Originally Posted by genejockey

Clubs have rules and waivers so that randos showing up and maybe causing accidents don't put them in legal liability. Rides that don't have rules and waivers often lack a designated leader or club affiliation, so that there's nobody to sue if there's an accident and someone is badly hurt. You may think it's weird to have rules and waivers, but if somebody wipes out midpack and takes a lot of riders down at 30 mph there could be serious injuries.