Ride Captain and Sweep responsibities explained

[Tellico Riders]

At last weeks club meeting we announced a concept to open up the ranks of the Ride Captain

group and encouraged people to step up and lead at least one ride next year.  I got potential commitments

from 7-8 people and with this increase in our ride captain ranks we should only need each ride captain to lead one

ride per year.  This will help immensly to share the responsibility and make it more enjoyable experience

for all.  Not all members were in attendance so this email is to encourage others to step up and share

the responsibility for planning and leading rides.  Below I have identified the responsibilties of the

general membership and the specific duties of the Ride Captains and Sweeps.

Rich Gruber, the new Ride Captain Chairman for 2012, and I will be scheduling a meeting in Jan or

early Feb and will encourage all who are interested in assisting the club as a Ride Captain to join us

in planning for the upcoming season.  I think we have an opportunity to have a great riding season for

all.  I sincerely hope you take this opportunity to join us and participate.

Hopefully this document will help all members to understand their role and the importance of

the Ride Captains and Sweeps role.

Thanks to all Ride Captains for your support.  If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to

contact me or any Ride Captain for clarification.

Responsibilty of ALL Tellico Riders

1) Notify the ride captain 24 hours in advance via email your intentions to ride in

the upcoming ride.

2)  Show up ON TIME  with a FULL tank of gas

3)  Insure your bike has been serviced and is road worthy. T-CLOCS inspections.

4)  Review and understand group riding dynamics located on our web site under safety

including hand signals.   And remember to pass the hand signal back to the rider behind.

5)  In the event of an accident or if a rider pulls off, ALL riders should continue on and follow the

ride captain.  The riders should begin flashing their headlights to notify ride captain of a problem.

The ride captain will find a safe place for all bikes to pull off and await a call from the sweep

or send a rider back to assess the situation and advise the Ride Captain.  The rider immediately

in front of the sweep should consider stopping to assist the Sweep if it appears help would be needed

Ride Captains Duties

SAFETY is the first rule

The first rule in being a Ride Captain is to lead a SAFE ride. We should

try to keep to the speed limit plus or minus five.  Some of Tennessee's roads

are a challenge for some riders to ride the speed limit.  The ride to ride type

rides are more spirited and we should discourage riders with lower skill levels

from attending these rides.  The club rides however are slower paced and most

individuals should be able to maintain the speeds.

Place the slower riders directly behind the Ride Captain and

adjust your speed accordingly.  If a rider does not have the skill level for the

proposed ride suggest they sit that ride out.

We have stated that the number of bikes per group should not exceed 8

bikes.  It is, however, up to the ride captain to make the ultimate decision

on how many he/she is comfortable leading.

IF a Ride Captain observes a rider in the group that is not riding in

a safe manner he/she should talk to the rider and in worst case can

ask the rider to leave the ride.

All Ride Captains and Sweeps should carry cell phones and exhange numbers

in case of accidents.

Understand Group Riding dynamics

All Ride Captains should be familiar with group ride dynamics which

can be found on our web page under safety.  This includes the use of

hand signals to communicate intentions to the group.

Experience and Riding Skills

All Ride Captains should be proficient riders and are encouraged to take

the Experienced Rider Course every three years.  Ideally, they should also

take the CPR course offered in the Village by the Fire Department

and carry a practical first aid kit.

Plan the ride route

Select the date of ride and rain date then post on the Gmail Calendar.

Instructions will be provided to all new Ride Captains on the use of gmail.

Identify the type of ride.  A club ride has a more leisurely pace.  A ride to ride

is more aggressive and not recommended for riders of lower skill level.

Pre-ride the route to check condition of roads, and availability of comfort stops.

Allow for adequate comfort stops especially important after the first hour

in the morning and after lunch.

Communicate with all members of the club via email a week before the ride.

Notify the club of intended meeting place, time, KSU, route and approximate return time.

Request an email confirmation from attendees, this will help determine if

you want the break the ride into to smaller groups.

Choose a sweep and other ride captains to assist if you need them and solicit their support before

the day of the ride if possible.

If you decide to break the group you need to contact other ride captains and sweeps

and solicit their support and explain ride details.  Identify which riders are assigned to each

group.  You might consider breaking groups based on skill level after consulting  with

the other ride captain and sweeps. You should also provide the other RC with ride route details

Day of the ride/ pre ride instructions (Riders Meeting)

Explain the route, expected comfort stops, assign riders to groups if needed.

Review any confusing turns, expected hazards along the way, etc.

Review the hand signals, importance of maintaining proper intervals, and

the importance of riding at their comfort level.  DON'T GET INTO GROUP THINK.

Even though we are riding as a group and all need to understand group riding

dynamics each individual must make their own decisions and handle their bikes accordingly

Sweep responsibilities

The Sweep ideally would be another Ride Captain or experienced rider and again ideally would

be familiar with CPR, carry first aid kit, and cell phone.  They should assist the Ride Captain

in the pre ride meeting, getting signatures of attendees, helping align the bikes in groups or

order and giving the OK that all riders are prepared to GO.  In the event of breakdown or

accident the sweep will stop and attend to the stopped rider.

1)  Secure the area and make sure the downed rider is safe from further injury.

2)  Call 911 if needed

3)  Solicit help to control oncoming traffic and assist the downed rider

4)  Call the Ride Captain and assess him/her of the situation

5)  If you are in an area of no cell phone reception, solicit help from others to

go find 911 access and direct someone to report to the Ride Captain.

Post ride reports and Pictures

Fill out the Post Ride Report found on the web site and forward to Karen Brown or Jody

Desserich, Club Historian, along with any pictures of the event.

--

From Jim McA

Ride Captain Chairman