At Portland Velo, we want all our members and guests to have a fun, safe and memorable experience. Our Rules Of The Road are meant to help you understand what to expect on a Portland Velo ride and what we expect from you as a ride participant. Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with the Rules Of The Road. If you have any questions, feel free to contact any club director or ride leader.
- Everyone likes to groove to their favorite tunes when they work out, but on Portland Velo rides, headphone use is not permitted. It is beyond safe and quite frankly, rude to your fellow riders.
- The same thing goes for cell phones –cell phone use while riding is a big no-no. Talk, text and email on your own time and in the safety of a rest stop or parking lot. If you feel compelled to talk or text during a ride, please pull over at a safe place and do your thing, however, your group is not obligated to wait while you’re talking or texting so, be prepared to either finish solo or ride fast enough to catch your group.
- Yes, we do welcome recumbents, however since our club rides are road-bike oriented, only “SWB”/short wheelbase recumbents are permitted on clubs rides.
- We strongly advise against mountain bikes on our group rides. Our rides are road specific and as such, riding a heavy mountain bike puts you at a distinct disadvantage.
- Riding in a group requires you to have complete control over your bike at all times. Time trial/triathlon specific, aero-bar only bikes are sleek and obviously very fast, however what you gain in speed you sacrifice in bike control in group ride situations. Please leave your time-trial/tri-bike at home. Bikes with aero/tri clip-ons are OK to use as you still have full access to your normal controls.
- Staying on the correct side of the centerline is not just a good idea, it’s the law. There is never a reason to cross the centerline. This action is 100% reckless and is plain stupid. A quick “on your left” will usually clear the way for you to pass safely without crossing the centerline.
- Ever ridden in a pack and hit a pothole hard that the person in front of you could/should have warned you about? Group rides are about friends looking out for each other on the road. Please communicate verbally or through hand signals any road debris, approaching vehicles or other hazards. It’s the right thing to do.
- We are all cyclists and most of us are motorists. Be respectful of all users of the road and it will pay off in spades. In the absence of a designated bike lane it’s always safer for you and the group to ride single file.
We ask all club members and guests to ride in a responsible, safe and law-abiding fashion. While on any Portland Velo ride, you along with everyone on that ride represent Portland Velo Cycling Club.We ask that you respect our club and what we stand for. Please conduct yourselves in a manner consistent with our reputation which is one of riding safe, of welcoming new comers, of having fun and sharing our passion for cycling.
Rock on!
Portland Velo Operations Team