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Ride Safely, Predictably and Respectfully


The Bombay Bicycle Club promotes a high standard of safety and rider etiquette for the wellbeing of you and your fellow riders. Please be lawful and respectful by following WI State bicycle laws and the BBC Safe Riding Code below.

Please also be courteous to all road users. For example, offer to assist a fellow rider in need of help. Be friendly and courteous to runners, walkers and town residents - say hi, wave. Share the road by riding single file when needed so vehicles can pass you safely. Allow space for vehicles turning right at intersections when your group is going left or straight. Read this document periodically to remind yourself about riding safety.


Feeling Unwell or Been Exposed?
Please be respectful of your fellow riders and avoid riding and socializing with the Club if you are feeling unwell or have been exposed to anyone with flu, Covid or RSV.


BBC Safe Riding Code

  • Every close call or worse, an accident is the result of something unexpected. The pothole lurking in the shadows, the gravel on the corner, the fallen branch or the speeding car coming over the brow of the hill. Your best defenses are to:
    • Not to get complacent, safety is always your personal responsibility
    • Remain present and focused on riding. Constantly check what's happening around you, especially at intersections and moving to the left for parked vehicles, riders, runners and road hazards
    • Trust but verify when a rider says "all clear" or a green light doesn't have a vehicle running a red light
    • Anticipate other road users' actions
  • Obey red lights and stop signs
  • Ride 3 ft from the edge of the road and parked vehicles
  • Never cross the actual or an implicit center line, especially going fast downhill. Be aware that a fast downhill turn to the right will cause you to veer towards the center line
  • Ride single file if you're going slow uphill. Riding slow and two abreast is dangerous for riders overtaking you
  • Don't ride more than 2 abreast and only when safe and not impeding traffic
  • When turning left, always check behind for vehicles/riders before moving out. They can sneak up behind you unexpectedly
  • Overtake riders on the left. 5-10 bike lengths in advance, call out “on your left". Always look behind before moving out
    The exception to overtaking on the left is riding in an organized paceline    . If you're unfamiliar with paceline safety and etiquette, checkout USA Cycling's Paceline Tips
  • If you're about to be overtaken, stay to the right. Don't move to the left thus forcing riders to overtake you on the right
  • If you stop and get off your bike, quickly move off the road away from other riders and traffic. Ask others to do the same
  • Be predictable. Don’t make rapid changes in your line or slow/stop suddenly
  • Assume there's gravel at every intersection and reduce speed accordingly. Avoid breaking while turning on gravel
  • Call out and use hand signals for all turns, slowing and stopping
  • Point to and call out road hazards, eg:
    • Car up, car back, car passing, bumps, holes, gravel, rough road, ice, glass, branches, road kill, chip seal, tracks
    • Upcoming parked vehicles, riders, runners/walkers, animals
  • Be visible to all road users
    • Wear bright colored clothing
    • Front and rear blinking lights significantly improve your visibility to other road users
    • Remember to have your lights charged and turn them on at the start
    • Helmets are required. Check it is fastened and both the chin strap and rear adjustment are snug
  • Emergencies - Your responsibility is to be prepared:
    • Take your mobile phone (and waterproof bag) for emergency or navigation assistance
    • Carry a waterproof ID card with your name, address and an emergency contact phone number (phones can get broken in an accident)
    • ROAD iD is a popular emergency contact wristband for athletes
    • Setup Emergency SOS and Emergency Contacts on your phone
    • Consider turning on fall detection notification on your phone/watch/GPS device


Some Tips to Keep You Even Safer

  • 60% of adult cycling crashes are the result of motorist, not cyclist, error. The most common is a left turn across the path of an oncoming cyclist. Source WI Department of Transportation 
  • For your helmet to work effectively it must stay in place during an impact. This means wearing it with the chin strap and retention adjustment snug. An easy test is one or two fingers fit tightly between your chin and the strap and the helmet doesn’t move backwards/forwards. Checkout this GCN video. Helmets are designed for one impact only. If your helmet is impacted in an accident, get a new one
  • Don’t overlap your front wheel with the rider in front’s rear wheel. If they suddenly move to the side or slow down, it can cause you to crash
  • Keep your eyes on the road, look ahead frequently to anticipate turns, traffic, parked vehicles, road hazards etc. Be especially aware when riding in the drops, using aero bars and when climbing since your eye focus tends to be only a few feet beyond your front wheel
  • When passing cars parked perpendicular to the road, watch out for reversing lights coming on, ie they may be about to reverse into your path
  • Consider a handlebar or helmet mirror and/or a rear facing radar. Note: these complement ie do not replace looking behind
  • Change to an easier gear as you approach intersections and stop lights. This helps you accelerate through the intersection in less time. Unclip from your pedals early so you don’t fall over when you stop
  • When your stop light turns green, check left and right for drivers running a red light
  • Don't draft too close to a rider until you have confidence in their riding abilities. Let the rider in front know you are on their wheel and make sure they're ok with it
  • If you're about to miss a turn, it's often safer to keep going and do a controlled U-turn than to slam on the brakes and risk bringing rider(s) behind you down
  • If your front wheel touches the rider in fronts rear wheel, you'll intuitively want to steer away from their wheel. Unfortunately the way to stay upright is counterintuitive. By leaning towards/into their wheel, it supports you until you can rebalance and steer away from their wheel
  • Ensure your bike is safe and in good maintenance, especially brakes, steering, tires and shifting. If you have electronic shifting, make sure all its batteries are sufficiently charged
  • Be prepared by having the following with you on all rides. if you're running tubeless tires, it's still a good plan to carry a spare tube(s):
  • Pump/CO2, spare tube(s), self-adhesive patches, tire repair boot (in a pinch, use a $ bill or bar wrapper over the hole) and tire levers. Be able to fix a flat on your own
  • Multi tool for basic roadside adjustments and repairs
  • The most recent Ride with GPS route on your GPS device or the printed map/cue sheet