The cycling group is one of the many groups in the Basingstoke-Old Basing U3A of which you must be a current member to join the rides. The group started in May 2013 initially with 4 riders on an easy 12 mile loop along the Basingstoke canal. The rides were monthly at the start but over time these have increased to twice and sometimes three times a week.
The intention of the cycling group is to enjoy social rides at quite an easy pace, with a break for refreshments and chat, where possible in the middle of the ride.
We are NOT a formally constituted or incorporated cycling club. We make NO financial demands of our riding friends. We have no form of rider insurance, all riders are encouraged to take out their own insurance, for example, joining a cycling organisation such as CyclingUK that includes third party insurance cover for the rider.
Riders are welcome to ride with the group providing they accept full responsibility for their own well-being and safety while involved in any of our activities. We are just a group of individuals that like riding our bikes together. The ride leader, organiser and the U3A take no responsibility for any loss, injury, mishap or accident that may occur on any ride. It is important to point out that cycling can be dangerous and that accidents or injuries can occur, either caused by the cyclist themselves or by other parties. By participating with us you are agreeing that neither you or other parties acting on your behalf, will have any right to pursue legal compensation for any injury or loss suffered while so participating.
Our rides take place mainly on quiet roads but also on public cycle paths, off-road tracks, canal tow-paths or cycle trails and all riders are expected to abide by the rules applicable to cycling on these. It may be necessary to ride on busier roads occasionally, but this will be kept to a minimum. The group would always wait for stragglers so that no-one would be left behind. Since our rides are group events, you must be prepared to ride with the rest of the group and not bolt off into the distance. To give a variety of ride routes, we may take the train or drive to some starting points, sharing cars where possible. From time to time and before each multi-day tour we hold bike maintenance sessions. On rides we carry a range of bike tools for simple repairs.
Rides are normally organised twice a week on a weekday throughout the year with notification sent out by email to group members. The email will include details of the start/finish locations, transport arrangements if necessary, proposed location of refreshment stops and a hyperlink to the route to view and download to a GPS/phone. The routing is normally planned using cycle.travel that shows a map and interactive gradient profile and riding surface type for you to judge whether it suits you and your bike. The day and time of the rides will generally be chosen to suit the majority of those interested in forming the group on that day, and of course the weather forecast. As with all outdoor activities the rides may need to be adjusted or cancelled because of adverse weather. The length of the ride will take into account the abilities of the riders on that day.
As the cycling group membership increased, we occasionally had group rides with more than 20 riders, even in the colder weather, that resulted in disruption to other road users, making it harder to resolve problems during the ride and find suitable cafe stops - and quite a few grumbles from those on the rides. With a steady interest from new members wishing to join the group that exacerbates this problem, we have reluctantly decided to close the cycling group to new members and limit the group size to a maximum of 40 and instituted a waiting list for new members to join the group. To be fair to these new members intending to join us, anyone in the existing group who has not been on a group ride within the previous four months will automatically be retired for the group list.
To assist in keeping the group ride numbers to a maximum of 18, we will use a ride booking system from 1st May 2023. Places on a group ride will need to be booked in advance using a WhatsApp poll on a first come first served basis - note bookings attempted other than on the WhatsApp poll will be ignored and don't just turn up on the day and expect to join the ride. If there are insufficient ride guides for the group rides on any day, the numbers may have to be reduced further. The WhatsApp poll will appear on the normal U3A cycling group WhatsApp page and will list the upcoming rides. You simply tap on the ride or rides that you wish to join and you will be added to the list. You can see who has opted for the rides using the "View Votes" button that opens a window showing the voting with a date and time stamp. In the event that more than 18 select any ride, the timestamp will decide who goes on the waiting list for the ride. If you are unable to make the ride then you can go back to the poll and click again on the ride and it will remove your vote. Don't try to game the system by booking a ride you don't envisage being able to make - on a ride where there are more than 18 riders and anyone is a no show or cancels less than 24 hours before then that will count as one strike - three strikes and you will be suspended for a month. Everyone in the group has individual access to WhatsApp and you can only vote for yourself - if a partner wants to come on the ride, they will need to make their own booking.
