Ride Participant Guide

Ride Participant Guide - Last updated January 2026

Basics of our Rides:


We operate as a single unit on group rides. 

Be kind and considerate to your other riders and users of the road / trail.

Do not cross the centre of the road (yellow line).  Follow directional signs on MTB trails. Be aware of ability level signage on MTB trails and features.

There should never be more than two riders abreast. Single file on MTB trails. 

Hold your line. Be predictable, signal and shoulder check prior to changing lanes. 

Never allow your front wheel to overlap the rear wheel of the rider ahead of you. 

Move completely off the road / trail when stopping. 


MOUNTAIN BIKE PROGRAMMING (Monday nights / Summer camp participants):

There will always be at least one NCCP certified coach on site who will be programming and leading the session. Coaches are in charge of choosing the activities or skills to be taught for the day and grouping riders by ability level. They are responsible for dictating which trails different ability groups are able to ride to ensure safety for the participants.

Volunteers may be helping a certified coach to ensure safety of participants and sweep a group on single track trails.


ROAD TRAINING RIDES :

Railway Crossing: 

o Always cross tracks at a right angle (do a shoulder check for traffic first)
o Reduce speed before crossing. Communicate within group that there are tracks ahead and a speed change.


 Accidents: 

o The group stops, completely off the road.
o Care for anyone who is injured (call 911 if necessary)
o Ride Leaders are to follow the Emergency Action Plan
o Please see our Concussion Policy on the OC website 

Emergency Stops:


● Sometimes a group needs to stop quickly due to road hazards, an accident, or an emergency vehicle (fire truck, ambulance, or police) with lights and siren activated (we are required under the HTA to pull over our group and stop; it doesn’t matter if the emergency vehicle is approaching from the front or behind). 

●  Act fast but act safely and we want a controlled and safe stop. 
●  How to stop a group assuming your group is riding 2-abreast; the Ride Leader calls out to the 
group: 


o “EMERGENCY STOP, GROUP STOPPING NOW” or “RIGHT LINE STOP FIRST”
o “LEFT LINE PASS AND STOP” 

●  Stop clear of any intersections 


●  See Stopping below 


●  This can all happen within seconds; there is no need for panic. What is essential is that the 
decision to perform an “emergency stop” be made quickly, loudly and clearly so that the 
group has time to perform the stop safely. 


Group stops (mechanicals, emergency vehicles, regroups, or snacks) 

 The right line of the paceline stops first.

  Left line of the paceline continues past them and then stops.

  Reduce speed in a controlled manner. 

  Move completely off of the road. 

Passing:


●  Always call out “on your left” 


●  Ride single file when passing another group of cyclists 


●  Do not cut in front of a rider you have passed – ease back in the lane 
when clear 


Group Riding Techniques: 


The basic ride formation is “Tight and to the Right”. 


Our goal as a disciplined and well-organized club is to share the enjoyment of the road and trails with our club members as well as program participants. We understand we must share the road with motorized vehicles and to reduce the potential conflict between these two groups we travel at off peak hours; and we only frequent the least travelled roads possible. 


To further protect ourselves, we travel two abreast or in a double paceline. This is an internationally recognized cycling formation used by professionals and amateurs around the world. The main objective of the double paceline is to reduce the length of the line of cyclists to allow vehicles to pass with greater ease and increased safety. It encourages drivers to make full lane changes when passing which provides a safer gap between the passing vehicle and the cyclists. 


 “Tight and to the Right” means the group is as far right as is safely possible. Our goal is to accommodate the approaching driver with a clear view forward so that they make a clean and safe pass as soon as possible. 


By ‘tight’ we mean that the cyclists are to be 0.3-1.0 metre (2-3 feet) apart laterally at the shoulders, and 0.3-1.0 metre (2-3 feet) apart front to back or wheel to wheel. The primary goal of the group is to maintain the cohesion of this formation. It is the individual discipline of each rider to hold their position in a smooth predictable manner and not create gaps or overlaps which jeopardize the ride quality. 


Sometimes two abreast is not safe or impedes the flow of traffic and we will use a single paceline. The disadvantage is that this may create a long line of cyclists that is hard for vehicles to pass. In these cases, the group should split, with an obvious gap between the groups to allow vehicles to negotiate a pass of each group separately and safely. 


Roles in Formations:

Front- Maintain constant pedaling efforts, call and signal turns well in advance, ensure no half-wheeling, ride bar to bar and tight to the right, indicate debris, railway crossings, stop signs, etc. 


Middle - Stay alert and responsive to signals from the front. Pass information from lead riders back and vice versa. Look ahead up the line and keep your eye on the back of rider in front of you; do not watch their rear wheel. 


Back – Monitor upcoming traffic from behind. Stay alert and responsive to signals from the front. Look ahead up the line and keep your eye on the back of riders in front of you; do not watch their rear wheel. Indicate left turns and lane changes. Ensure no one is left behind. If riders are at risk of being dropped call out “easy” so speed can be adjusted. Relay messages to the riders ahead, i.e. “car back”, “mechanical”, etc. 


