1. Be predictable

The best thing you can do for the riders around you is be predictable.

• Hold your line.

• Ride smoothly and consistently.

• Ease up rather than surge on hills.

• Don’t half-wheel or overlap wheels.

• Avoid sudden braking or changes of direction.

• Signal before moving across the road, changing position or turning.

• Call out obstacles and road furniture clearly.

You don’t need to ride perfectly.

You do need to make your movements easy for the riders around you to understand.

2. Communicate

Good communication keeps a bunch safe.

Calls need to travel through the group.

You don't need to shout every call, you do need to make sure important information reaches the riders behind you.

Useful calls include:

“Car back” — vehicle approaching from behind
“Car up” — vehicle approaching from ahead
“Hole” — road hazard
“Slowing” — the group is reducing speed
“Stopping” — the group is stopping
“Turning” — the group is changing direction

The most important rule is:

Make your intention clear before you act.

Don’t suddenly move across the road, brake hard or turn without warning the riders around you.

3. Ride as a group

Group riding works best when everyone understands that they are part of a group, not just riding beside one.

That means:

• Stay aware of the riders around you.

• Avoid creating unnecessary gaps.

• Don’t surge away from the group without a reason or without communicating.

• Don’t chase off the front unless the ride specifically allows it.

• Keep the group together when regrouping is called.

• Give other riders space.

• Ride at the pace and style of the ride you have joined.

A group riding at 25 km/h should still be riding at roughly 25 km/h when taking turns. Rolling turns are about sharing the work smoothly, not gradually increasing the pace.

4. Follow the road rules

This one is non-negotiable.

We are a cycling group, but we are also road users.

• Obey traffic lights and road rules.

• Ride predictably around other road users.

• Be courteous.

• Don’t put the group or other road users at unnecessary risk.

• Ride two abreast only where legally permitted and appropriate.

• Be prepared to single up when the road or traffic conditions require it.

Our guiding principle

We don’t want to be the bunch that thinks being a cycling group gives us different rules.

How we behave on the road affects everyone who rides with Eudaimonia.

5. Come prepared

Every rider has a responsibility to arrive ready to ride.

Please bring:

• A safe, functioning bike.

• A helmet.

• Water.

• Enough food for the ride.

• A spare tube and the ability to repair a puncture.

• Appropriate clothing for the conditions.

• Front and rear lights for low-light conditions. Lights are compulsory when riding in the dark and otherwise strongly encouraged.

For longer, colder or more remote rides, you may need to carry additional food, layers or equipment.

Being prepared means you are less likely to become a problem for yourself, or for the group.

Choose the right ride for you

Our rides have different purposes and different speeds.

Some are designed to be beginner-friendly and social. Others are more challenging or focused on progression.

Please choose the ride that matches your current ability and the advertised pace.

A faster rider joining a slower ride should respect the purpose of that ride rather than turning it into a faster bunch.

Likewise, if you find yourself regularly struggling to hold the advertised pace, that doesn’t mean you’re a bad cyclist. It probably means another ride is a better fit for you right now.

There is no shame in choosing the right group.

What if I get dropped?

If you get separated from the group. Don’t panic.

Hopefully our ride leaders have seen you and is already managing the group accordingly or following an agreed regrouping plan.

Most importantly:

Being dropped isn't a failure. Safety always comes before staying with the bunch.

Looking after each other

One of the best things about Eudaimonia is that people come to ride with very different levels of experience.

You may be riding next to someone who has been cycling for 20 years.

You may also be riding next to someone who has only recently discovered group riding.

Both people belong here.

Experienced riders: help make the bunch feel safer for newer riders.

Newer riders: don’t be afraid to ask questions. Nobody expects you to know everything on your first ride.

And everyone: look around you.

If someone looks uncomfortable, has been dropped, is struggling with a mechanical issue or simply doesn’t seem sure what is happening, check in.

That is the community we want to build.