We have undertaken longer multi-day rides on a one-off basis, details of which are in the blog or under Past Rides. There are normally two, or now three, of these multi-day rides each year open to members who semi-regularly come on normal group day rides. Where it is necessary to limit the number of participants on these rides due to accommodation or logistics limitations, priority will be based on attendance on the normal group rides since the last multi-day ride. In the past we have ridden from Bristol to Newbury along the Kennet and Avon Canal , the Trans Pennine Trail from Southport to York, The Devon C2C from Barnstaple to Plymouth [three times], the Danube from Passau to Vienna, rode across the Alps from Innsbruck to Verona and the Way of the Roses from Morecombe to Bridlington. In 2019 we managed three multi-day rides - the trip taking in the Mosel, Rhine and Hunsruck, the Lon Cambria from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and the the Viking Trail around the Kent coast. We have also had a day ride in France each year for the last four years before Covid struck. The covid pandemic meant cancelling the proposed tours in 2020 and 2021 although we did manage a short tour of the Cotswolds in 2021.
However, normal service resumed in 2022 with France 2022 - St Malo to Ouistreham, Tour of the Black Forest and the Alsace – June 2022, Tour of Somerset July 2022 and WW1 Battlefields Tour - September 2022. Reports of the more recent tours are accessed in the blog on the home page.
Ride etiquette
The Ride Leader[s] will have planned a route and we usually use a GPS for navigation. If you are new to group riding, let them know – they will keep an eye on you, or assign someone to do so. Keep in mind they are a volunteer and listen carefully to any instructions. Don't try to interfere with the ride – let them lead!
He or she should explain any jargon and hand signals they may use to keep control of the group. If you fall behind, don’t worry – your group should wait for you at the next junction or at the top of a climb. Abide by the Highway and Countryside Codes – never ride more than two abreast except when passing. Shout ‘Passing!’ if you do so. Drop into single file on narrow or busy roads, unless it would be unsafe to do so. We will use the conventional Highway Code hand signals for manoeuvres but you might see a rider ahead point to the ground – this means there is a pothole or obstruction ahead. We do this because when you are in a group it can be difficult to see the road directly ahead of you.
Show courtesy to other road and trail users and be a good ambassador for cycling. Be alert to what other riders around you are doing and do not get too close to them. Shout ‘Slowing!’ or ‘Stopping!’ if necessary – smooth, gentle manoeuvres work best. Point out any road defects or other hazards to others. If you wish to leave the ride, let the Ride Leader know first.
What should I bring on a group ride?
Any appropriate bike in good working order. If in doubt, ask one of the group for advice. Carry at least a spare inner tube, pump and tyre levers. Dress for the weather and bring a spare layer. Bring a drink and energy bar plus a picnic or cash for lunch if out all day. Good lights are essential if there is any chance of riding in the dark or poor visibility. We ask that every rider carries a basic first aid kit to deal with cuts and grazes on each ride.
Risk Assessment
The Standard Risk Assessment - Group Rides document is a written record of our assessment of the risks plus the actions we take to reduce and manage these. A Risk Assessment is an important step in protecting both our group members and our U3A as a whole. Every time we ride our bikes, we are exposing ourselves to various risks and this Risk Assessment helps us to focus our minds on these risks and hopefully helps to reduce them. Some of the risks are managed by the Ride Leaders in planning and control. However, the majority of the risks are managed by actions to be taken by individual participant Riders who should recognise that they have a duty of care to themselves and to others in the group. Whilst most group rides will have a Ride Leader, the emphasis for safety is necessarily on individual riders. Please ensure you read and understand it
Data Privacy - GPDR [General Data Protection Regulations]
As the Group Leader of the Cycling Group, I store and maintain an email distribution list and the phone numbers of group members for the principal purpose of advising of forthcoming rides and events and for communication during group rides. The email addresses and phone numbers are obtained from the U3A Old Basing and Basingstoke Beacon database which is maintained by the U3A itself. Emails are sent out by blind copy except for special trips. If you do not wish to be contacted by email or phone about group activities, then let me know and I will remove your details from my distribution list. However, you should be aware that your details will still be on the U3A Beacon database for the current academic year and you will be unable to be advised of cycling group activities.
For special trips involving more than one day's ride, other personal data necessary to facilitate group travel and accommodation bookings such as addresses, email addresses, passport numbers, dates of birth are sometimes shared amongst the trip group members. As the task of booking flights or accommodation is sometimes shared between the trip members, the person making the booking may prefer payment for each individual's share of the cost by bank transfer and accordingly may provide their bank account reference to enable this. Trip members who receive this information must keep it secure and not provide third parties with this information. If you do not wish to share this additional information then let me know, although this may preclude you taking part in the trip.
Further information on the GPDR can be found on the website of the Information Commissioner https://ico.org.uk/
Alistair Craig - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.