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San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club

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Safety

The SLOBC is committed to safe cycling by enabling cyclists to feel comfortable and empowered to help each other be safer and better riders. The focus is on improving situational awareness and bicycle skills. The goal is to have everyone looking out for each other.

Safety begins with the individual cyclist. It is a product of the rider’s attitude, behaviors and skills. It is a long term commitment to learning and being aware of your surroundings at all times.

Let those you ride with know that if you do something unsafe, you want to know. When you see other riders being unsafe, talk with them. When you see other riders exhibiting safe cycling, compliment them. If you can help another cyclists improve their skills, help them.

Safe Cycling Group Riding No One Left Be Prepared

 

Safe Cycling Best Practices

The following best practices assume an understanding of how cyclists should use the roadway to keep themselves safe and communicate their intentions to drivers.

  1. Ride in bike lanes when available
    • If clear, move into the road when the bike lane contains hazards
    • If clear, move into the road to pass another bike
    • Never assume vehicles are going straight if they are not signaling a turn.
    • When riding in a bike lane, only pass vehicles on the right if they are stopped and you can fully pass them and be seen.
    • Ride two abreast if desired when bike lane width permits
  2. Ride as far to the right on roads as practicable. Online References: Cycling Road Positioning 1, Cycling Road Positioning 2.
    • Ride on a road's shoulder when adequately wide and safe
    • Ride two abreast if desired when the shoulder width permits
    • If clear, move left as required to avoid hazards
    • If clear, move left to pass another vehicle/bicycle. Always pass on the left.
    • Never ride in the door zone – move left and share or control the lane until you have passed the parked vehicles.
    • Control the lane when it would be dangerous to be passed
    • Control the lane to make a left turn
    • Move left to avoid a right turn conflict – create a diverging not crossing condition
    • Control the lane as desired if you are moving at the normal speed of traffic
    • Use next available turnout or area to let backed-up traffic of five or more vehicles to pass
    • Ride two abreast if desired on roads with light or intermittent traffic
  3. Obey traffic laws – Bicycles are legal vehicles
    • Always ride on the right side of the road – ride with traffic
    • Always stop at red lights
    • Always honor all right-of-ways at intersections – vehicles, bicycles and people
  4. Use the following basic hand signals. Online References: Signals Video GCN, Signals Website 1, Signals Website 2.
    • Right Turn: Extend right arm and hand straight out to the Right.
    • Left Turn: Extend left arm and hand straight out to the Left.
    • Straight-On: Extend left arm and hand above head and moved forward and back.
    • Singular Road Hazard: Extend arm down at 45° to the side that the upcoming hazard will pass your bike and point at the object with one finger (e.g. Rock, Pothole, Trash, Grate).
    • Road Surface Hazard: Extend arm down at 45° to the side that the upcoming hazard will pass your bike with palm facing down and wave hand back and forth (e.g. Sand, Gravel, Glass, Water, Broken/Rough Road).
    • Slowing: Extend Left arm down at 45° with palm facing down – raise and lower palm
    • Stopping: Extend Left arm down at 45° with palm facing back.
    • Call It Out: If you do not have time to signal or conditions warrent keeping both hands on your handlebars, Call Out: "Right Turn" "Left Turn" "Slowing" "Stopping" "Pothole" "Glass"
  5. Pass other bicycles and pedestrians on the left and call out "On Your Left"
  6. Be Predictable – no sudden moves
    • Hold your line and speed
    • Look and hand signal before changing direction, slowing or stopping
  7. Be Alert and Aware – Continuously scan your surroundings
    • Look through/beyond the riders and vehicles ahead of you
    • Use a rear view mirror to see riders and vehicles behind you
    • Maintain enough space around yourself so you can respond to the unexpected
    • Never overlap your front wheel with the back wheel of the rider ahead
    • Anticipate potential problems
  8. Be Visible – Assume you are invisible
    • Use bike lights
    • Wear bright or light colors
    • Make eye contact with drivers
  9. Leave the road or bike lane completely when stopping – don't hinder the progress of other cyclists or vehicles
  10. Be courteous at all times and acknowledge courteous behavior
  11. Encourage others to follow "Safe Cycling Best Practices"

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Group Cycling Best Practices

Group riding best practices are based on the preceding "Safe Cycling Best Practices" with the following additions and elaborations unique to riding in groups.

