Adrian and Richard have put a lot of work in over the past few days putting all this together:

Meeting place - Thorneyford Farm Kirkley
Wheels away - 10am.
Cafe - Matfen Village Shop

I checked Strava, my last club ride was March 14th and marked it as a “great ride”. Who would have thought that was the last Saturday club ride for 17 weeks...

So it gives the committee great pleasure to announce the return of our Saturday Club Rides after 17 long weeks this Saturday. As you can appreciate we need to do this carefully with very clear lines of communication. We don’t want to take the fun from our rides, what would be the point of riding? We do however need to ask everyone to do their part and follow our guidelines set out below, these will be kept under review. That way we all know what to expect.

1. We need all riders to commit by 2pm Friday and state preferred pace, the available paced rides are 13mph, 15mph or 17+ average over rolling terrain for 30 miles. Having this commitment also helps with contact tracing. Unfortunately “I may be there” will not be taken as commitment.

2. For any ride to go ahead with a ride leader we need to have a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 per group (excluding the leader) Less than 3 riders and unfortunately we will not provide a ride leader. We will confirm the rides available Friday night. For Saturday 11th we have Terry Mole and Alan Dick volunteer for the 13mph and 15mph. Thank you guys

3. Anybody turning up in the morning unannounced may not get a ride if groups have the maximum number of 6.

4. The cafe stop is alfresco, inclement weather may mean we don’t stop so it is wise to bring some sustenance, we will of course reduce the distance of the ride should we need to, check the forecast.

5. All riders need to be comfortable with the risk, someone may be asymptomatic please take all precautions necessary.

6. Finally, please respect your fellow riders and members of the public and take 5 minutes to read the guidance from BC. Please note we have decided to ride in groups of 6 reviewed ongoing.

LATEST EXTRACT FROM BC-PLEASE READ

While the Government guidance now permits groups of up to six to ride together, British Cycling believes that the need to maintain a two-metre distance while riding as a group of six may present practical difficulties and potential risks. For this reason, in some environments we would encourage riders to continue to cycle in smaller groups at present, and only ride in a group of six if they are absolutely sure that it is safe to do so.

We appreciate that in certain circumstances maintaining a two metre distance may not be safe or feasible – such as when overtaking other cyclists on busy roads or when navigating a junction on a small group ride.

In light of the new guidance from Government, we are changing our guidance to say that in such instances you should maintain 1m plus mitigations (ie. avoiding face-to-face contact). 

British Cycling Covid-19 Guidance - Extract 

2.2 Guidance for small group and club rides / training in open spaces

These guidelines currently apply to England and have been produced in line withthe UK Government guidance on public spaces, outdoor activity and exercise published on 01 June 2020 and subsequently updated on the 2July 2020 (incl 1m+ social distancing)

While many people will be keen to resume club and group activity it is imperative that all participants set an example and follow these guidelines to ensure that the risk of infection/transmission of the virus is minimised. Strong hand hygiene should be practiced by all involved before, during and after all cycling activity 

2.3 Before the activity

2.3.1 Participants must not attend a ride or session if they have Covid-19symptoms, have someone in their household who does and are in the extremely vulnerable category or if they have been asked to remain at home by the UK Government track and trace system

2.3.2 Stay local, cycle to your activity where possible and avoid public transport if you can

2.3.3 Carefully consider the risks when planning your route, avoiding busy areas, and consider how social distancing measures may impact on the activity as well as other road, track or trail users

2.3.4 Participants planning to attend a facility for a ride or session should check if it is open and what measures are in place to adhere to the government guidelines

2.3.5 Consider space needed for meeting points, coaching areas, planned stops and breaks to enable participants to follow social distancing guidelines while considering the practicalities of keeping safe

2.3.6 Where possible all bookings and consent forms to be completed online prior to the session or activity, where this is not possible clubs should write down the details of participants

2.3.7 Ensure all participants are aware of the safety guidelines of what is expected before, during and after the activity including what participants are expected to do to maintain compliance with social distancing guidelines and all other health, hygiene and safety guidelines

2.3.8 Do not exceed group size thresholds (maximum of six people in a group) 

2.4 During the activity

2.4.1 Participants must practice good respiratory hygiene during the activity (i.e. coughing, sneezing into a tissue or the crook of an elbow)

2.4.2 Ensure all those involved maintain social distancing

2.4.3 We recognise that in some environments social distancing may present practical difficulties and risks and it may be safer to ride in groups of fewer than

six, and if you do ride in a group of six be sure that it is safe to do so and respect other users of the road, track or trail

2.4.4 Ensure all health and safety and emergency first aid guidelines are followed

2.4.5 Participants must provide their own equipment and refreshments if possible and avoid sharing the like of water bottles and food

2.4.6 Exercise within your personal physical and technical limitations to try and avoid additional burden on the NHS and the first aiders present

2.4.7 In line with government guidelines, masks or face coverings are not required if social distancing is maintained. At this stage using face masks or coverings is a personal choice but it should not restrict breathing

2.4.8 If a participant develops symptoms of Covid-19, they should stop taking part and be directed to follow the Government’s ‘test and trace’ guidelines, which can be read on the Gov.uk website

2.5 After the activity 

2.5.1 Participants should wash/sanitise their hands after the session

2.5.2 Participants leaving the activity must maintain social distancing

2.5.3 Any participant developing symptoms after a session should notify the organiser/leader or designated point of contact so that other members of the group can be advised and all should refer to the latest NHS advice. Further advice is available at the GOV.UK and Sport England websites. You must regularly check these sites and updated British Cycling guidance as this policy position is likely to change as time progresses.