Ride policyNon-Drop Guarantee

Sunday Rides ยท Pace policy

The Non-Drop Guarantee

The Steady group on every London Dynamo Sunday ride is a non-drop ride with an advertised pace guarantee. The group will never exceed the stated average speed range, regardless of who is riding or who is leading.

Time

About 4 minutes

Audience

Ride leaders and riders

Format

Policy ยท Pace tables ยท Obligations

What it means for riders

01

Predictable pace.

Plan your effort. Know the pace before you arrive. Ride comfortably without fear of being dropped or pushed beyond your limits.

02

Social, not a race.

The Steady group is a social pace ride. Pace is controlled, consistent, and guaranteed regardless of who shows up on the day.

03

Proper regroups.

Ride leaders regroup the whole group after climbs and at every split. You always recover before the group moves on.

04

A clear next step.

When you are comfortable at Steady pace, the Moderate group is the natural progression. Ride leaders can advise on when you are ready.

Pace tables
The advertised speed ranges

Thames Valley & Windsor

Flatter routes ยท average speeds

Fast
32 kph+
Moderate
29 to 31 kph
SteadyNon-Drop
26 to 28 kph

Explorer & Surrey Hills

Hilly routes ยท average speeds

Fast
28 kph+
Moderate
25 to 27 kph
SteadyNon-Drop
22 to 24 kph

If you join the Steady group, you know exactly what you are signing up for. The Steady group is a non-drop ride with an advertised pace commitment to every rider. The ride leader holds the group to that pace from start to finish. Faster riders are directed to the Moderate or Fast group.

What you’ll cover

01

Read chapter

02

Read chapter

03

Read chapter

04

Read chapter

Chapter 01

The Pace Guarantee

The non-drop guarantee in plain language. What is promised, to whom, and by whom.

01

Non-drop

The Steady group is a non-drop ride.

On every London Dynamo Sunday ride, the Steady group is a non-drop ride with an advertised pace guarantee. The group will never exceed the stated average speed range, regardless of who is riding or who is leading.

02

Commitment

Pace ranges are advertised commitments.

The published speed range is not a guideline. It is an advertised commitment to every rider who joins the Steady group. The group stays within the stated range from start to finish.

03

Right group

Riders join the group that matches their pace.

If you can ride faster than Steady all day, the Moderate or Fast group is for you. Joining Steady to lift the pace is not what the group is for.

04

Averages

Pace ranges are average speeds across the full ride.

Speeds on individual segments, particularly climbs and descents, will naturally vary. The average across the whole ride remains within the advertised range.

Chapter 02

The Pace Tables

Two route types, three pace tiers each. Steady is the non-drop tier.

01

Flat routes

Thames Valley and Windsor (flat). Steady is 26 to 28 kph average.

Fast: 32 kph and above. Moderate: 29 to 31 kph. Steady: 26 to 28 kph (non-drop).

02

Hilly routes

Explorer and Surrey Hills (hilly). Steady is 22 to 24 kph average.

Fast: 28 kph and above. Moderate: 25 to 27 kph. Steady: 22 to 24 kph (non-drop).

03

Average speed

Average speed is the figure to watch.

Live segment speeds will fluctuate with terrain and conditions. The full-ride average is what the policy commits to.

Chapter 03

Ride Leader Obligations

Seven explicit obligations on the Steady group ride leader. These are not optional.

01

Hold the pace

Pace the group to the advertised range from the start.

Not to the slowest rider, and not faster than the upper limit. The group’s average must remain inside the published range across the whole ride.

02

Headcount

Count the group before departure and at every regroup.

Recount at every regroup point so you can confirm all riders are present. On hilly routes, wait at the top of every climb until the last rider is accounted for and has had time to recover before moving on.

03

Recovery

Wait for the last rider to recover before moving off.

Do not allow the group to move off after a regroup until the last rider has rejoined and has had sufficient time to recover their heart rate.

04

Redirect

Direct faster riders to the Moderate or Fast group.

If riders consistently above the group’s pace join the Steady group, redirect them to the Moderate or Fast group at the next regroup point.

05

Split groups

Be ready to split the group when pace diverges.

If there is a significant pace discrepancy within the group, or if the group has grown by absorbing stragglers from a faster group ahead, split into two smaller groups of similar size. As ride leader you must ride with the slower of the two groups.

06

Solo riders

If a rider wants to leave the group, offer to slow first.

If a rider wishes to leave the group and ride alone, first confirm that the group can slow to a pace that suits them. Only allow them to leave if they still wish to do so after that offer has been made.

07

Briefing

Brief the pace expectation before departure.

Communicate the pace expectation and group rules clearly to all riders at the ride briefing before departure. Riders should know the deal before the wheels turn.

Chapter 04

Dropping Riders

When a rider may and may not be dropped on club rides.

01

Saturday Park Ride

The first 3 laps are non-drop.

No rider is dropped in the first three laps of the Saturday Park Ride. Group 1 is the exception: it follows the last-lap rules for all laps.

02

Last lap

Breakaways are allowed on the last lap.

On the last lap of the Saturday Park Ride, riders may break away. Traffic must never be used to create a breakaway or drop riders.

03

Sunday rides

On the Windsor & Thames Valley and Explorer rides, the marshalled group is non-drop.

The marshalled group is usually Group 3. If a rider is struggling, talk to them before anyone considers dropping them.

04

Drop rides

The Wednesday Night Ride and HITR are drop rides.

The Wednesday Night Ride (WNR) and the High Intensity Training Ride (HITR) are drop rides, unlike the non-drop groups above.

Module summary

Steady is steady.
Every ride.
Every leader.

The pace guarantee is the simplest promise the club makes on a Sunday: the Steady group will not exceed its advertised range. As a ride leader you hold that line. As a rider you can rely on it.

Chapters recap

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 04

Quick reference ยท Non-Drop Guarantee

  1. Steady group is non-drop. Pace range is advertised, not advisory.
  2. Thames Valley and Windsor (flat): Steady 26 to 28 kph, Moderate 29 to 31, Fast 32+.
  3. Explorer and Surrey Hills (hilly): Steady 22 to 24 kph, Moderate 25 to 27, Fast 28+.
  4. Pace ranges are full-ride averages, not segment speeds.
  5. Count the group before departure and at every regroup.
  6. Wait at the top of climbs until the last rider has recovered.
  7. Redirect faster riders to Moderate or Fast at the next regroup.
  8. Split the group if pace diverges. Lead the slower half.
  9. If a rider wants to ride alone, offer to slow first.
  10. Brief the pace expectation at the start. Every ride.
Two London Dynamo women cyclists
Want to Join London Dynamo?

Newcomer Ride

Bookings are now open for the 7th November & 5th December 2026. Click below to learn how to join, explore our Helping Out Programme, and register for the next Newcomer Ride.