Safety is our number one priority on AIDS/LifeCycle. Your behavior on the event will affect not only you and your personal safety, but the safety of those around you as well as the greater ALC community. The success of this event depends on each and every one of us behaving responsibly and taking care of ourselves and one another. We want each and every one of you to make it safely to Los Angeles!

Following is a list of safety guidelines you must adhere to on the event. Please read them carefully. Violation of any of these rules could jeopardize your participation in AIDS/LifeCycle.

AIDS/LifeCycle Code of Conduct

Rules & Regulations

1. Obey all traffic laws, traffic signals and signs. You are operating a vehicle. Come to a complete stop at all stop signs and stop lights, and put your foot on the street. Like you mother always said: "Look both ways before you cross the street."
2. Always ride single file. The safest way to ride is in a single file line. This gives everyone time to react to any situation. He or she will hear you. Enjoy the scenery, and save the long winded discussions for the rest stop.
3. Give yourself space between other cyclists. Ride so that your front wheel is at least one bicycle length behind the rear wheel of the cyclist in front of you and at least six inches to the right or left of the line that the cyclist in front of you is riding. This will give you the time and space to react to the rider ahead of you.
4. Pass safely. Only pass another cyclist when it is safe to do so, and when you do pass, do so on the left side of the cyclist in front of you, and only do so when it is safe. Call out, "On your Left" loudly and before your front tire passes his or her rear tire.
5. Ride predictably and communicate your intentions. As much as possible, ride predictably and in a straight line so that others are not surprised or endangered by your actions. If you need to turn, pass, stop or slow down, communicate this in a loud voice. Use hand signals if you feel it is safe for you to take one hand off of the handlebars.
6. Alert others to potential hazards. Call out (and point, if you feel it is safe to do so) when you see glass, potholes or other potential hazards on the road. Alert others if there is a car back, or car approaching from a driveway or intersection. If you see someone in a parked car, call out "Car door!" so that other cyclists can steer clear in case that person suddenly opens the door without warning.
7. Always wear your helmet. You must wear your helmet at all times when on your bicycle. This includes riding in camp.
8. Never wear headphones, use a cell phone, radio or walkie-talkie while on your bicycle. Always ride so you can see and hear everything around you. Electronic devices can distract you from your immediate environment and the potential hazards on the road. You are not in control of others actions, so you must be aware of potential hazards, including cars that might pull out from a parking space (listen for car engines) and cyclists who might dart in front of you (listen to the whirring of an approaching bicycle). If you must talk on a cell phone, do not do so while riding. Find a place where you can safely get off the road, stop, and then answer the phone.
9. Control your bicycle. Keeping at least one hand on the handlebars at all times will enable you to better control your bicycle and minimize the danger of a crash.
10. Ride defensively and stay alert. Most accidents occur because one, or more, person was not paying attention to their environment. To minimize your risk of being in an accident, always be alert and aware of your surroundings.
11. Keep your bicycle in good mechanical condition. A safe bike is one that is in good condition. You should have your bike tuned up by a professional mechanic prior to the event, and should you experience any problems during the event you should seek assistance from the Bike Tech team. It's also important to make sure your tires are properly inflated each morning before you leave camp, and check to make sure your brakes are working properly.
12. Do not consume alcohol or use recreational drugs. For the safety of all participants, AIDS/LifeCycle is an alcohol and drug free event.

ALC Citizenship

1. Be courteous. Treat people as you wish to be treated. This includes your fellow cyclists, roadies, people along the route, and police and other public safety people. People will make judgments about the entire ALC community based on your actions.
2. Be respectful of others. Your behavior can set the tone for others' behavior around you. When you are respectful, others respect you; rude or discourteous behavior will encourage rude or discourteous behavior in others.
3. Eat before you're hungry and drink before you're thirsty. This goes for both cyclists and roadies! You will make poor decisions and become irritable to those around you (as well as yourself) when your body is depleted of fuel and fluids. You also risk of experiencing more severe health issues, and may wind up in the medical tent.
4. Use only the tents provided by AIDS/LifeCycle and camp in your designated space on the grid. Our campsites are carefully planned out so that we can accommodate over 2,000 individuals while making the least environmental impact at our sites. Camping in your designated space minimizes the wear and tear on the sites, and the amount of work our pack-up team has to perform each morning.
   
   Additionally, camping in your designated space on the grid enables AIDS/LifeCycle staff members to find you in case of an emergency.
5. Obey instructions of AIDS/LifeCycle staff. Safety is our top priority. We have set many rules in place to ensure that every participant has a safe and rewarding experience on the event. If we witness behavior that compromises the safety or health of any participant, we will address the issue with the individual, or individuals, involved. Please obey all instructions of the AIDS/LifeCycle staff.
6. Respect the infrastructure and equipment of the AIDS/LifeCycle organization. Each campsite and rest stop is carefully planned and set up to best serve the needs, comfort and safety of the AIDS/LifeCycle community. Please do not tamper with any logistical, electrical or structural equipment on the event. In particular, any participant's personal electronic equipment found to be plugged into the event's electrical supply will be removed and given to the ALC staff.

Violation of any of the rules stated above could result in one or all of the following:

1. Verbal warning.
2. Written warning.
3. Suspension for one day.
4. Expulsion from the event.