British Cycling have released the following guidance There’s quite a lot of it covering all aspects of cycling, so I have just extracted out the relevant points for Club Rides.
“What changes at Step 3 (from Monday 17 May)?
From May 17th, British Cycling affiliated club rides can take place in any number.
These rides will be subject to a series of Covid mitigation measures, including: test and trace protocols (recording who is on the ride), one metre social distancing while riding, two metre social distancing while not riding, and guidance covering hygiene, equipment sharing and self-sufficiency (basically don’t get too close to people, don’t share water bottles etc..)
Informal group rides – such as groups of friends meeting to ride together – will be limited to 30 riders, in line with Government guidance on outdoor gatherings.
At any pre, mid or post-ride stops, groups should immediately default to the Government’s general guidance for social contact – groups of up to 30 outdoors or up to six/two households indoors. This may mean splitting your group into wholly separate groups for the duration of the stop, with riders remaining in their allocated group at all times.
During any refreshment stops you should also ensure that you comply with Government guidance for hospitality settings and any other mitigation measures put in place by the establishment.”
What this means for GYCC members
From Monday, we will no longer be asking members to “register” for rides. We will be posting what rides are being organised and where to meet and members are free to just turn up if they want to ride. People can still comment if they choose, but it is no longer a requirement and formal groups will no longer be organised.
As per “normal” arrangements (for those that remember that far back..) large groups may get split into smaller groups ad-hoc to minimise large groups of riders being an obstruction to fellow users of the public highway.
Group leaders/navigators
We will still need to identify people to act as “leaders” primarily to report on who was riding – a requirement of the guidance, but also to help keep the group together and have an idea of the decided route and destination – as always suggested routes can be supplied if volunteers would like them.
Non-members
Non-members will still be asked to register for rides, mainly so we have a proper record of who they are, and a way of contacting them should it be required.
Of course this guidance could be subject to change and any updates will be communicated ASAP.!
Regards – GYCC Committee.
