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| Supported by |
| Lancaster City Council |
| Cycling England |
| The Family Adventure Project |
| Burton Eco Team |
| Guided Rides - Statement of Policy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
CONTENTS Wheely Good Communities guided rides are organised and led by local volunteers. They are fun, social rides, intended to help show you how easy and enjoyable it can be to get to local places by bike. The emphasis is on being out, riding together and enjoying some of the places that are on our doorstep. Rides run at an easy pace, mostly on quiet backroads, over shortish distances. All rides start in a local village, can pick-up riders en-route and include time and opportunity for rest, repairs and refreshment on the way. We aim to offer a variety of rides and are happy to advise on their suitability for different age-groups, abilities or levels of cycling experience. We hope the rides will:
Our aim is to be inclusive and encourage participation so whether you're young or old, with or without kids, a novice or old hand, we hope you'll find something of interest in the rides we offer. And if you don’t then let us know what you'd like to see and we'll see if we can organise it. All rides will be led by experienced cyclists familiar with the route and locality. The volunteer ride leaders will be able to offer tips and advice on safe cycling and local routes. Rides will run whatever the conditions so do dress appropriately. You won't need lycra, gilets or SPD clips and don't even need to know what they are but you will need to bring:
We also recommend you consider bringing
If you have a simple toolkit, pump, spare tube and puncture repair kit, you may want to bring it with you. While the ride leader will have some tools with them and will be happy to help with any simple roadside repairs, they cannot be guaranteed to have spare tubes or parts to fit your bike. You don’t need a special kind of bike for any of these rides but whatever you use must be roadworthy. You'll also enjoy the ride more if your bike is properly adjusted to fit you. If you'd like help checking or adjusting your bike, please contact us in advance and we will try and arrange a free bike check-up for you. We reserve the right to refuse participation to anyone whose bike we consider unroadworthy. All rides involve riding on quiet back roads but may involve short sections on busier main roads. All riders must be comfortable and proficient riding on quiet roads. If you are not we recommend you get some basic on-road cycle skills training before joining a ride and will be happy to advise on this. All rides are within the capabilities of someone of average fitness and will run at an easy pace to accommodate slower riders. To give you a sense of what to expect we've graded each ride in terms of the distance/riding duration, hill factor and terrain involved, see below. If you're a relative novice you may wish to choose easier rides to start with. Call us if you want advice.
We welcome children under 16 on rides but they must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Accompanying adults are responsible for ensuring the safety of children in their care during rides. If children are to ride their own bikes they should at a minimum have successfully completed their cycling profiency test, Bikeability award level 2 or equivalent. For younger children or those with no road safety cycle training or experience we recommend they ride on tandems, tag-alongs, in child seats or trailers. If you want advice on this then please speak with us in advance. We reserve the right to refuse participation to any rider of any age who we believe may not have the necessary skills to complete the ride safely. Family cycling equipment loans We have a tag-along, trailer and child seat available for free short term loans. If you would like to borrow any of this for a ride, contact us in advance to check availability and make arrangements for fitting. A refundable deposit will be required while the equipment is on loan. Equipment is used at your own risk. Rides will depart promptly at the published departure time. The volunteer ride leader will be at the meeting point half an hour before the ride leaves. We recommend you arrive at least ten minutes before the ride leaves to allow for any last minute checks or adjustments on your bike. The ride leader will have a basic tool with them to deal with minor adjustments at the start or problems on the road. They will also carry a basic first aid kit to deal with any minor incidents en-route. Pick-ups If you wish to ride the route self-guided, we will usually be able to provide a route card. If you join the guided ride, you are free to go self guided at any point but please let the ride leader know before disappearing. To help us manage the rides safely we need to know numbers in advance. To book places on a ride, please email us (wheelygood@familyonabike.org) or give us a call (01524 782351) with details of riders and rides you are interested in, and we will confirm availability and places. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis and we reserve the right to limit the number of riders for everyone's safety and enjoyment. If you turn up on the day without a booking, we will try to accommodate you but reserve the right to refuse participation if all places are already taken. Cycling is a generally safe activity but not without risk. While we will do everything reasonably practicable to ensure a safe and enjoyable ride, when participating in a ride, you ride at your own risk and we ask that you take responsibility for your own safety and act responsibly with respect to other riders and road users. To help us manage the risks involved we ask you to:
If you have any concerns about safety matters then please raise them with us in advance or the ride leader on the day. Please contact us for further information or advice. Tel: 01524 782351 Wheely Good Communities |
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