TOUR PLANNING AND LEADING.
1. Introduction.
I have been involved in these nefarious pursuits for about the past fifteen years and thought it might be useful to pass on a digest of what I have learned. Most of what I have to say is fundamental and will be self-evident to many. However, there have been times during the past few years where the absence of some basic guidelines has been lacking to the detriment of some participants.
First of all it has to be accepted that there is no “one size fits all”. It is a fact of life that there will always be some disparity in capabilities and performance levels. Secondly the prime objective of any club event is that it must aim to maximize the level of enjoyment and satisfaction of all participants. These are potentially conflicting requirements. Good maps and a patient and understanding tour leader are a prerequisite.
Ideally rides should be categorized to provide something for everyone over the course of the season. I would suggest that these would fall into three main groups, plus a fitness-related fourth for the hard core. It is the then responsibility of the individual to choose in which category to ride -not the tour leaders.
These would tend to be bike path/city street events aimed at new or inexperienced riders. Again we have potentially conflicting requirements as it could be argued that city street riding is incompatible with riders of limited experience. Hopefully, experienced riders will also participate to give support, advice and share their knowledge.
Category 2; 40 – 80 km. Average speed 20 – 25kph
These would be the “meat in the sandwich” events which would probably appeal to the largest club demographic and would be held mainly on attractive country roads away from heavy traffic. The majority of events would probably fall into this category.
Category 3; 70 – 160 km. Average speed 20 – 30kph
These would cater to stronger riders and those wishing to extend their own personal distance envelope. A club patch for those completing their first Metric and Imperial century might be considered as an inducement.
Category 4: 2 –3 hour Group training rides. Average speed above 25kph.
An incentive for those wishing to achieve an optimal fitness level as training for competitive or personal goal purposes. These would probably be half-day events - possibly Saturday mornings, and could readily utilize a Category 2 route which would be ridden without a break. Having completed a high-energy work out, participation in a moderately paced Category 2 ride the following day might assist in providing a balanced fitness regime.
3. Start locations.
The prime requirements are:
3.1. To have ample car parking space.
3.2. To be adjacent to refreshment and toilet facilities.
3.3 To be easy and safe to access and exit. This is particularly important for Category 1 events.
Examples:
GOOD. Jackson’s Place, Beeton. Large car park, little traffic. Adjacent coffee shop. Direct access to route to be ridden. Ideally situated for the start of Category 2, 3 or 4 events.
LESS GOOD. Grenadier Restaurant, High Park. Good restaurant adjacent and conveniently situated for Category 1 events, but poor access and exit for bikes and cars. Highly congested and potentially hazardous during summer months. Recommend Dawes Road parking lot, just north of Shoppers World as an alternative Category 1 start venue. Close to Shoppers World facilities. Close to Victoria Park TTC station. Situated on Taylor Creek bike path route.
4. Tour Leading
The following two pages recommend some basic guidelines.
Tour leaders may wish to print them off as a single double-sided sheet to act as an aide memoir (the following could be cut and pasted to Notepad or Word for printing).
Tour Leader Guidelines and Checklist,.
Individuals will wish to impart their own particular style and personality to this but there are certain fundamentals to consider. It must be borne in mind in mind that his/her mission will be to optimize the experience for all participants and to subjugate their personal riding preferences for the day.
Pre-ride Check List:
1. Proposed route must be fully researched.
2. In urban settings, routes should be ridden clockwise where possible to minimize number of left-hand turns.
3. Legible and comprehensible maps with adequate directions to be made available to all at the start. This is vital. Cumulative distances shown at each turn intersection will provide a “heads up” in advance and minimize navigation errors. A standardized map format for all rides should be considered.
4. Check on proposed route to be made during the week prior to the event. With current downloading and responsibilities for road maintenance, things may change at short notice. Road names/numbering, road surface and even availability can be affected.
5. Leader should arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time and introduce him/herself to the participants
6. Ensure riders sign registration/disclaimer form, distribute route maps and collect any ride fees.
7. Pre-select suitable lunch venue and advise owner. Ideally, the lunch stop should be more than 50% into the ride. Unless this is a fast food outlet (e.g. Tim Horton’s), before starting confirm with the chosen food outlet, including a rough idea of numbers. This will prevent unexpected surprises for the restaurant and minimize slow service frustrations. Unnecessarily long lunch stops tend to cause joint stiffening and are demotivating.
8. Consider distance/time to lunch stop when announcing start time. 10 am is a good time for consistency, but on shorter rides, later starts should be considered to avoid arriving at the restaurant too early.
9. It is a good idea to check on whether riders have pumps and adequate repair kits with them. If not, they should be advised that they ride with someone who has (-e.g. riders using 451mm wheels should ride with someone who has matching spare tubes).
10. Prior to departing, a brief verbal description of the projected route will help to orientate those unfamiliar with the area.
On the Road:
1. Remember “no one size fits all”. Some flexibility is necessary to ensure that everyone has “a fine day out” and will return for future events.
2. As far as is possible, riders should be allowed to ride at their own pace. It is as unreasonable to expect faster riders to reduce their preferred speed as it is to expect slower riders to increase theirs.
3. It is recommended that the tour leader attempts to ride somewhere in the middle of the pack and to maintain the nominal speed for the specific ride category. In theory these two should roughly coincide. Particularly on Category 1 and 2 events, once underway riders should endeavour to form themselves into small, mutually supportive sub-groups. The ride categorization should hopefully serve to minimize the total distance between the slowest and fastest of these. The leader may elect to remain with one sub-group or periodically move from one to the other to provide encouragement (See 5. below).
4. Those who wish to ride faster should be allowed to do so on the understanding that they are on their own. Since they will be more experienced, they can look after themselves. The faster the pace, the more likely it is that the riders will stay together for paceline benefits. Again, good maps are key.
5. If someone is prepared to volunteer as “sweep” then tailenders will automatically be looked after. Without this volunteer, the leader has no choice but to perform this role him/herself. No one should ever be tailed off and left to fend for themselves, particularly since they are the ones most likely to need assistance.
6. At the lunch stop, there should be a numbers check. If for no other reason than polite club protocol, no one should continue on until everyone has been accounted for.
7. At the conclusion it goes without saying that the tour leader must ensure that everyone has arrived back safely before departing. The utilization of nearby refreshment facilities will provide a social conclusion to the day and permit some (-hopefully favorable!) recounting of the day’s events.
None of the above is cast in stone. However, the accent is strongly “we” rather than “I”. Suitably encouraged, by the end of a season, riders may aspire to participate in at least one ride in the category above that in which they rode at its beginning.
Remember that everyone was a Category 1 rider once.
RAB
January, 2001.