Team On Draft - Road Cycling

We are Team On Draft! Bikes and Beer to Cure Multiple Sclerosis!
Draft (verb) : 1. To follow another cyclist (or motor vehicle) so closely that the leading vehicle takes the brunt of the wind resistance, and acts as a windbreak for the drafting cyclist.
2. The process of dispensing beer from a bright tank, cask or, keg - by hand pump, pressure from an air pump or injected carbon dioxide inserted into the beer container prior to sealing.
Based in the Triangle Region of North Carolina - we ride for fun, camaraderie, and to raise money to combat Multiple Sclerosis in the weekend-long Bike MS event held in New Bern, NC each September.
We are a very inclusive and diverse group where you don't have to be a hard-core road biker to join in a ride. We ride in several locations around the Triangle. We host regular 15+ mile training rides on weekday evenings in summer months.  We host longer distance pick-up rides on weekends all year and our members participate in several organized charity rides around the Triangle throughout the year.
Anyone interested in road cycling with a group is welcome to join us for a ride.  It helps if you like to have adult beverages after the ride, because we do!

***Short blurb for fundraising: ***Aside from our anti-MS fundraising, we also need money to fund team parties and rides. We have an annual fundraiser and also welcome contributions from fellow Drafters in lieu of regular dues. You may notice that the name of On Draft Captain Chris Bagley appears on the donation page, because he is a signer for the team bank account. Trust him.

Now for some safety and legal stuff:

1. Wear a helmet. We cannot allow any riders on our group rides without a helmet.

2. We have a "no drop" policy on our weekday evening group rides. A designated ride "sweep" will stop at turns to make sure slower riders stay on course and be sure that anyone having trouble gets assistance. This does not mean that someone will ride beside you the entire time. Please make sure you can maintain an average pace of 13 MPH or greater on these rides, taking account for hills.

3. You are responsible for bringing an ID, bike tools, spare tubes that fit your bike, and any food and hydration you require. We try to schedule longer distance rides (25 miles and above) with a rest stop at a convenience store, but this is not always possible. Our weekday training rides do not have a rest stop (until the end when the pints are served!)

4. The following are prohibited in a group ride: No riding in a pace line while using aero bars, No using a cell phone while on the bike, No touching another rider without their express permission. No headphones, and you may not have ear buds in both ears. A single ear bud is allowed, but it is strongly discouraged, and if a ride leader believes that it is a distraction then you will be asked to remove it.

5. It's a RIDE, not a RACE. This is a social riding group, and we expect you to watch out for one another. On most of our rides, we roll out in multiple pace groups. Please keep your groups together and try not to drop those in the back of your pace group. Stop at Lights and Stop Signs until you re-group.

6. Ride single file in small groups if the road is not wide enough or traffic is heavy.

7. We follow traffic laws. Stop at stop signs and stop lights. NC Law considers you to be a vehicle. We do not pass cars at stoplights. We PASS on the LEFT.

8. Braking - must call out "SLOWING" and/or "STOPPING" whenever you are doing either. ANY TIME YOUR HANDS TOUCH THE BRAKES, CALL OUT.

9. Passing - ONLY PASS OTHER CYCLISTS ON THE LEFT unless an emergency or the slowing rider is coming off the front in a paceline. Call out when passing another cyclist “PASSING ON LEFT”.
Same goes for vehicles, only pass on left, and We Do Not pass cars when stopped at a light, etc.

10. Wheel Overlap (aka half-wheeling)- Avoid riding so your front wheel overlaps another rider's rear wheel. This is dangerous and can take both riders down.

11. Point out hazards & turns - Point and call out your hazards and upcoming turns. Call out "CAR BACK" if there is a car behind the group.

12. Pacelines:
Communication in the pace line is key. Stay alert and aware, call out slowing, stopping Lines are about consistent EFFORT, not necessarily consistent SPEED.
Avoid Wheel Overlap. This creates a dangerous situation. If overlap occurs do not brake hard. Try to get out of the line and catch wind resistance to gradually slow yourself.
Rider on the front should always be pedaling. This does not mean they should be accelerating, only maintaining rotation of their feet while on the front. This prevents the YO-YO effect.

13. E-bikes. We allow e-bikes with electric assist except where posted otherwise. The ride leader(s) in charge of any given ride may elect not to allow e-bikes, so review the post for a ride before attending. "Electric assist" means that the bike's battery augments your pedaling. We do not allow e-bikes whose power substitutes for pedaling. Our safety guidelines apply equally to all riders and bikes, including e-bikes. All cyclists must take care not to surge suddenly while in a pace line. That can be an issue with any rider, but we've noticed that it is somewhat more frequent among e-bikes.

14. By signing up for messages regarding our rides, and coming to a ride with us, you acknowledge that road cycling is inherently dangerous, and that Team On Draft is not responsible for your safety on the road. We plan our routes to try to avoid traffic and road hazards; however there are no guarantees when you are riding. Team On Draft and our Ride Leaders cannot be held liable for your safety on a group ride.
That's it! Come join us and have FUN!