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The Huntington Bicycle Club, NY

HomeRide Leader Information

Ride Committee Policy

 

Ride Season

 All year long, weekdays and weekends.
Ride leader and sweep points are accumulated from November 1st thru October 31st.


Ride Start Times (MAY VARY DUE TO WEATHER)

  • The Crankin’ Bethany and Smith St rides will remain at 8:30 AM May through October. They will change back to 9 AM November through April.
  • The Breezy/Weekday rides will remain at 8:30 AM May through October. They will change back to 9 AM November through April.
  • The Smith St and Remote rides will change to 8:30 AM May 1st, then they will change to 8 AM June through September, back to 8:30 AM for October and will change back to 9 AM November through April.

All start times are also subject to change based on the Ride Leader discretion.


Ride Leader Rules

Ride Leaders must follow the checklist rules:

  • If a Ride Leader cannot complete a ride, the ride must be turned over to another ride participant.
  • New HBC Ride Leaders must be mentored by a current HBC Ride Leader before leading on his or her own.
  • All HBC Ride Leaders must attend the Annual Ride Leader meeting to remain in good standing.
  • All ride leaders and sweeps must have a rear view mirror, either mounted on their sunglasses or on the bicycle.
  • A flashing light must be in operation on all sweep’s bicycles as an indicator of their location for the ride leader.
  • Subsequently, ride leaders must have the sweep in view at all times in order to keep the group together.
 

 

Ride Leader Credit

  • A scheduled ride is an official club ride that the leader has posted on the website.  A show & go can be ‘picked up” on ride day for credit.
  • 1 point is earned for every scheduled ride or show & go “pick up” that is lead from start to finish.
  • 1 point is earned for a scheduled ride that is cancelled due to weather.
  • 1 point is earned for a scheduled ride where no participants show up to go except for the Ride leader.  In this instance a Ride Leader can join another ride and still receive 1 point for the scheduled ride.
  • ½ point is earned for sweeping an official ride.
  • There must be at east 5 riders to have a sweep.

The Spirit of the Rules

The intention of the rules is to assure that ride leaders get credit for the commitment they make to leading rides. Most of the time, rides are scheduled and led, but in some instances, mostly due to weather, a ride cannot be led. The scheduled ride leader will still get credit.  However, credit will not be awarded if the Ride Chairman concludes that someone is attempting to bend the rules to receive credit where there is no real intention or commitment to lead a ride.

Ride leader Awards

At the end of the season, Ride Leaders can “cash in” their points for awards such as ride leader jerseys and/or $ gift cards.

  • 8 Points – 1 Ride Leader Jersey or Gift Card

 

Ride Leader Checklist

Days Before the Ride


     .Enter your ride on the Event Calendar using the Ride Posting Form pending approval from your Ride Captain    

  • Cue sheet not required but check your cue sheet for accuracy if you have one
  • If using Ride With GPS enter the link on the Ride Posting Form
  • Ride your route if possible.
  • Make Copies of your cue sheets for your riders if you have a cue sheet

The Night Before the Ride

  • Check your own bike for readiness
  • Review the list of riders signed up for your ride

The Day of the Ride

  • Look at the latest weather reports
  • Arrive at the Start at least 15 minutes early
  • Announce yourself and the ride you’re leading continuously at the Start
  • WELCOME NEWCOMERS! If they did not sign up for your ride and there is a space available have them sign a QUICK RELEASE ON A MOBLIE DEVICE
  • Make sure everyone is wearing a helmet.
  • Distribute cue sheets IF APPLICABLE.
  • Assemble your group and get ready to go
  • If group is more than 4 riders, get a volunteer or assign a SWEEP

Conduct a Pre-Ride Safety Talk

 

    • Review the destination, the route, and the pace you will set
    • Point out parts of the route where extra caution is needed
    • Assign a group sweep
    • Make sure that everyone understands that they:
    • Must obey the Law
    • Must call out road hazards and conditions to those behind them
    • Never ride more than 2 abreast
    • Ride in single file when cars are approaching from the rear or passing
    • Signal intentions verbally and by hand signals including turns, slowing and stopping
    • Call out approaching vehicles (car back, car right or left, car up)
    • Do not enter an intersection governed by a stop sign or signal before the ride leader
    • Do not draft too closely, and look ahead when drafting.

On the Ride

  • Start slowly for the first 10 or 15 minutes to let everyone warm up
  • Ride at the pace designated for the ride
  • Continually check behind for the ‘sweep’ or the last rider
  • Stop or slow down to allow riders to catch up after traffic signals, hills, etc.
  • When stopping, make sure all riders are well off the road and out of the way of traffic
  • Stop the whole group before particularly challenging intersections, and make sure everyone understands how to cross or turn safely before leading the group across
  • On hot days especially, make sure everyone drinks enough water and stays hydrated – remember to ‘drink before you’re thirsty’
  • You may want to designate certain long stretches as parts where others can sprint ahead and wait for the group up ahead.
  • Otherwise, stress that only riders behind the ride leader are considered to be on the ride. Those going out front are on their own and not the responsibility of the ride leader.

