With the reintroduction of the “Rule of 6” we have recommenced organising rides in groups of 6.
We want all WSCC groups to retain their own discretion when assessing what works best for them, and to take a pragmatic and common-sense approach to the organisation of riding activities. Any rides we undertake in the current Covid environment need to take the following into account:
- Most fundamentally, there must be no more than 6 on a ride. This means that some form of pre-ride registration and booking is almost essential. Where numbers interested in joining a WSCC ride exceed 6, provision should be made to run two or more rides in a way that takes precautions to ensure that these groups do not come into contact with one another (i.e. the rides should employ different routes and stops).
- In keeping with the Government’s track and trace regulations, someone involved in planning any ride needs to keep an attendance and contact record (for 21 days). This makes obvious good sense even if this is an informal ride with friends.
- All riders should take facemasks – these will be required to go into cafés, pubs or shops anyway.
- All riders should adhere to social distancing at all times, including when stopping on the road (it’s easy to forget this and pull up next to each other).
- With the above in mind, those on a ride should have a plan for fixing punctures (where we often help each other) and/or sharing tools. Obviously if you need to help, put on your mask, wear gloves if you have them and use sanitiser before and after.
- Whilst the weather is good, we should sit outside for coffee and lunch where at all possible. Consideration should be given to how riders will deal with ill-health or an accident (consider carrying sterile gloves).
- Riders should go solo if using a car to get to the start of a ride.
- It remains up to each individual to decide, based on their own circumstances, whether they feel comfortable participating in group rides.
The WSCC Spond system for managing the Rule of 6
The “Spond” booking system has been taken up amazingly quickly by 50 members, and proved to be very effective.
We would now encourage the widest possible adoption of Spond to achieve this. Spond is a software application designed specifically for sports clubs and activities. It can be accessed either:
- Through the creation of a user name and login on the Spond website ; and/or
- Through a smartphone app
Spond is free, and simple to use. It provides a seamless way to keep attendance records, share ride details and open up rides to all our members in the spirit of the club. It also substantially reduces the administrative challenges that face us all.
To deal with Wednesday’s rides, the club created a Spond account, and this has been successfully used to advertise and organise attendance on multiple G3 and G4 rides. We have now rolled this out so that all WSCC members and ride groups have the opportunity to use Spond. With this in mind we have created a “WSCC” Spond account that includes 6 sub-groups, one for each of the club’s ride groups. Members will then be able to opt to join one or more sub-groups and to receive and respond to notifications for rides in their chosen group(s).
All club members can be invited to sign in to a WSCC club page on Spond that will enable them easily to see what rides are available and how to sign up for them. Similarly, those leading or planning rides can invite group members to attend rides (either by email or using messages on the smartphone app), and check who has signed up. Spond easily allows the number of riders to be limited to the maximum of 6.
Please contact Laurie Mutch or John Child if you have any queries about how to join and participate in Spond.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me or any other member of the committee for help and advice during these challenging times or to share any concerns with us.
Derek