Guidelines For Ride Leaders

1. Plan your tour beforehand. Make sure you have ridden it to check out facilities, distances and places for rest stops. If possible list these things on a simple handout to give to participants before they come on the ride. See the reverse of this sheet for suggestions.
2. Meet your group at a predetermined location. Aim to arrive at least fifteen minutes before the agreed time. Experience has shown that when you are ready and waiting at the start your ride runs much better.
3. Brief your group on the ride giving them a brief run down on the route and the way you plan to lead them along it. You should point out to them that by travelling as a group no one will be left behind and all members of t he group should be mindful of others - that is, it is not a good idea to put head down and bottom up to get there in record time if others are left hopelessly behind. You should also advise them where the lunch and rest stops will be, if water is hard to obtain (and where to get it) and where food can be bought (if they did not bring it).
4. Explain the method you plan to use to ensure that the group stays together. Typically this will mean regrouping every few kilometres and waiting for others to catch up. With traffic lights and different rider speeds it is very easy for the group to be broken up so it is essential that you know your route and have at least surveyed a number of possible regrouping locations.
5. It is always good to appoint a head rider and a tail rider so that everybody knows where they are in the group. This should be neither a super fast rider or a really slow cyclist. It's hard to judge unless you know your group beforehand so you will have to rely on the willingness of the individuals to volunteer their help.
6. Before you set out ask your group to tell you if they have any difficulties with their bikes as minor adjustment problems should be best dealt with before you set out and not when you are moving.
7. Warn your group of any difficult traffic locations you may encounter (squeeze points etc.) and outline your strategy for dealing with these points. Remember, that many of the participants are there because they want to try cycling as an enjoyable and positive mode of transport and or recreation. If they enjoy themselves on your ride they will be encouraged to cycle more often. You are bound to have at least one person who is traffic shy. Make sure that this person rides within the group not at the back so that there is always a positive presence of another cyclist nearby.
8. At the end of the journey gather your group for a quick debrief. This may be done over a cup of tea or coffee. There may be questions to be answered and if your group were involved in close or difficult situations, it is vital that the people involved are permitted to talk it out and see the situation from another angle.
9. Finally, thank your group for participating. If they are not already a member of Bicycle New South Wales, give them a membership brochure and tell them that their support will help us make the roads a better place for them and other people to ride their bicycles.

Simply put, the faster riders drop off at each major turning and point the way to the others following. When the tail end rider comes by, the pointer then rides on to catch up with the others thereby ensuring that everyone generally rides at their own pace.