Social Cyclists SEQ

Social Cyclists SEQ is a friendly, inclusive social group for people over 18 who enjoy cycling, exploring the great outdoors and meeting new people. We focus on fun, friendship, fitness and adventure.

Most of our social rides are on the weekend from various locations around Brisbane and beyond. We ride on bike paths, shared pathways, metropolitan roads, residential and industrial streets. Occasionally we organise some easy mountain bike rides, trips on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, weekends away and some dinner events.

Our rides vary in speed, distance and fitness level. For safety and enjoyment reasons, we encourage all riders to read the ride description thoroughly before signing up for an event with us. All our rides are “no-drop” rides. Typically, the rides are scheduled as per the following 4 categories:

1.     Easy Social Ride: Approx. 30-40km in distance, ride pace will be in the range of 18-23+kph on flat. A base level of fitness is required. Suitable for competent and confident beginners.

2.     Mid-level Social Ride:  Approx. 40-70km in distance, with few hills, ride pace will be in the range of 23-25kph on flat. A moderate level of fitness is required. Suitable for advanced beginners/intermediate riders.

3.     Advanced/Training/Long Distance Ride: Approx. 70-100km in distance, with many challenging hills, ride pace will be around
25- 30kph on flat. A good level of fitness and experience are required. Suitable for experienced riders and advanced intermediate riders who are looking to increase their pace and stamina.

4.     Exploratory Ride: An all-day event, exploring new cycle paths/places we haven’t been before. Approx. 50-100+kph in distance, ride pace depends on terrain. Suitable for experienced and fitter riders who enjoy exploring and long distance riding.

Note: We try our best to keep the distance and pace as per ride description. However, distances could be longer when there’s a + and the pace is just a guideline and can be faster based on the attendees’ abilities.

If you would like to join us, please answer all questions, and upload a recognisable photo of yourself on your profile (the profile picture can be different to your main Meetup account picture). Answers to the questions will help us organising rides and having a recognisable photo will help organisers and members to recognise each other at an event.

We look forward to meeting you and sharing adventures together.

From Kim and The Leadership Team

By requesting to join our Social Group, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the following Personal Responsible Principle and Guidelines.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES:

1. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY PRINCIPLE:

Social Cyclists SEQ is not a registered organisation or an official cycling club. We do not offer or have public liability insurance of any kind. Principally it is just a group of people enjoying activities together.

Cycling can be a hazardous activity, particularly in traffic or among pedestrians. You must accept you are at risk and may suffer or cause injury or property loss or damage. You must take care to avoid injury or damage to yourself and others.

The event organisers and group leaders are volunteers. We do not claim to be experts in any way. Care is taken in the planning of events and you should read the event information before signing up for any event. By attending an event with this group, you agree that the event organisers and group leaders cannot be held responsible for any accident, injury, loss or damage that may occur as a result of your participation in the event.

In addition, you must agree to obey all road rules whilst on the ride.

2. EMERGENCY CONTACT:

When participating in our events, members are required to carry some form of identification including emergency contact details. It’s also a good idea to download the emergency plus app. https://www.emergencyplus.com.au/

3. PERSONAL INFORMATION/CONTACT:

Some events may require the organisers to collect personal information/contact details; any personal information collected will be used for the intended event only and will not be shared or distributed unless otherwise agreed. We suggest members to enable messages to be received from organizers. This is found under privacy settings, allow messages from organizers.

4. PHOTOS AND VIDEOS:

We usually take photos/videos at our events. All photos/videos are posted to the event on meetup.com and maybe shared on the Social Cyclists SEQ Facebook page. If you do not wish to be included in the photo, please inform the host at the beginning of the event. Photos and videos taken by members should not be used for any other purpose or shared in any other way unless permission has been given by those included in the photos and/or videos.

5. RSVP STATUS/NO SHOW POLICY:

We request members to keep their RSVP status up to date. Members who RSVP for an event and do not show up without changing their RSVP status to ‘Not Going’, will be marked as “NO SHOW”. Members who accumulate 3 ‘No Show’s” might be excluded from future events or be removed from the group.

