Bentonville Ride Club ByLaws
Bentonville Ride Club has established the following By-Laws to build, maintain, and grow our ride group culture:
Membership.
All are welcome.
New riders may apply for membership by presenting themselves at a scheduled group ride.
After the successful completion of the first ride, new riders can be admitted by the unanimous vote of active ride club members.
Official membership is confirmed by acceptance into the Bentonville Ride Club Strava Group or presentation of the official Bentonville Ride Club seal.
New riders can be invited to group rides by existing group members (or they can just show up).
Upon acceptance to the Bentonville Ride Club, members are awarded the official Bentonville Ride Club seal which must be carried with them at all times.
Membership is eligible to be renewed annually based on compliance with by-laws.
Lifetime memberships are granted to riders with Bentonville Ride Club seal tattoos.
Fiscal Year.
January 1st, 12:00 am to December 31st, 11:59 pm
Group Attendance.
All club rides are mandatory. No exceptions.
If a group member misses more than 39 rides per fiscal year, their membership to the group can be revoked.
Group membership can be reinstated by bringing chain lube or beer to the next group ride event. Adopted June 18, 2020.
Ride Ability.
All riders are personally responsible to evaluate their riding experience against the planned ride course. If a trail is determined to be beyond a rider’s experience level, the rider should take an alternate route or walk their bike over or around advanced trail features.
Please note: going around a feature means taking a horizontal route versus a vertical route (a.k.a going over your handlebars). See https://www.instagram.com/ozfails/ for examples of incorrect feature navigation. Adopted June 21, 2020.
Ride Start Time.
Club rides will have an established “wheels up” time posted at least 24 hours before a ride. At wheels up time, riders will promptly begin the group ride.
Group rides wheels up start times can be adjusted for any late rider except for Adam (who is always late). Adopted: June 13, 2020.
Ride Starting Order.
The order of riders for organized group rides is determined by the number of drinks within the past 24 hours.
The rider who has consumed the most drinks within the past 24 hours assumes starting position one.
The rider who had the least drinks will be in the last position and is assigned the role of ride sweeper.
All other riders starting order is set by descending drink count.
All riders should plan on zero drinks prior to any group ride. Adopted: June 6, 2020
Bike Preparation.
All riders are required to bring the necessary equipment to repair their flats plus one additional flat repair kit for Nick Ogle.
All riders are required to bring their helmets.
Any rider that does not have a certified helmet for a group ride will be provided a helmet for the ride. Adopted: June 13, 2020. Amended: June 21, 2020
Flats.
Flats are highly discouraged. However, if a rider feels compelled to flat during a ride, please make sure to invite Jacob Kaler (Club Mechanic).
Flats are only permitted by swimming holes or Casey’s General Stores.
Flats that occur in unauthorized locations are subject to a one-beer or one-chain lube bottle penalty per minute by the offending flat rider. Adopted: June 13, 2020.
Hydration.
Riders are only permitted to bring sufficient hydration supplies to last for a maximum of three-quarters of the total ride duration.
Riders with unused hydration resources at the ride three-quarters mark will be required to dispose of hydration resources. Adopted: June 6, 2020.
Ride Speed.
All Club rides will have a set average mile-per-hour pace set by the following equation:
(Number of Miles on Route / Number of Drinks in last 24 hours) * Number of Riders + (Trail Type Coefficient / (Feet of Elevation * Temperature)) = 13.52 mph on Gravel or 6.98 mph on Single-track trails. Adopted June 28, 2020.
Bike Language.
All members are required to be proficient in the mountain and gravel bike languages as defined by Glossary of MTB Terms and Glossary of Gravel Cycling Terms.
Members may use any MTB or Gravel term with the expectation that all other members understand the term.
If a member is faced with the use of an unknown term by another rider, a suitable answer could always be “Yeah, it looks okay. Just don’t over-cook it.” Adopted: July 18, 2020.
Injuries.
If a rider is injured on a Club ride, the ride will pause until the injured rider is determined fit to continue the ride or is escorted to proper medical care.
If a rider requires transportation to medical care, the group rider who invited the injured rider is responsible to escort the rider to a medical care facility.
Once the injured rider is escorted to safety, the ride can resume.
Injury stops and flat repair stops should be coordinated if possible. Adopted: June 21, 2020.
Membership Dues.
Annual membership dues are $100,000 due on the last day of the fiscal year (actually, they are $50/year but we have the ability to waive that cost if needed…your presence is more important than your money).
Membership dues can be waived by participating in milestone group rides to include: one 100 mile gravel ride or one 30 mile Mountain Bike ride per year.
There will be two official “Pay Your Dues” rides scheduled to meet membership dues requirements; however, riders may meet membership requirements by posting qualified ride routes to Strava.
Qualified rides include but are not limited to the Rule of Three, Big Sugar Gravel NWA, Oz Trails Off-Road, and Chinkapin Hollow Gravel Grinder. Adopted: June 18, 2020.
Not My Day Exception.
Each club member is allotted one (1) “not my day” ride exception with the exception of sanctioned events.
A ride exception means that a club member may start the Club ride, decide they are not able to complete the ride and return to the ride start point without being subject to jeers, comments, or other types of hazing.
The Not My Day exception does not apply to Adam. Adopted: April 10, 2021.
Invitation Ride.
Invitation Rides are designed to promote group diversity for new riders or riders building their fitness levels.
Each week, there will be one scheduled Invitation Ride (typically Tuesday) that will include a ride distance of fewer than 25 miles, an average pace not to exceed 13 mph, and a vertical elevation of less than 2,000 feet. Adopted: April 10, 2021.
Annual Board Meeting.
Attendance at a minimum of one in-person Board Meeting is required.
Annual Board Meetings will consist of an officially sanction epic group ride, meals together, and discussion of Ride Club business.
Board Members will consist of those members present at the Board Meeting.
Ride Club business generally includes completing the epic group ride and consideration of By-Laws. Adopted: April 10, 2021.
Local History Knowledge.
Each ride club member should educate themselves on the local history of our community and State. While there is tremendous beauty in our community, there is also great pain. We acknowledge our past and actively participate in its healing.
It is common for local rides to travel along the Trail of Tears and through lands that have experienced great conflict.
Bentonville Ride Club acknowledges and pays respect to the Osage, Caddo, and Quapaw peoples and to their elders past, present, and future, offering deep gratitude for their ancestral stewardship of the land dating from time immemorial and upon which we now ride.
It is within the responsibility of Bentonville Ride Club’s mission and our commitment to diversity and inclusion that we disseminate knowledge about Native peoples and our history with them. We encourage everyone to take the time to learn about this land, its people, and its story. If you need a place to start, we recommend visiting https://www.monah.org/
Bentonville Ride Club Bylaws can be proposed, voted upon, removed, or adopted at any time.