Don't be afraid to ask for help in advance or on the day. There are a lot of
experienced riders amongst our club members, who are willing to help out. If you
have any questions, please email the Ride Coordinator on
Remember to enjoy yourself and to lead a safe ride.
Preparation for the Ride:
If uncertain of the ride route, recce the ride a few weeks beforehand to test the
difficulty, distance and to check your navigation. It is a good idea to avoid heavily
congested, busy roads, which can be unsafe and unpleasant to ride on.
If your ride involves using a V-Line Country Train service, a D-Van
(luggage carriage/van for lots of bikes) must be pre-booked one full week
before the ride, if there are 8 or more riders. Even 8 can be a problem at
times, without the use of a D-Van.
Ring the Group Bookings Clerk on 9619-2388 or 03-5440 2739 (Bendigo)
for D-Vans. The bookings clerk will give you a reservation number that you can then use at
all staffed MET train stations to pick up and purchase the group ticket. This is not a
difficult task and provides for wonderful rides!!
If organising a weekend ride, collect a deposit to ensure people make a commitment to
the weekend. It is also advisable to collect the balance at least 2 weeks
prior to the ride.
This also means that you will have to prepare and send out emails and the announcement
for website publication well in advance, and ask for commitment/money for tickets from
participating riders. You as the Ride Leader may do this in any manner that suits you.
Tickets will also be cheaper if bought in one lot at the discounted group-booking rate. A
full report detailing costs etc should be given to the treasurer. (See ‘after the
ride').
Send out a reminder email about 10 days before a day ride and several weeks
before a weekend ride, with another reminder about a week beforehand.
Include all the relevant information, and do a bit of a sell to stimulate interest.
Leaders MUST carry the club First-Aid kit.
Contact a previous ride leader to obtain the kit, or the Ride Coordinator who attempts to
keep track of all the kits.
Email .
These kits can be picked up either from the Ride Coordinator, or in the city from the
Secretary at work (email addresses above).
Ride leaders should also carry a puncture repair kit/extra tubes and
a mobile phone can be handy.
Plan to start the ride near a train station, or in a place where there is ample all-day
parking. To obtain train times call the Met on 13 1638, or at http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/.
Also encourage riders to make use of the $2.90 Sunday Saver tickets. If starting in the
city, Federation Square is a good meeting spot.
Print out a copy of the ride sheet and take it along to the ride. Remember that the ride
leaders put their name first on the ride sheet, and are exempt from paying the
ride fee.
Also take a pen, a bag to collect all the monies in and a bit of spare change.
On the ride:
On the day, allow a bit of time for late arrivals and sorting out time. Meanwhile pass
around the Ride Participation Sheet for people to sign and collect ride money.
Ride fees are $3 for a day ride, $5 for a weekend or $7 for a long weekend.
Once riders are gathered, do introductions before giving a brief description of the ride
route and where you'll likely be stopping for morning tea or lunch.
You may wish to ask an experienced rider to ride at the back as a whip and see everyone
is all right and ensure no one gets lost.
Attempt to keep the group together as much as possible. Stop periodically to wait for
slower riders and allow them a rest.
After the Ride:
Immediately after the ride, you should thank riders for coming along and ask for
comments or suggestions. Did riders enjoy the ride? Did they like the route? Is there
anything you could have done differently? Would anyone like to volunteer to write a ride
report for publishing on the website?
When you get home, you should call any rider who was injured or lost during the ride.
If you get home too late in the evening to call, be sure you call the next day.
Within a day or two:
Deposit the money into the YHA Cycling Account, Westpac Bank BSB 033 083, account no.
116949 at the South Yarra Branch.
When you submit the payment electronically, please include the date of your ride and
your name in the field that the bank web form says is going to appear in the transaction
description for the "TO" account
Send an email to the Ride Coordinator and Treasurer informing them of the successful
completion of the ride and that you have deposited the money (details below).
Mail the original Ride Participation & Expenses Sheets to the club.
Address details are listed on the sheet.
Note: Include an Incident Report Sheet if you have
encountered any events of special note (accidents, troublesome riders, threats from
passing motorists etc).
If you don't get the Ride Participation Sheet in quickly enough, someone from the club
will be forced to pester you about returning it.
Alternatively you may handover the original Ride Participation & Expenses Sheets to
any committee member who will file it, as these original documents must be kept for legal
reasons.
Weekend Ride Leaders (and those rides using group V-Line Train bookings) are to provide
the Treasurer with a report on the costs for the entire weekend i.e. Accommodation costs,
refunds if any, catering and petrol costs etc. Use the Ride Expenses Sheet for this.
Using the information on the Participation Sheet: The
Participation Sheet and Liability disclaimer exists to legally protect you and the bike
club in the event of an accident.
If a rider calls you to ask for the phone number of someone else on the ride, do not
give out that information. Instead, take the name and number of the person making the
inquiry, call the other rider, and pass on the inquirer's name and number.
Send an email to the Treasurer, as follows.
To:
Subject: Ride details
Hi Club Treasurer,
Ride Date:
Ride Name:
No of Riders (not including leader)
Amount of monies collected:
Date Banked:
Receipt No:
Once again Thank You for leading a ride for YHA Cycling!
