Cynergy Cycling Club Rider Guidelines
Our Mission:
Cynergy Cycling Club focuses on safety and team-style riding as the most direct way in our congested suburban environment to create a safe, enjoyable and fulfilling experience for our riders. We ride as a team.
Practices you agree to as a member of the Cynergy community:
1. Every Cynergy club ride has a leader. You agree to follow his or her instructions on the ride. The ride leader is in charge of keeping the ride safe and enjoyable for all participants. Each Cynergy ride leader has gone through safety and group leading training.
2. You agree to obey all traffic laws, including riding as far to the right of the road as practicable. Much of our riding is in single file; riding two abreast is at the discretion of the ride leader and only when we do not impede traffic.
3. You agree to ride predictably by holding a clean, straight line (such as not wandering across the road, swerving or slamming on brakes without warning - common causes of group crashes).
4. You agree to follow our safety protocol, including:
- always wearing a helmet
- keeping your bike in proper working order
- never wearing earbuds
- never riding aero bars
- arriving at least 15 minutes ahead of the listed time of your ride. This gives you time to do your last-minute safety checks.
E-Bike Policy:
Electric bikes, or E-Bikes, are definitely growing in popularity. These bikes allow cyclists to extend their involvement with the sport and may even open up the sport to new riders. However, E-Bikes come with their own set of challenges when it comes to group riding.
- Cynergy Cycling Club allows only pedal-assist E-Bikes (Class 1 and Class 3). Class 2, throttle-controlled cycles are prohibited,
- Cynergy Cycling Club welcomes E-Bikes on all rides except A class rides. The Club’s position is that the unique requirements of A rides dictates that E-Bikes are not appropriate for this class of ride.
- E-Bikes MUST NOT be used by a rider to move up in class. For example, if you are normally a B rider, an E-Bike should not be used to do a B+ ride.
- As with all our rides, Ride Leaders have the right to refuse a rider access to their ride if they feel that rider does not meet the requirements of the ride classification. ยท
- Just like mechanical bike riders, E-Bike riders are responsible for the maintenance of their bike.
As their popularity grows and the landscape changes, the Club’s E-Bike policy may change to meet the unique demands of the current situation.
How to choose a club ride:
Cynergy classifies rides by their approximate rolling speed (pace) in six categories:
A+, A, B+, B, C+, C (click here for details/speed for these categories)
Speed, however, is not the only consideration in choosing which ride is appropriate for you. Your bike handling skill, experience with group riding and understanding of road safety are equally important.
While all rides require you to understand and practice safe group riding skills, the faster the pace of a ride, the greater the need for advanced skills. Choose your ride carefully for your safety and the safety of your fellow riders.
Here are some factors to help you choose:
1. You should be able to maintain the listed pace of a ride for the length of the ride – often two or more hours. If you are unsure, start by picking a ride that you expect to be fairly easy. You can always move up.
2. If you cannot safely maintain a pace, move to a slower paced ride - especially if directed by a leader. Equally important, maintain the advertised pace and do not “blow up” a ride by pushing the speed higher.
3. Factor in the conditions that can make a posted pace "harder" or "easier": weather conditions (wind in particular); the distance you ride; and how hilly/flat the ride course is.
Where to Find Rides
We use Ride With GPS to post all regular club rides. Rides are posted on the events page of our club RWGPS website (https://ridewithgps.com/organizations/1206-cynergy-cycling/events) and also on this website.
When a ride is posted on the site, it includes a link to a downloadable file, which provides turn by turn navigation for GPS navigation computers (Garmin, Wahoo, etc.) and a printable cue sheet.
NOTE:
Cynergy membership entitles you to a premium RideWithGPS club account.
If you are a Cynergy member but don't have log in credentials, contact us. If you forgot your password, use the "forgot password" link.