6. GUESTS:

We encourage members to ask their guests to join the group so they can agree to abide by these guidelines, understand their personal responsibility and have read and understood the description of any event they attend. However, guests can be invited to any “Welcome New Members Ride” or dinner events.

6. PROFILE AND MEMBERSHIP:

Members are required to have a recognisable photo on their profile. We encourage members to be active. Inactive members who have not attend an event for a period of 12 months will be removed from the group but can re-join if they wish to remain active.

8. PUNCTUALITY:

All members participating in our events are expected to arrive 15 minutes prior to the advertised start time.

9. EQUIPMENT SAFETY, LEGAL REQUIREMENTS:

All riders are responsible to keep their bike in good mechanical order, ensure their bike is properly maintained for its intended use, check brakes and tyre pressure before the ride. For any rides occurring at night bikes must have fully charged front and rear lights fitted.

All riders should carry a basic repair kit in case of a flat tyre or mechanical issues (spare tube for your bike, pump/CO2 cartridge, multi-tool kit). A bike lock is also recommended

All riders must wear helmets that comply with the law and the Australian Safety Standard. Bikes should also have a working bell fitted.

10. PERSONAL SAFETY AND RESPECT:

All riders should feel safe and respected during an event with us. Reckless, dangerous and unacceptable behaviours will not be tolerated. If you at any stage witness unacceptable behaviour, please inform the event organiser immediately.

The event organiser reserves the right to remove someone from the event to ensure a safe experience for everyone.

11. ACCIDENT/INJURY/INSURANCE:

In the event of an accident or injury occurred that may require ambulance assistance, the Event Organiser will call an ambulance. We highly recommend that all members have ambulance cover and personal accident insurance.

12. BIKES:

We welcome road/hybrid/mountain bikes on our events as long as they are in good working order. Some events may be restricted to road bikes only due to distance and pace.

Legally/commercially built E-Bikes are permitted on our events, providing they meet all the current legal legislation, and the electric assistance is not modified from the manufacturer specification, ie must be “Pedal Assist”, with a 250W and 25km/h restriction. Please refer to the link below.
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/wheeled-devices/bicycle#mottorised

Unrestricted E-bikes or petrol-powered bicycles are not permitted on our events.

13. WATER:

All riders must always carry full water bottles (2 for longer rides) on the bike. Squeezable water bottles are recommended for easy access or Hydration packs.

The event organiser has a duty of care to prevent someone from participating the event if they do not have water.

14. CLOTHING:

Lycra is not mandatory. However, we expect riders to dress appropriately and to take good care of their personal hygiene. For comfort, cycling jersey and padded shorts are recommended.

15.  RIDER CODE OF CONDUCT

Riders participating in our events are expected to:

·       Follow instructions of the Rider Leader
·       Ride behind the Ride Leader unless instructed otherwise
·       Respect and show courtesy to other riders
·       Do not block paths, driveways, roadways when we stop
·       Keep left, ring bell when approaching pedestrians from behind
·       Do not overtake riders from the left
·       Maintain a safe distance from the rider in front to allow time to brake
·       Not more than 2 bicycle riders to ride side-by-side on a road and no more than 1.5m apart
·       Keep inside the bike lane when riding on the road.
·       Use signals, stopping, slowing, turning left and right, passing
·       Call out for hazards or use hand signals
·       Look out for pedestrians, children, pets, cars and other bicycle users
·       Smile, and be friendly.
·       Set good example, promote a positive image of cyclists to the community

16. DONATIONS:

There is a cost involved in using this Meetup platform as well as running the group. Every 6 months the Organiser of the group will pay Meetup a membership renewal fee to keep the group registered. To help lessen the burden on the organiser, a $2 gold coin donation is appreciated at each event. For the convenience of members it is possible to make lump sum donations for multiple events. The preferred method is by the New Payment Platform PayID. Donations can be paid to PayID: 0411 951996 with a description such as “SCSEQ donation from”. Thank you for your support.