Managing your bunch - Ride Leaders for shop, club and team rides

The Director sport-if

Most bunches will have a ride leader(s) who keeps the group organised. The ride leader may also be a team administrator or a person elected by the team to manage the group ride. Ultimately, they are the glue that keeps the bunch together and that leads to the camaraderie, friendships and inclusiveness of all riders.

 

The importance of the Ride Leader

Often ride leaders are people who have volunteered their time to organise the ride and communications leading up to, during and after the completion of the ride. They are often referred to colloquially as the ‘Patriarchs of the Peloton’ or the ‘Heads of State’. 

 

 

A ride leader’s role includes creating:

1. Positive feedback
   Encourage riders to report any incidents or events that happened before, during or after the ride.
   
   
2. Positive behaviours
   Reinforce positive ride behaviours by providing updates on ride etiquette, social info and a ride report.
   
   
3. Social connections
   Encourage riders to communicate with others and stay in the loop.
   
   

Keeping everyone up to date

These are the communication features to help ride leaders connect with everyone participating on their rides:

 

 

How riders join your ride communication loop

 

  

The riders participating in the club/shop ride will need to:

1. Sign up on Bunchrides
   Sign up on Bunchrides app or website and request to join the team specific to that ride.

2. Approve the rider
   This request will be sent to the team administrator/ride leader to approve the rider.

3. Ride communications
   Once approved, the team member will have full access to all team and ride communications and updates (receive, reply or initiate all communication).

 

Determine who joins your ride

 

  

As a ride leader, you may not want anyone and everyone to join your ride. You will receive a ‘request to join’ from riders via an email and notification on your phone. You can then accept them as a team member to determine whether:

1. They are a current member for insurance purposes or to maintain the value of their existing membership.

2. The rider has the necessary bunch riding skills and etiquette.

3. They own the current team kit, as this may be a pre-requisite to participate on some shop/club rides.

 

How do ride leaders maintain safety?

 

  

1. Use Team Chat on Bunchrides
   On the team page, send a message or notification to the team about safety on the ride.

2. The message may contain:
   ‘how riders can inform the ride leader about incidents that occur on the ride’.

 

How do riders keep it safe?

 

  

Raising matters of concern

How do your riders raise a matter or incident that has negative impact on other participants, ride leaders or members of the public?

2 ways to raise a concern:

1. Use Private Chat on Bunchrides to send a private message directly to the ride leader.

2. Speak to the ride leader directly after the ride.

Note:
It is further advised to discourage using ‘Team Chat’ when reporting such matters. Encourage riders to use ‘Private Chat’ to report the matter directly to the ride leader.

 

The common incidents a ride leader may need to manage

1. The pace of the ride is not aligned with the advertised pace

2. Inappropriate behaviour by ride participants

3. Reckless and/or dangerous behaviour that may lead to a serious injury to ride participants and members of the public

4. Participants causing conflict and distress to other riders

5. Ride participants not respecting the spirit of the ride, ride etiquette and behaviour

 

Getting the most from ride chat

 

 

Answering the common questions

Encourage riders to view the Rules & Safety and FAQ for important group ride information.

 

See also

Pre-ride brief for shop club and team rides

Getting your team on Bunchrides through social media, SMS and email