VCC THURSDAY RIDES

VCC // THURSDAY RIDES

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ABOUT

The VCC THURSDAY RIDE is an “open-and-inclusive” cycling group ride that takes place weekly in Basel every Thursday evening during the length of the Daylight Saving Time period. In 2023 rides take place weekly between the 30th of March to the 26th of October

Different groups are offered in a regular basis, but NOT ALL GROUPS RIDES ARE OFFERED EVERY THURSDAY. Please refer to the weekly schedule below to see the actualized offerings.

Base fitness, good bike skills and certain group riding experience, plus a bicycle in a good working order and spares expected. The use of a helmet and front and back lights is mandatory.

Every participant is solely responsible for his/her own safety.

Please follow the safety guidelines at the end of this document to make the ride enjoyable and safe for you and the rest of the participants.
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LOCATION

VOYAGE CYCLING STORE
Grenzacherstrasse 10
4058 Basel
https://www.voyagecyclingstore.ch/kontakt
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START

Rides start at 18:30

Assembly, shop talk and cafe from 18:00
Follow this link to know where the designated start zones are: https://www.voyagecyclingstore.ch/club
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GROUPS - LEVELS

“ROOKIE” - Road/Skills - Beginners Welcome - Check availability
Offered by our experienced members. An easy ride to get initiated in group riding. Expect mellow safe roads and group riding skills.

“SOCIAL” - Road/Mixed - This group is not for beginners.-
Inclusive group for anyone looking to enjoy relaxed cycling, discover new roads, or meet new people. It is a NO-DROP ride, mostly on small roads and bicycle paths where people talk and stop at the water fountains and take photos of the sunset.
At the same time “the socials” are not afraid of hard climbs and short unpaved sectors. Average group ride speeds are around 21-24Km/h.
Rides cover usually around 50k and/or 1000Vm

“SPORT”- Road - Consider riding the Social first to get comfortable with the ride conditions.
With average speeds of around 25-28Km/h the SPORT group is the place to vent the week’s steam. It is a NO-DROP ride with designated waiting stops. Group riding experience is more than necessary.
Rides usually cover 60-75Km and/or over 1000vm

“RACE” - Road - Only join if you know what you are doing.
The name says it. Join at your own risk. If you are not strong enough, this IS a DROP group.

“GRAVEL” - Dirtroads - Mud.
Gravel-Gravel. Not hipster-Gravel. A mix of Social and Sport. Adaptable to the necessities of the group, but a certain fitness level and some tech skills are required. If you're unsure, just ask the FW before the ride.

“SKILLS” - Echelon, descent, criterium, velodrome. Keep an eye on this page for novelty offerings.

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SCHEDULE / PROGRAM

09.05.2024

SOCIAL
Route Strava:
Route Komoot:
FrontWheel:

RACE
Route Strava:
Route Komoot:
FrontWheel:

SPORT
Route Strava:
Route Komoot:
FrontWheel:

GRAVEL // Everyone with lights.
Route Strava:
Route Komoot:
FrontWheel:

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SAFETY GUIDELINES

This is a voluntary activity.
Every participant is solely responsible for his/her safety.
Every participant must be proficient enough to rely on his/her own ability to find his/her way home without assistance.
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Please listen and follow the recommendations of the “Front wheel:”
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Wear a helmet!
Bring spares and lights.
Load and follow the weekly route in your GPS unit
Obey ALL local traffic rules.
Respect pedestrians, equestrians and commuters.
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ROAD SAFETY
Please take the time to learn and adopt these BASIC HAND & ACOUSTIC SIGNALS to ensure that we all VCCs speak the same language.
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HOW TO USE THE BASIC SIGNALS
Riders up front make/initiate the signals.
Riders behind imitate and pass it on backwards.
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HAND SIGNALS
Perform the hand signals early enough and consider the duration of the signal in order to ensure a correct understanding of it.
TURNS LEFT/RIGHT: Arm up to 90 degrees.
ROAD HAZARDS: Arm up to 45 degrees pointing direction. Only for real danger for cyclists or bikes.
GROUP STOP: Arm up to the sky with an open hand.
SLOW DOWN: Open hand behind saddle..
OBSTACLES, LEFT/RIGHT: Wave corresponding hand behind back indicating side of danger.
Only used by the “Front light”.
ONE LINE: Hand up with 1 finger. Followed by acoustic ONE LINE!
TWO LINE: Hand up with two fingers. Followed by acoustic TWO LINE!
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ACOUSTIC SIGNALS
- ACHTUNG!. Only for real danger.
- VORSICHT. Softer communication to inform pedestrians and horse riders of hour presence.
- CLEAR! Use it at blind spots.
- AUTO!: Only for autos from the back. Use scarcely.
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