What we’re about
We are the Mid-Peninsula Bicycling Group.
This group is for experienced adult group-riding road-bike / gravel-bike riders, who are currently in good riding shape, typically riding 40+ miles per week. Please note - We are not a racing group.
Owning a road-bike / gravel-bike is a requirement to join the group, (as opposed to mtn bikes, hybrids, or folding bikes). Some of the stronger riders do road-rides on gravel bikes - depending on the tires, this can work quite well.
Ride pace is occasionally 10mph average pace on the slower rides, but typically we see 12mph avg pace.
Most of us use clip-less pedals and special shoes that link your shoe to the pedal, to give an advantage on up-stroke as well as a secure connection for down-stroke, They're not "required", but almost every rider has them, and it adds a group-pace homogeneity to the rides. They are best for any ride in this group.
Guests of an existing member are welcome to attend the rides. The expectation is that if you as a guest are off-pace, your escort will accompany you, and get you back to the start safely, so everyone has fun.
Event hosts will post a liability waiver at the bottom of each ride description, and as a representative for your guest(s), have read and agree to the liability waiver.
To join this group, please post and maintain a real photo of yourself, and use your real name for the Meetup account, in the profile area.
We often photograph rides. If you find that any photo of you gets posted and you wish it had not been posted, please contact the person who posted it, or the group organizer, and we will delete it from the web-site for you.
Here are some group riding etiquette guidelines we suggest, to help ride flow, group harmony, and a good experience for the riders and the event hosts:
MOST IMPORTANTLY: RSVP YES into the ride that you plan to attend. Please leave yourself time to do this, and don't get caught on the way to a Meetup, try to RSVP late, and find that you can't RSVP from your cell phone. RSVP YES requires a mandatory answer YES, or equivalent, to the LIABILITY WAIVER question - did you read it and agree to it, and without this, we do not want anyone attending a ride.
1. Please show up on time. Before most rides, the host will pull the group together and explain the route and planned first re-group point, and briefly review safety protocol, hand-signals, "car back" etc.
2. RSVP YES or NO, but please show up healthy if you have RSVPed YES. No-shows are discouraged.
3. Visit the proposed route URL and respect the ride-leader and group's right to follow the proposed route.
4. Maintain personal pace and spacing - so group flow is not disrupted. If you want to go slower, please move to the back of the group. Please don't pass another rider too closely, or pass and then slow in a way that makes them slow too, when you are in a pace-line.
5. When people call "car back" for safety please, get in line at the right side of the road and maintain single-file until the car has passed.
6. Please be patient when passing a slower rider. Look behind you to make sure the road is clear, and call out "on your left" and then pass the rider on their left side. If there is a car back at the time, wait until the car has passed before you start the pass.
7. Please do not suggest or post a cross-post where people of this ride group are basically being invited to join another group's ride, without working out a deal with the organizer about that first.
8. Guests are welcome to a first ride, no question! If they want to attend regularly, please encourage them to become members. If they are off-pace, please consider yourself responsible for them, separate from the group if necessary, and maintain escort to get them back to the start location, if they need that.