How to lead
A Group Bike Ride
How To Ride In A Group - Group Riding Etiquette
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group riding lets you meet new people
see new places and enjoy eating lots of
cake during the mid ride cafe stop it
may seem intimidating your first time
but stick with us and we'll talk you
through the basics when the road allows
you'll usually be riding two abreast in
a double pace line this allows everyone
behind the two leading riders to shelter
from the wind until it's their turn to
ride on the front the time each rider
spends on the front is usually decided
before the ride start with an
understanding that the tired riders will
take shorter turns at the front the most
important technique in group riding is
keeping everything as smooth and
controlled as possible due to the
proximity of other riders around you
grabbing a handful of brake or putting
in a hard acceleration could cause a
crash or break up the group and either
way you won't be winning many friends
who are cycling close to other riders
can seem daunting at first it soon
becomes second nature due to the smooth
controlled flow within the group you
should have your hands on the hoods or
the drops covering the brakes at all
times for your first group rides you
want to keep at least a wheel length
between your front wheel and the back
wheel of whoever's in front of you when
you gain confidence in your own
abilities and those of the group you can
close the gap to whatever distance you
feel comfortable with it's also
important to make sure you never overlap
with the back wheel of the rider in
front as a single gust of wind could
cause contact it may be tempting to look
down at the wheel in front but instead
try to keep your head up enjoying the
countryside or looking out for any
hazards or signals coming from other
riders be aware that when riders stand
out of their saddle their bikes will
temporarily slow down it's only a very
minor and brief deceleration but can
cause overlapping or even contact so
when approaching a hill it's a good idea
to leave a slightly bigger gap to
account for this slowing there are many
different formations use to allow riders
to take turns on the front in the wind
but we're going to show possibly the
most common and simple technique a
double pace line involves riders
rotating either clockwise or
anti-clockwise on the front of the group
in this example we're going to look at
anti-clockwise when the inside front
rider has finished their turn on the
front their shout or gesture to let
everyone know it's time to rotate change
and then begin to slow this allows the
outside front rider to move across to
take up the position change be careful
not to overlap wheels whilst this is
happening
the rider behind then takes up position
besides a new inside rider so they're
both at the front meanwhile the rear
most inside line rider will be waiting
until the rider next to them has
advanced before gently accelerating and
steering into the outside line again
you'll want to keep these changes smooth
and controlled if done correctly the
changes in pace are very small and will
keep the group flying along at a
consistent speed communication is key
and it's a responsibility of the front
riders to warn the rest about any
hazards corners or junctions everyone in
the group all the way to the last rider
should then repeat the call or gesture
you can use a combination of simple hand
gestures and vocal cues to signal holes
vehicles or other road furniture
depending on where you ride these
gestures can vary slightly but if you're
new to the group then it still might be
a good idea to ask before the ride gets
going there's no need to shout at the
top of your voice if this can spook
riders and cause more confusion
remember that later you leave the signal
the shorter the reaction time gentle
crawling out and subtle hand signals go
a long way to help the group maneuver
and build everyone's confidence in each
other finally remember that nothing
Royals a group up more than a rider who
hath wheels
this means consistently pushing the pace
when you're on the front so your wheel
is always slightly ahead of the rider
besides you this can fragment the group
and makes life difficult for everyone
you're riding with keep your pace even
with the rider beside you and you'll be
a welcome addition to group rides the
world over
you