Unacceptable formations: 
These formations are unacceptable for group riding in our community as it completely blocks the lane counter to our “Tight and to the Right” strategy where the driver is to be given a view up the left side of the lane. 


Long Single-file lines.
o Make it difficult for vehicles to pass and motorists will be tempted to squeeze by when it is not safe.
o Communication and a steady line is difficult and often resulting in a “snaking” line which 

draws riders into traffic 

The Peloton.

o Think of the pelotons in the pro races, we can’t do those. They are great when the roads are closed but do not work with other users on the road. So the large unstructured peloton is not permitted for any club rides including competitive (Thu night). We ride tight to the right with maximum two abreast. 

Diagonal echelon.
o This is a formation where the cyclists are spread diagonally across the road to gain shelter from a crosswind. This formation is unacceptable for group riding in our community as it completely blocks the lane and is counter to our “Tight and to the Right” strategy where the driver is to be given a view up the left side of the lane. 

Accelerating and Slowing.

Never brake suddenly, nor accelerate suddenly (exception to competitive rides where fast accelerations are part of ride). 

When it is your turn at the front, your role as pace setter is to maintain a steady speed and to stay within the pace of the ride group. If you need to bring the pace up, do it gradually and pull the group back up to speed. 


Be smooth and hold a steady pace and effort. If you are on and off peddling, you are likely causing havoc behind you. Peddle a little lighter and continuously. 


If you are falling off the rider in front resist the urge to quickly get back, instead try to smoothly get back into position, increase your speed gradually and then back off as you approach to avoid braking. 


Overlapping wheels:
One of the main causes of accidents is when two riders rub wheels. Never overlap the rear wheel of the rider in front of you. Maintaining 1⁄2 to 1 metre between wheels is desired and will allow you time to adjust if the pace changes. If you overlap, don’t panic, just move to one side and slow yourself down with the wind or feather your brakes. If the overlap is recurring, maintain more distance and advise the rider beside you so you can maintain bar-to-bar. 


Do not throw your bike back when standing (if you stand quickly, your rear wheel will go backwards and potentially into the rider behind you). 


Some other Advice:

Did we mention to Be a Smooth Rider? Steady and predictable all the time? 
Avoid sudden or abrupt movements or over reactions to potholes etc…
Don’t be that person who surges when it’s their turn to pull or leaves gaps in the rotation. All 
passes are to be done smoothly and gently like flowing water, no surging. 
When following a wheel be just slightly offset i.e. 3-4 inches so that if there is a sudden stop you 
don’t immediately slam into the wheel ahead; the offset gives you an additional few feet to 
recover. 
When you are at the front of the group, on short descents, pedal to keep the pace up. Remember 
there are riders drafting behind you who will have to brake if you don’t keep the pace up. 
To keep a group together on rolling terrain use a Social Paceline and then as a group, climb 
slightly easier but descend harder. The group speed will be more consistent, and the group will 
more likely remain intact. 
When picking your group be realistic; it’s better to be comfortable in your group than maxed out 
all the time. 
Group rides are not races; we are there to support each other by taking turns in the wind. It is 
only ok to try and drop your fellow riders on competitive rides or hot spots for Tempo rides. 
When you see someone committing a ride foul politely say something; we are all responsible for 
the quality of our rides. 
If you have a mechanical (e.g. flat), give a loud shout out right away 
Do not yell obscenities to motorists or get into arguments with the police; it’s never productive and will lead to more bad blood and possible retribution. We ask that cyclists not engage in any kind of confrontation with drivers or police officers. We are working hard to improve the reputation of the CC and all cyclists in general. If words have to be exchanged, let the group Ride Leader do the talking and feel free to video the exchange if you feel the individual is dangerous. It’s important to understand that when you ride with the Club and when you wear our Club jersey, you become an ambassador for both the Club and all cyclists in general. Let’s not do anything to fuel the flames of discontent. Nothing meaningful gets resolved on the road. 


How We Rotate: 
We use two methods to rotate cyclists when riding two abreast, the “Social Paceline” and the other as a “Rotating Paceline”. The Ride Leader will call out the appropriate formation for the needs of the group but any cyclists within the group can call out a suggestion. 


Social Paceline: 
This is our standard rotation used while warming up or just cruising along; in the Social Paceline we start from the premise of the two abreast formations where everybody is 0.5-1.0 metre apart 

laterally and fore/aft. The two leading cyclists are breaking the wind and setting the pace.
A very important point to rotating a group: While you are in front of the group, the group is at your mercy; anything you do, good or bad, will affect the entire group. If your pass is smooth and steady, then the group will remain smooth and steady. If you accelerate aggressively it will start to shatter the group and create gaps and confusion. If you half wheel the lead rider beside you it will offset the whole group or create gaps. We all have a responsibility to the riders behind us to move in a smooth and predictable way and watch the road surface ahead. 

One of the Lead riders asks the other to “rotate” and both should ‘Flick their right elbow’ or twirl their right finger in the air to indicate the rotation. 


Rider #1 accelerates gently and pulls ahead and then moves to the right lane. 