  1. Never do anything suddenly or without warning
    • Hold your line and maintain a consistent and predictable pace
    • Always signal before moving sideways, turning, slowing or stopping.
    • Make sure you are clear of other riders before you stop.
  2. Give yourself space and a path relative to the rider ahead
    • Ride far enough behind to provide appropriate reaction time
    • Ride off center of the rider in front to provide an escape route and sight line
  3. Keep your head up, watch the rider in front of you and check down the road, constantly
    • Look over the shoulder, under the arm or through the legs of the riders in front of you. Ride pro-actively instead of reactively
    • If you talk, skip the eye contact. Keep your eyes ahead.
    • Back off from the rider ahead when approaching a climb, climbing or descending
    • Give erratic riders more space. Protect yourself now and talk with them later
  4. Call out approaching vehicles: "Car Up;" "Car Back"
    • Move right as practicable to permit vehicles to pass
    • If riding two abreast, move into single file to permit vehicles to pass: left/inside rider accelerates and right/outside rider slows slightly to create gap for left rider
    • Do not wave for drivers to pass. It must be their decision.
  5. Call out "On Your Left" or ring your bell when passing other riders or pedestrians
    • Move right to let group members pass
    • Slower riders should stay right so faster riders can pass
    • Move right and signal (elbow flick) if you want group members to pass you
    • Move to the back of the group to drink water, spit or blow your nose
    • Don't struggle to hold you place in the group. Allow riders to pass and relax.
  6. When in the front, you are responsible for the safety and cohesion of those behind you
    • Keep your head up at all times
    • Do not talk with others while in the front
    • Use appropriate directional hand signals about 10 yards before an intersection. Following riders should repeat the signal.
    • Use appropriate Road Hazard hand signals in time for those behind to avoid the hazard. Following riders should repeat the signal.
    • Use appropriate hand signals when Slowing or Stopping and call out "Slowing" or "Stopping". Following riders should repeat the signal.
    • When the lead rider stops at a signed intersection, you stop. Do not pass a rider waiting to enter a signed intersection.
    • The lead rider at a signed intersection may delay entering the intersection until the group has formed
    • Large groups should break into smaller groups of about 6 to 10 riders to pass through a signed intersection.
    • Do not call out "Clear" at intersections. Every rider must assess the situation.
    • Startup slowly and hold or change pace gradually to maintain group cohesion
    • If the group is large and breaks up at an intersection. The first group should soft peddle until the other group can catch up.
    • When traveling on narrow roads, break into groups of 6 to 10 with at least a hundred feet of space between to allow vehicles to leap-frog smaller groups when passing.
  7. During SLOBC group rides, there are times when some participants decide to draft each other—ride 6" to 36" behind the rear wheel of the rider ahead. Participate in drafting only if:
    • It does not endanger group riders who are not participating
    • You understand and are willing to assume the added risk
    • All riders involved know and agree to what is occurring
    • You trust the other riders and know they are knowledgeable, smooth and consistent
    • You never let your wheels overlap
    • You will stop drafting when you feel the situation is unsafe

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No One Left Best Practices

Nothing feels worst than having a problem or not knowing the route and realizing that no one is in sight. Nothing feels better than seeing riders return to find you or waiting for you when you round a bend.

No One Lost or Left Behind – Take care of each other

  1. Count riders/bikes at the beginning of the ride
    • All riders should take a visual inventory of who is part of the group
    • Identify the number of bikes in the group
  2. Every rider is part of the safety net
    • Know where you are within the group
    • Keep the rider behind you in sight
    • The next-to-last rider is the last rider's buddy
    • Slow for riders lost from sight
    • Wait or return for riders lost from sight
  3. Every rider should communicate when they have a problem
    • Call out the reason that you are stopping – "Flat"
    • Other riders should echo the reason
    • Stay with a rider that has to stop
    • Send at least one rider on ahead to notify the group what has happened
  4. The ride leader establishes regrouping locations
    • Regroup at places with room to gather completely off the road
    • Regroup after conditions that might cause group separation — at the top or bottom of a climb or after a series of intersections
    • Regroup at time intervals – every half hour
    • Regroup at distance intervals – every ten miles
  5. Regroup Processes
    • Check to see that all bikes have arrived
    • When appropriate, send two riders back to find those missing so one can stay and the other can report back to the group.
    • Proceed once everyone has arrived and allowed time to recover
  6. Group Communications – Using cell phones during a ride
    • The ride leader should make their cell phone number available to riders
    • Consider setting up location apps like Find My or Life360 between key ride members. This is especially helpful when a sweep is used.
  7. Other Strategies
    • The ride leader designates a sweep that knows the route and stays with the slowest rider
    • The ride leader asks riders to buddy with another rider - assumes all riders know the route
    • An experienced rider buddies with each new rider
    • The next-to-last rider automatically becomes the last rider's buddy.

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Be Prepared

Riders should always be prepared for typical problems that they may face while riding. It is expected that every participant in a SLOBC ride with have the essentials with them. Ride leaders should carry both the essentials and the desirables.

Essential Supplies

  • Fully Charged Cell Phone: Have the ride leader's cell phone number on your phone. Share phone numbers at the beginning of a ride to be able to contact each other in case of separation. Consider setting up a Find Friends tracking app on your phone to be able to locate other riders. Dial 911 or if a cell phone has no carrier coverage, Dial 112 to connect with any available carrier.
  • Tube: One is essential but two are better.
  • Tire Levers (2 or 3): It is very difficult to get most road tires off without tire levers however, most tires can be put on without a tire lever.
  • Pump: Make sure it can easily pump your tires up to the desired pressure.
  • Patch Kit: For those bad days when multiple flats occur.
  • Boot or Duct Tape: To repair a tire enough to get home. The boot or duct tape can be placed inside the tire. Wrap a small portion of duct tape around a section of pencil or dowel.
  • Multi-Tool: A multi-tool should have everything you need to make adjustments and simple repairs to your bike. A multi-tool with a chain break is desirable.
  • Water: Every rider should carry water appropriate for the ride. Consider temperature, difficulty and distance in determining the quantity. Plain water is also good to clean scrapes.

Desirable Supplies

  • Multi-Tool: A multi-tool with a chain break.
  • Master Link: In case your chain breaks during the ride. Ride leaders should carry master links for 9, 10 and/or 11 speed chains.
  • Chain Hook: A length wire (coat hanger) with a hook at either end to hold the chain while inserting a master link.
  • Tweezers: To remove debris from tires. Small knife might work.
  • Surgical Gloves: Keep your hands clean during dirty repairs.
  • Lightweight Jacket: Allows you to respond to weather changes.
  • Toilet Paper: For those special days.

First Aid Related

  • Install the American Red Cross First Aid Mobile App on your phone
  • Heart Monitor: It provides important information to help you assess how you are doing.
  • Sunscreen: Especially for long rides.
  • Small Pillbox:
    Aspirin: Chew in the case of a Heart Attack
    Diphenhydramine (Benadryl): Take for Bee Stings
    Pain Re-leaver: Carry a few of your favorite pain relievers (Tylenol, Advil, Aleve)