General Disability and Accommodations Guidelines
Outland Bike Club wishes to welcome everyone regardless of physical abilities. If you have a physical disability which inhibits your ability to participate in our bike rides normally, we may be able to make special accommodations for you. Here are the general guidelines for disability accommodations. Please note, these are not official rules or representative of an official club stance towards disabilities; they are meant only to provide a general idea of what group leaders can and cannot do to accommodate riders with disabilities.
- Racing Wheelchairs and Other Physically-Propelled Vehicles
Group leader will determine if a vehicle can easily navigate the path and terrain of the planned ride AND if the planned pace of the ride can be matched by the participant. Most mountain and trail paths will be simply inaccessible to anyone not riding a bike, and many trails will only allow the use of bikes. On many road rides however, a racing wheelchair or similar vehicle may be suitable. Unless they indicate otherwise, group leaders cannot assist anyone using a wheelchair or similar vehicle in completing the ride or keeping pace during the ride itself.
- Motorized Vehicles
In the vast majority of cases, motorized vehicle are forbidden by trail/ course rules not set by us. Motorized vehicle use is also discouraged because it can pose additional risk to other riders. On rare occasions (primarily on road rides), a group leader may allow their use if a convincing case can be made and the safety of the other riders can be guaranteed.
- Slowed Pace or Altered Route
Beginner and Casual level bike rides should be suitable for riders of almost all ability levels. If, however, the pace or route are too physically demanding for a person with disabilities, a ride leader may decide before the ride to slow the pace or find another group leader to split off into a slower paced group. They should consult the rest of the group to make sure they are ok with these changes.
- Required Stopping
If a rider is able to match the pace of a group, but requires special stops during the ride (for bathroom breaks etc.) a group leader may decide before the ride to add such stops to the route. They should consult the rest of the group to make sure they are ok with these stops.