.
Seek input. You're in charge but you can't know everything. However, don't let too many people give too much instruction; this causes confusion. Solutions are rarely a group think decision. Ultimately it's your decision.
Follow the protocols we've provided. They may seem overly cautious but we've learned this protocol from safety professionals and through leading thousands of rides.
We have two types of rides: Drop and no-drop. If you're leading a drop ride, the protocol is simple, the rider gets dropped off the back of the group. If the ride is a no-drop ride, or when you're not sure what kind of ride you're leading, follow these protocol.
Never leave the rider without communicating with that rider. The only exception to this is when we have a 'drop' ride.
Regroup the entire group. Wait for the rider to catch up to the group.
If there's a group behind your group, have the rider wait for the subsequent group.
If there is no group behind, follow these standards:
Check that your GPS average speed is within the promised pace of the ride. If the pace is promised 17-18 mph and you're averaging 18.3 mph, slow it down a tad -- to within the proper pace -- and see if the person can hang in there.
If the person cannot keep up and you're within the prescribed pace, and the rider has the route on a GPS device, or knows how to get back to his/her car, let the person go on their own.
If the person cannot keep up, you're within the prescribed pace, and the rider doesn't have the route or know how to get back to the car, offer the following:
Call an Uber, Lyft, taxi. There's no Uber in New Hampshire. That person should be prepared to pay whatever it costs.
Have that person call a friend.
Note: The rider shouldn't be on the ride without having a bailout plan. Don't be mean but a person shouldn't go on a ride that they can't keep pace with unless they know their way back.
Bring rider to the back of the group.
Ride next to the person. Feel comfortable and talk.
Offer advice. Coach the rider.
Maintain proper distance. Hand signals.
Keep the peace. Keep the group happy.
Don't be confrontational unless you want to.
Call an Uber, Lyft, Taxi. There's no Uber in New Hampshire.
Rider calls a friend.
Call AAA. This is a last ditch is really bad but an option. Basically, they're only bring you to nearest bike shop. This could be better than nothing but it's not great.
Call the Studio to see if there's a MacGyver way to get the bike ridealbe. Don't hold your breath.
Is it a good idea for someone to stay with them while they're waiting for for a ride? Is the area safe? Can the rider handle themselves? Don't leave the person alone if they seem at all nervous. Be aware that just because the rider says, "I'm fine" doens't mean that's true. In fact, it's unlikely that it's true. When in doubt, have someone stay with the rider.
If there's a car involved, make sure someone completes the Accident Card.
Take a photo of the driver's license.
Have people direct traffic away from the injured rider.
Check the state of the rider. If they're unconscious do not move the person. If conscious:
Ask the rider's name.
Have the rider squeeze your hand.
Make sure the area is safe for the injured person. If the person cannot move easily on their own, do not move the person because this can cause further harm. If possible, divert traffic around the rider rather than move the rider. If you must move the rider keep the person's head and neck as immobile as possible.
Stop any bleeding. Apply direct pressure with second skin, bandage, or clothing. Try to elevate the bleeding above the chest to reduce blood flow. Be careful of spine, neck, and head turning.
Make the rider and injury as immobile as possible with clothing, helmets, etc. to keep the rider from moving
Call 911 when:
Head injury.
Heart attack.
Questionable situation that isn’t obvious what the right approach to take is.
Wait for ambulance with the person. Doesn't have to be SuperDom to wait, just someone who wasn’t involved in the incident should stick around.
Person can refuse the ambulance. That's up to them and the EMT.
Call us if you don't know what to do. If you can't get through, call 911 and ask their advice.
Have rider call spouse or get a taxi/Uber.
Ask if you want us to wait with you, if it's not a head injury.
If head, definitely someone waits. Doesn't have to be SuperDom.
There's no Uber in New Hampshire.
Provide us feedback in whatever method is best for you. The two important elements of this are:
Timeliness: Tell us as soon as reasonable. The more quickly we can address issues, the better. Include all possible details and get names. Remember to write down everything you can since memories fade impressively quickly.
Tell us: Don't worry about offending anyone. It's our job to manage any issues; it's your job to keep the peace and tell us anytime there's a problem.
By now you probably know precisely the behaviors we ask of our Super Domestiques. Regardless, here are behaviors from ride leaders that we do not tolerate:
Examples of riding styles that will get you uninvited to be a SuperDom:
Surging, changing speed, accordioning
Slamming on brakes
Half wheeling
Erratic riding
Slaloming
Not calling out road furniture
Breaking any of the rules we have
Some behaviors that will get you uninvited to be a SuperDom:
Do what I say, not what I do.
Cursing
Elitist mentality
Excessive instructions. Most people want to ride, not have a training course.
Being a hot shot. Acting too cool for us.
Impatience. Being emotional.
Yelling
Being a dictator
Silence. Not communicating.
Offering instruction when you don't really know what you're doing.
Breaking any of the rules we have
We’ll complete this as items come up to add here.
