RIDER GUIDE
Information for all riders
e’re blessed with some of the best road riding in England just 30-45 minutes from Manchester, however, we’ve probably also got some of the worst conditions for it, so it pays to be prepared!
This guide contains some handy advice for those who are new to the club or road riding and seasoned experts alike. It's worth saying though, that whilst we ride as a group, and don’t expect everyone to have a good mechanical knowledge or about eating and drinking correctly; the more self-sufficient you are as a rider, the more we can accomplish as a club!
WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU MEET?
We run official club rides twice weekly. We meet at the Armitage Sports Center on Saturdays at 10:00 and Wednesdays at 14:00. Please see the Find Us page for more info.
In addition, we may sometimes run an additional ride on Sundays. Information regarding this will be posted on the UMCC Road Riding Facebook group.
WHICH RIDE SHOULD I DO?
If you are new to the club, new to road riding or cycling in general, or need to build up some fitness on the bike, you should join the B rides, which are a more accessible ride which follow a less difficult route. Typically this will be between 50 and 80 km in length. If you ride regularly, you will soon be able to progress to the A ride.
If you're new to the club, but have done a good amount of road riding before and have a good level of fitness on the bike, you should join the A ride. These rides offer a more challenging route ad a faster pace.
Our rides vary throughout the year. The number of rides that we are able to run depends on the attendance numbers on the day, but also to a lesser extent on factors such as the weather and time of year. We aim to run 3 grades of ride, with 3 levels of difficulty. We may also run more specialised training rides for our Track and Race Teams.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING ON A RIDE?
First of all, the ESSENTIALS:
The things above will help you get the most out of club rides. If you're just starting out, don't worry about spending loads of money on extra things (eg. GPS-enabled cycle computers etc.) - it's best to try it out first, and if you get into it, you'll quickly find yourself wanting to spend money on gear 😉!
Many club members use Strava to record and log their rides - at the very least, it is a really useful tool to keep track of your progress and see how far you've come! You can sign up for a free account, which gets you basic logging and analysis of your rides, whilst the paid subscriptions provide more in-depth metrics if you're training hard.
What to do after a ride
Clean your bike! If you look after your equipment it will look after you. Do a quick check to ensure everything is mechanically in good order and works as it should. There is a lot of information available on YouTube explaining how to do simple maintenance.
This guide contains some handy advice for those who are new to the club or road riding and seasoned experts alike. It's worth saying though, that whilst we ride as a group, and don’t expect everyone to have a good mechanical knowledge or about eating and drinking correctly; the more self-sufficient you are as a rider, the more we can accomplish as a club!
WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU MEET?
We run official club rides twice weekly. We meet at the Armitage Sports Center on Saturdays at 10:00 and Wednesdays at 14:00. Please see the Find Us page for more info.
In addition, we may sometimes run an additional ride on Sundays. Information regarding this will be posted on the UMCC Road Riding Facebook group.
WHICH RIDE SHOULD I DO?
If you are new to the club, new to road riding or cycling in general, or need to build up some fitness on the bike, you should join the B rides, which are a more accessible ride which follow a less difficult route. Typically this will be between 50 and 80 km in length. If you ride regularly, you will soon be able to progress to the A ride.
If you're new to the club, but have done a good amount of road riding before and have a good level of fitness on the bike, you should join the A ride. These rides offer a more challenging route ad a faster pace.
Our rides vary throughout the year. The number of rides that we are able to run depends on the attendance numbers on the day, but also to a lesser extent on factors such as the weather and time of year. We aim to run 3 grades of ride, with 3 levels of difficulty. We may also run more specialised training rides for our Track and Race Teams.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING ON A RIDE?
First of all, the ESSENTIALS:
- Bike
- Please ensure your bike is well-maintained and in good working order. Obviously mechanicals can happen to anyone, but keeping your bike in reasonable condition (eg. chain oiled, all bolts tightened, gears adjusted etc.) can help avoid many problems. Chat to a member of committee or a ride leader if you need any advice!
- Helmet (we enforce a no helmet no ride policy)
- All helmets conform to the same minimum safety standards, the more expensive ones are simply more comfortable, lighter, vented/aerodynamic etc.
- All helmets conform to the same minimum safety standards, the more expensive ones are simply more comfortable, lighter, vented/aerodynamic etc.
- Drink (at least 1 bottle of water/your chosen energy/hydration drink, 2 in warmer weather/for longer rides)
- We'd recommend 1 bottle for a ride under 2 hours, and 2 bottles for anything longer or when the weather is warmer.
- There is a myriad of different products which you can add to the water in your bottles which help replenish what your body loses during a normal ride. These can generally be split into two categories:
- Energy/carbohydrates: give you energy (obviously)!
- Electrolytes: replace the salts/minerals you lose through sweating.
- Food
- Normal foods which are high in carbohydrates are generally best (eg. granola bars, bananas, flapjacks). An energy gel or two can be handy too, but be aware that the energy from these will only last for short periods of time and needs to be backed up by more substantial food.
- Lights during winter when we may return at dusk (a rear flashing red light is highly recommended even during daytime use)
- At least 1 water bottle, 2 in warmer weather
- Some food or snacks such as cereal bars or energy bars
- Suitable clothing to cycle in (waterproof jackets highly recommended for wet weather)
- A phone with the ride leaders phone number on in case of emergency
- Spare inner tube, and tyre levers, pump
- Mudguards during winter
The things above will help you get the most out of club rides. If you're just starting out, don't worry about spending loads of money on extra things (eg. GPS-enabled cycle computers etc.) - it's best to try it out first, and if you get into it, you'll quickly find yourself wanting to spend money on gear 😉!
Many club members use Strava to record and log their rides - at the very least, it is a really useful tool to keep track of your progress and see how far you've come! You can sign up for a free account, which gets you basic logging and analysis of your rides, whilst the paid subscriptions provide more in-depth metrics if you're training hard.
What to do after a ride
Clean your bike! If you look after your equipment it will look after you. Do a quick check to ensure everything is mechanically in good order and works as it should. There is a lot of information available on YouTube explaining how to do simple maintenance.
Information for Road Ride Leaders
The road side of the club rely on members to lead and organise road rides. A Ride Leader must have the experience and knowledge to organise and lead a ride safely.
There is a Club Garmin available. Please ask the Road Captain to borrow it.
If you are interested in leading UMCC rides, contact the Road Captain. You should have done approximately 10 rides with UMCC and be able to fix common mechanicals such as:
In addition you should take a common sense approach to dealing with any medical issues or emergencies should you be unlucky enough to encounter one. This includes knowing when to call out emergency services, being able to escort a rider to the nearest train station if necessary, and being able to plan cutting a ride short when it may be appropriate to do so.
There is a Club Garmin available. Please ask the Road Captain to borrow it.
If you are interested in leading UMCC rides, contact the Road Captain. You should have done approximately 10 rides with UMCC and be able to fix common mechanicals such as:
- Punctures
- Broken chain
- Indexing / shifting faults
In addition you should take a common sense approach to dealing with any medical issues or emergencies should you be unlucky enough to encounter one. This includes knowing when to call out emergency services, being able to escort a rider to the nearest train station if necessary, and being able to plan cutting a ride short when it may be appropriate to do so.