Knowhow: What do I do if there’s an incident on my group ride?
You’re leading a ride, happily pedalling along, when out of nowhere disaster strikes. While such incidents are rare, it’s important to know what you, as the person in charge of the ride, should do next.
Firstly, familiarise yourself ahead of time with our recommended incident checklist (downloadable at the end of this article), which covers the immediate aftermath. This will help you to stay calm, take control of the situation and provide reassurance to everyone else.
If there has been a collision or near miss with someone who is not part of the organised ride, contact the Cycling UK Incident Line on 0330 1071 789 for legal advice. This service is provided free to Cycling UK members; non-members may be offered a free initial consultation.
If you think somebody on your ride (or at an event registered with us) could be held liable for any injury or damage sustained as a result of their negligence, whether as organiser or participant, call Butterworth Spengler, our insurance brokers, on 0151 494 4400. Note that Cycling UK members are automatically covered for damage or injury caused to other members up to £10m.
You, or another responsible individual, should complete an accident/incident form as soon as possible. This is available via the links below. It goes directly to both Cycling UK and Butterworth Spengler, with a copy sent to you for your records.
Safeguarding
If there are safeguarding concerns within a group, whether involving an adult or a child, a separate safeguarding report form will also need to be completed by the safeguarding officer.
Disagreements between riders, or situations where a rider could be deemed a danger to themselves and others, should be resolved by the safeguarding officer in the first instance.
But as ride leader you have duty of care to the other riders, so if you think somebody could be a danger to themselves or others, you must request that they leave the ride if need be. Again, an accident/incident report form should be filled in.
We are currently offering a free online training course for our member group ride leaders only. This discusses many of the topics here. For other resources, follow the links below:
Cycle magazine
Every two months Cycling UK members receive Cycle magazine, filled with interesting and informative articles, news and reviews for all cyclists.
Members can read the magazine in full online; non-members can read selected highlights.
Downloads
Incident checklistLiability cover
Volunteers registered with Cycling UK – ride leaders, event organisers, marshals, other ‘officials’ – are covered for up to £10m for injuries or damage that may be attributable to their negligence, as long as the rides or events are run in accordance with our policies.
Such volunteers are also covered if a non-member at their ride/event causes injury or damage, leading to a claim against them. A Cycling UK guideline is that there should not be more than 10 non-members on any one ride, and nor should they participate in a Cycling UK ride more than three times.
Members of Cycling UK are also covered for up to £10m by our third-party insurance against claims for any injury or damage caused by their negligence. Up to 10 non-members or ‘guest’ riders with Cycling UK member groups (not affiliate groups) are also covered against their negligence for the duration of the ride, but only up to a limit of three rides per guest rider.
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