Rider #2 does the same. They move up past Rider #1, and then move into the right lane. They 
are now the lead rider in the right paceline.
Note: It is possible for Rider #1 to remain at the front if desired, but they need to communicate with Rider #2 so they know to remain in the left paceline. 


Rider #3 moves up beside rider #2 carefully judging speed to avoid any braking 


In turn, the left side of the group will continue to gently advance forward to the front of the group beside the right line. 


Those two new riders, #2 & 3, will now lead the group for however long they feel comfortable. 


Call “clear” to the rider fading right when safe to do so. 


Call “last wheel” to back rider when rotating through. 


Rotating Paceline.


This rotation is different from the Social Paceline in one fundamental way: The act of rotating is constant; it is like a continuous circle. When the left lead rider moves smoothly and gradually forward and clears the right line of riders, they then gently fade to the right. The right rider can assist by calling out ‘clear’ when the passing cyclist is safely ahead. 


As soon as that first rotation is complete the next one begins as if all the cyclists in the group are part of the same chain. In the Rotating Paceline all the cyclists should be moving through the rotation at the same speed with one paceline 2-3 K/hr faster than the other. 


Do not attack or surge off the front when it is your turn to pull; maintain the same speed which was already slightly faster than the receding line. Surging or attacking will cause gaps and jerk the speed of the line around. 


When you have moved over, gently lower your speed to the rider you just passed and provide shelter for them. 


Do not leave gaps, all riders need to focus on maintaining the same gaps all the way around the rotation. 


Riders wishing to miss a rotation can do so by sitting a bike length back of the group and allowing the group to rotate through. It is best to call out to the rider ahead that you are not pulling through to avoid their hesitation. 


It is also helpful for the last rider on the advancing side to call out to the last rider to remind the last receding rider that they need to transition next. Gaps often happen when the last rider misses the transition. 


The rotation can go from left to right or vice versa. Experienced cyclists will tailor the rotation so that the advancing line is sheltered from a crosswind. 


Single File Paceline: 


We make every effort to ride on the quietest roads at the quietest times. At times when we are traveling on an excessively busy road, we will ride single file to get past the congested section. We also will ride long descents single file. 


Long pacelines (more 10 riders) are not advised. The group should split. 



Communication: 


Communication is critical to the success of all group rides. On the road, riders need to communicate the ride formation, rotation and pace. Riders at the front need to call out road hazards and traffic situations. Riders at the back need to call out cars approaching from the back. The bottom line is that the quality and safety of the ride is dependent on frequent and clear communications between all the riders. Never assume everyone in the group knows a car is approaching or that the group is turning. Everything that can affect the group needs to be called out. 
We have Ride Leaders who are there to maintain the quality of the ride but realistically they can only do so much. We all need to communicate best ride practices. So, if you see someone riding inappropriately 


Call Outs should be made clearly for riders who are behind or in front to hear and pass on. All riders are responsible for helping the call-outs get passed through the group by repeating it for the person behind them. Don’t assume because you heard the call out that the person behind did, pass it along.
Similar to call outs, hand signals should be passed through a group by repeating them for the riders behind. Do not assume that the riders behind you or in front of you heard the call out or saw the hand signal. Always repeat it. Be sure to only call out items that pose as a potential hazard to the rest for the group. 

“Slowing” – indicates that you or the group is slowing in pace, so all riders should stop pedaling, be prepared to apply to brakes and slow down.
“Stopping” – indicates that you or the group is stopping; this call out should be made with as much advanced notice as possible. The group should gear down and stop pedaling. Riders at the back should start breaking right away and riders towards the front should initially brake very gently. 

Move completely off the road when stopping to chat, fix a flat, etc...
“Car back” – indicates that there is a car(s) approaching from the rear of the group.
“Car up”– indicates that there is a car(s) approaching from the front of the group.
“Car left/right”- indicates that there is a car(s) at the intersection that might cross your
path.
“Gravel” or “Glass” – indicates that riders need to be cautious and avoid the gravel or
glass on the road.
“Right turn” or “Left turn” – indicates that the group will be turning.
“Road kill” – self-explanatory. Pointing to the side of the obstacle or calling on left or right.
“Single up” – indicates single file formation is necessary.
“Double file” – indicates it’s safe to ride back in social pace line, please get into double formation.
“Hole” – indicates that riders need to be cautious and avoid pothole(s).
“Tracks” – indicates that riders need to be cautious of the railway tracks coming up.
“Easy” – indicates that riders need to gradually decrease the speed 1 or 2 km/hr.
“On your left” – indicates that you are passing or coming up their left
“Runner/Walker/Bike up” – indicates that there is a runner, walker or cyclist ahead of the group on the road or side of the road.
“Flat or Mechanical”- indicates that riders need to slow and pull over to the right and completely off the road to assist with the mechanical.
“Clear” – indicates that you approached an intersection, looked in all directions and there is no traffic. This means it is safe for you and the rider behind to clear the intersection.
“Standing” – indicates that you need to anticipate the climbing rider ahead of you rising out of the saddle, as their bike may “go backwards” when they stand out of their saddle.