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Safety Refresher

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:14 pm
by CHenderson
At tonight’s board meeting, your Tripleshot directors discussed several crashes suffered on road rides in recent weeks. Given the hundreds and hundreds of rider hours the club hosts each week (especially during these busiest summer months!), we see no cause for serious alarm or dramatic change as a result of these unfortunate incidents. We wish the injured speedy healing!

We’re also confident the managed risks of our activities remain very low and that Tripleshot rides remain remarkably safe.

However, we thought this would be a good time to review our safety advice and policies. Since they’re part of our registration intake, you will each have read most of these before. But always riding with these principles in mind requires a refresher now and again.

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From our Code of Conduct:

Tripleshot members:
  • Ensure that rides, races, and other Tripleshot activities are safe.
  • Anticipate and prepare for risks.
  • Are prepared to act quickly and appropriately in case of emergency.
  • Never leave fellow riders alone in the event of a mechanical or injury.
  • See that riders with potentially serious injuries seek medical care and a car pickup.
  • Do not take unnecessary risks that endanger fellow riders.
  • Speak up if they observe something unsafe happening on a ride, a race or a Tripleshot activity.
  • Protect and assist riders who are struggling with the pace on no-drop rides.
  • Avoid and de-escalate confrontations with drivers or other members of the public.
Each of you received a welcome email on registering as a member with the club this year — whether an Individual Membership or a Test Ride. At the bottom are the following Tips for New Riders, with substantial elaboration of each:
  • Sit out sprints when you’re new.
  • No sudden movements.
  • Keep clear of other people’s wheels.
  • Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Ride safety is the number one message in the Group Riding Skills/Etiquette page on our website, also linked in our welcome email. IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE on reading this post, please click this link, grab a coffee, and read it through.

Some specifics (the Group Riding page elaborates on each of these):
  • The most important person on any ride is everyone else.
  • Be predictable to the riders around you.
  • Be aware and think ahead.
  • Communicate effectively. Call out potential hazards or use hand signals as appropriate. Always pass messages (verbal or visual) up or down the line.
  • Always err on the side of safety. Live (and let others live) to ride another day. Winning a sprint is never worth taking major risks.
  • Speak up firmly but respectfully if you see something unsafe such as a group that has gotten too big, or someone that is riding dangerously.
  • Listen respectfully to the advice of others. If there are disagreements, sort them out over coffee.
  • Never attack on a hazard.
The Group Riding page also offers super helpful safety advice on the following topics:
Finally, we refer you to these excellent resources from the Santa Rosa Cycling Club: https://www.srcc.com/Safe-Cycling-Practices.

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Tripleshot has always striven to find a balance between fostering a safety culture and not imposing structures that could erode our egalitarian and welcoming community. We believe encouraging each member to take a leadership role in managing our safety is much more effective than making more rules and designating people to enforce them. However, maintaining that sense of mutual responsibility means communicating with each other — before, during, and after we ride. We thank each of you for doing your part!

The board communicates online nearly every day of the year and meets at least once a month. Safety topics and issues — raised by directors, other members, or the public — are a permanent feature of our discussions.

The board always welcomes feedback, suggestions, and comments on safety from members — whether on a ride, at coffee, or over email. In fact, our entire safety regime has come from member input.

Wondering who to contact? Here’s our list of directors and key volunteers. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you all a safe ride.

~ The Board ~