Wednesday Wheeler Human Arrow System

The Wednesday Wheelers is a diverse group of cyclists that meets Wednesday mornings to ride, socialize, see points of interest and share an after-ride meal.

The key to Wheeler navigation is the human arrow system. This is a reminder of how it works, and why we need all of you to cooperate in making it work effectively.

The human arrow system allows riders of varying ability to all ride together. If does require some compromise on the part of the participants from their normal style of riding. The way it works is that there is a leader and a sweep. The leader rides at the front of the group, the sweep is at the end. At every turn, the rider behind the leader is asked to pull over, stop and point out the direction for the following riders until the sweep arrives.

The prime directive of the Wheelers is that the arrow must wait until the sweep arrives and releases them.

Seems like a foolproof model. What could possibly go wrong?

Arrows leave their post before the sweep arrives

In a perfect world, this would never happen, but it does, mainly when the ride is so spread out, the arrow finally decides they have been abandoned. In extreme cases, arrows have had to wait up to 1/2 hour.

Arrows don't know who the sweep is and sweeps do not identify themselves.

Every rider will be drafted into arrow duty over the course of the ride. If you don't know who the sweep is, you will never know when you are done. As a failsafe, the sweep should also tell you that you are done but if they merely ride on by, and you don't recognize them as sweep, we have the case of the dreaded Hanging Arrow.

Riders want to go faster than the group

Often riders can't seem to hold themselves in check and ride at the group pace, and keep surging ahead passing the leader. If you get ahead of the leader, you are no longer on the ride, and need to know where you are going. If you find the pace of the group too slow, then maybe the Wheeler rides are not for you.

Riders can't keep up with the group

The human arrow system is a great equalizer in that faster riders become arrows allowing slower riders to catch up. The nominal average pace of the Wheelers is 13 mph. Many of the Wheelers have been riding with the group for quite a while, and time is taking its toll, so we should cut them some slack. That said, if you find yourself far off the back on all the rides, you might consider finding a more compatible group. There are many options these days for slower, shorter rides.

In the old days, there was one Wheeler ride which everyone did. Now most rides have two options. The normal Wheeler paced ride, and a longer faster version. There are Wheelers who would like to do more miles, but can't keep up with the faster group. This group is typically less forgiving, so if you find yourself frequently off the back on the "spirited" rides, you should consider riding with the other group at standard Wheeler pace.

None of these bad things will happen as long as everyone in the group understands and respects the ground rules.

Leader Responsibilities

Maintain a pace appropriate for the group

You should aim to ride at the median pace of the group. This is often hard to determine, but if you find yourself out in front by yourself, you are going too fast, and if you find everyone in the group bunching up, you are going too slow.

Request arrows

The leader should ensure that there is an arrow at every turn. If it looks like no one is stepping up to arrow, the leader should request one. If no one steps up to arrow, the leader must stop.

Regroup

To some extent, spreading out is good, since a monolithic group of 30 cyclists riding together creates problems for traffic. But with the leader-arrow-sweep model, if you don't regroup for a long time, the group can spread out for miles, causing arrows to be at their posts for quite a long time. This can cause arrow anxiety, and in the worst case, the arrow decides they have been left behind and leaves their post.

Plan rest stops

Indoor plumbing is the impossible dream, but leaders should at least try to find a portajohn midway on the ride, or maybe two for very long rides. Ideally, this should coincide with regrouping.

Plan a meal after the ride

Most if not all Wheeler rides have a designated spot for lunch after the ride. This can get a bit tricky if there are two rides, since the longer ride will typically show up much later, so overlapping the two groups may not work. It's best to plan around the short ride group, the long riders can probably fend for themselves.

Rider Responsibilities

It goes without saying that the standard safety rules apply, When you joined the Wheelers, you read and agreed to the Wednesday Wheeler Safety Policy Agreement If you haven't looked at it in a while, it would be good to brush up.

The leader-arrow-sweep model depends on you being between the leader and the sweep. If you wander off the course and the sweep doesn't see you, you are MIA.

When a rider is in second position behind the leader, it is their turn to be arrow. Every rider who is not leader or sweep is expected to take their turn as arrow.

Arrow Responsibilities

The arrow indicates to all riders the direction to turn. The arrow should make sure that they are visible to the riders. It is very important that the arrow wait for the sweep to come by. If the group has spread out a lot, it could take quite a while for the sweep to arrive and arrow anxiety may set in. The arrow must trust that the sweep will eventually come by. An arrow who deserts their post can cause all trailing riders to get lost. The Arrow and his/her bike should point in direction of turn.

Arrows should make sure that they are visible to riders, wait before or near the turn and indicate clearly the direction riders are meant to go. When you stop to arrow, make sure everyone behind you knows what you're doing. Say "stopping" and don't stop abruptly or the rider behind you may crash into you.

It's a good idea for all riders to have the leaders' cell phone number in case things go awry,

Sweep Responsibilities

The main task of the sweep is to stay behind the last rider and signal the arrow that their job is done. The sweep does not necessarily need to ride behind the last rider, but they should keep them in sight.

The sweep should clearly indicate to the last arrow that their job is done and make sure they realize this, otherwise the arrow will be at their post for all eternity.

The sweep should have exchanged cellphone numbers with the leader, and call when there is a delay caused by a mechanical problem, accident, or some other reason.

To be really high tech, the leader and sweep could track each other's position with an app like RideWithGps, but that would be strictly extra credit as far as sweep tasks.