From April to September, Squadra trains on Thursdays on the open roads around Eindhoven. The training starts at 18:30 from the bridge near Student Sport Centre. The training is around 2 hours long. There three groups you can join;

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

A beginner, intermediate, and advanced group starts on Thursdays. Consider carefully in which group you want to ride. If you’re unsure, you can always send a message to someone from the board to get further assistance.

If you have never ridden in a peloton on the road, it’s advisable to start in the beginner group and get acquainted with riding in a group on the road. If you ride in a group on the road regularly and feel comfortable drafting and navigating corners, you can start in the intermediate group. In the advanced group, it’s essential that you can smoothly navigate corners at high speeds and are not afraid to ride in a peloton at high speeds.

During the training sessions, the principle is always “together out, together home.” No one gets dropped. If someone is dropped, communicate this to the lead group.

Riding in a peloton can only go well with effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal.

Hand Signals for Cyclists:

• Wave leftward at hip height for oncoming traffic and objects on the left.
• Wave rightward at hip height for following traffic and objects on the right.
• Raise hand to signal a stop.
• Move the flat hand downward to indicate slowing down.
• Extend hand for left or right turns.

Group Calls:

There are situations where it’s crucial to shout specific phrases. These include:

• Obstacles in the middle of the road, such as a pole. State the danger by name and use the corresponding hand signals so that everyone knows what to watch out for. (In this case, shout ‘pole,’ not ‘watch out!’ because what should they watch out for?)
• Traffic from behind: ‘Achter!’
• Oncoming traffic: ‘Tegen!’
• When crossing: ‘Vrij!’ or ‘Auto links/rechts!”
• If the group has split up: ‘wachten!’
• And ‘Compleet!’ after everyone has regrouped.