At The Rest Stop

  • Announce how long the stop will be
  • Tell everyone to fill up their water bottles before leaving
  • Take advantage of the rest time to check tires and equipment to make sure all is in good repair
  • Before leaving, review the route for the return trip

At the End

  • Thank the riders for a successful ride
  • Contact those who did not finish with the group to make sure they returned safely
  • Complete a Ride Leader Ride Report Form.
    Ride Report


 

Ride Posting Form  


Ride Leaders must submit their ride information on our Ride Leader Ride Form page for posting rides. Once submitted the Ride Captain will post the ride. After the ride is posted the Ride Leader will have access to the Admin Options for the irde. This includes making changes to the ride, running reports and Canceling a ride if needed.

Select the link that fits your ride category.
Complete the form and submit your information.
The Ride Captain will post the ride on the ride calendar for you.

Click the link below for our Ride Leader Ride Posting Form page.

Ride Posting Form


The following link is a video showing how to use the Ride Leader Ride Form.

How to use the Ride Leader Ride Form Video

Ride Sign Up Errors


On occasion riders have trouble signing up for rides. In some cases, they receive an error message.

Any time the rider has an issue signing up for a ride, they should contact their ride leader. The ride leader should go to the Admin Tools for the ride and select Refresh Event.

RefreshEvent

The Quick Release

Club members must sign in for a ride in advance, but guests will sometimes show up for a ride, either on their own or at the invitation of a member. These guests have not signed a release/waiver agreement, which may leave the club open to legal action if there is an accident or injury. The Quick Release function protects against this. It allows you to obtain a release signature in the field, using any device with an Internet connection.  It will use the same release agreement attached to the event registration process.
NOTE: A Sign Quick Release button will appear in the button bar in Event View.
Clicking this button displays a popup dialog box.

All fields are required. The standard release agreement will appear in a panel in the center of the dialog, with a scrollbar. Users must check the box to indicate their agreement. The signature panel can be completed using a mouse, or a finger or stylus if you’re using a device with a touchscreen such as a smartphone. Click Save to save the information entered (including the signature!) or Cancel to close the dialog without saving. The user who signed the form will receive a confirmation email showing the date and time that they signed, as well as the text of the release agreement. The Quick Release function is fully mobile enabled, so it can be used by an event coordinator in the field, using a tablet or smartphone.

 

QuickRelease.png

Canceling Rides Due to Weather

A Ride Leader may cancel a ride due to bad weather if:

  • It is raining.
  • The roads are wet with puddling water.
  • It is too windy – winds in excess of 30 mph.
  • There is certainty that it will be raining within 1 hour of the start.
  • IF A RIDE IS CANCELLED, IT MUST BE CANCELLED ON THE RIDE CALENDAR
  • Ride Leader is expected to arrive at the start 15 to 30 minutes before the scheduled start unless it is certain that the ride will be cancelled.
  • Every attempt should be made to lead a ride, even if this means cutting the route short or changing the destination to avoid problem areas.
  • When a ride is cancelled on the Ride Calendar all registered members will receive an email notification automatically..
  • Use the Cancel Event Icon in the Ride Admin Tools.v

Admin Tools Icons

Ride Report

Ride Leaders must submit a Ride Report after each completed ride. The information submitted will be used to collect ride leader and sweep points. It will also be used to analyze our rides.
The information required includes: 
Date Report Submitted
Ride Title
Date of the ride
Ride Leader
Ride level
Sweep if applicable
# of riders
Total Miles
Comments

Press the Submit button at the bottom of the page when complete.

Ride Report

Accident Report Form

Occasionally, accidents do occur on rides. If this happens, the ride leader must complete an Online Accident Report. All accident reports must be submitted online.

  • You can enter all this information on your cellphone at the scene.
  • Click the Accident Report Online Form button below and complete the form.
  • Press the Submit button at the bottom of the form when complete.
  • When filling out the form, some questions may not apply complete what you can.
  • Near the bottom of the page there is a section where you can upload up to 6 pictures of the accident:
    • If an automobile is involved take a picture of the registration sticker
    • Damage to the vehicle
    • Damage to the bicycle
    • Injured person(s)

Optional Method:

You can print a hard copy of this form and carry this form with you. To print this form, click the Accident Report Form PDF button. You can fill out the hard copy form at the scene of the accident and ASAP complete the required online Accident Report Form.
All accident reports must be submitted online.


Accident Report Online Form
 

Accident Report Form PDF

App Notifications


Select the App Notifications Icon on the Ride Admin Tools to send a message to all riders registered for your ride who have the Mobile App. Select Add Notification. 





Notification Content Users can enter a title, select a category, and choose to send the notification immediately or at a scheduled time. A link to the ride can be added using a short link builder. The default Distribution list is "Every who signed up for this ride".

 Video for Ride Leaders after a ride is Posted


This video shows the next steps ride leaders can take after their ride is posted.

Rev3 uploaded 01/13/2026

Ride Leader Video After Ride is Posted Rev. 3



Video for Ride Captains


This Video goes thru the steps of posting a ride on the new HBC ride calendar after receiving a Ride Posting Form from a Ride Leader.

Revision 4 of this video updated on 01/13/2026 with new ClubExpress User Interface

Ride Captain Video for Posting a ride on the HBC Ride Calendar


Video for Ride Leader Emailings


This video shows how a Ride Leader can send emails to everyone signed up for their ride.

Uploaded 02/07/2023.

Ride Leader Ride Emailings


In addition to the video here is a PDF document that explains how emailing works.

Ride Leader Emailings PDF

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