Leamington C & AC Guide to Group Riding

A number of riders who come out with the Saturday & Sunday group rides are relatively new to the sport of cycling or are not used to riding with others. Riding with others is an enjoyable part of cycling but it brings responsibilities with it.

Each rider HAS A DUTY OF CARE to the other riders around them in the group, and must ride in a safe manner at all times. Group riding brings with it risks due to the proximity of others around you and therefore each rider must also take responsibility for their own safety as well as that of others. Standards of riding by individuals will either give others confidence in riding with that group or can lead to a rider making a conscious effort to not ride with or behind someone whom they perceive to be a hazard to their safety.

Riding in two lines will normally be undertaken when conditions allow. The group should not ride three wide (although this may happen on climbs when riders are passing slower riders - this must only be done when safe conditions allow).

The pair of Riders at the front of the group should be there for only short periods to conserve energy - say 5 minutes -then drop to the back of the lines. To change safely, the outer rider should pull away from his partner allowing sufficient room for the two lines of riders, behind, to pass through, the rider leaving the front should slow down to allow the other riders to pass through; for a short while a "four-abreast" condition may occur so, obviously, this action should only be undertaken when it is safe to do so! When traffic conditions do not allow the outer rider to pull out, then they should go in front of their partner (the front of the inner line) and gesture for the others to pass; for a short while a "three-abreast" condition may occur so, obviously again, this action should only be undertaken when it is safe to do so!

Standards of safety generally deteriorate when riders are tired and when the group is moving fast. The faster the group is moving, the more alert the riders must be. Things happen more quickly and riders will normally follow a wheel more closely to gain as much shelter from those in front. I understand that riding close to the rider in-front can conserve as much as 30% of your energy.

Be alert, always remember the riders around you. They can protect you as you can protect them: generally a motorist will slow for a group but not an individual, so there can be safety in numbers.

In the interest of safety, each rider should look at their riding and improve those areas that need it. The last thing we want is a third party claiming against a rider or one rider claiming damages against another (it could happen). Those members not covered by Third Party Insurance may wish to think seriously about it. The Cycling Touring Club membership as well as British Cycling carries Third Party Insurance Cover and in today's culture when any accident 'must be someone else's fault' and 'whom can we claim against', cover could be seen as a must.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s when riding with the semi professional riders, standards in the Road Racing Bunches were generally high. It was not uncommon for a rider perceived to be a risk hazard to be taken off the back of the bunch and either told in no uncertain terms to tidy up his riding, or to drop off the back of the bunch. If the warnings were not taken seriously then when the race official was not looking the rider would be simply put in to a ditch or put on to the verge beside the road. It may not be ethical but poor riders either got the message or got used to medical attention. I would not suggest that this method should be used to improve riding standards, but it certainly focused the mind!.

There are a number of standard calls given by riders to warn others in the group and the more widespread the use of these, the greater the benefit to all. I list below some and ask other riders to put forward more to enable a comprehensive list to be compiled for all to use.

Pothole: Shout "Hole!" - this warns others of holes or objects in the road in front of the group and point or shout out its position, remember that you are the eyes of the riders behind. However, there will be times that to swerve to miss a hole will endanger a rider behind and you will just have to go over the hole for the safety of others in the group.

Vehicle from Behind: Shout "Car-up!"- this warns others in the group, especially those at the front, of vehicles approaching from behind, and on narrow roads fall into single file. There seem to be a number of occasions when the odd one or two riders fail to comply with this - perhaps they feel they have a right to sit there and to hell with the motorist. This attitude puts the group in danger as the motorist will eventually try to pass, not always at the safest position, and an aggrieved driver can be a dangerous person.

Vehicle from Front: Shout "Car-down!" - this warns other riders in the group, especially those at the rear, of approaching vehicles if road is narrow, as riders to the rear of the group will not see oncoming vehicles, and may pull out with serious consequences.
(A local rider was killed when on a training ride by hitting an oncoming car head on - the car driver's insurance company tried to claim the repair damage costs for the car from the dead rider's family - it does happen).

Parked Vehicle / Pedestrian / Object on left: Shout "On the left!" or "On the right!"- this warns the group of obstructions on the left of the road (if narrow road Shout "On the right!" as well). Calling out is better than waving of left arm behind back, which may only be seen by a few riders behind.

NB! Horses: When approaching horses Shout "Horses!" and slow down. If a horse bolts then not many of their riders can hold them, and a horse careering-through a bunch of cyclists is not a pretty sight - it happens quite regularly!!

Standing: if you are in a tight group and intend to stand up on your pedals / get "out-of-the-saddle", you can warn the rider behind by calling out "standing". When a rider stands on a climb they pull on the handlebars, this momentarily pulls the bike backwards and if the rider behind is close, this may bring his bike into contact with the rear rider's front wheel.
(Generally, a rider whose front wheel comes into contact with the back wheel of the rider in front, will come down, unless he has exceptional bike handling skills or is just lucky.)

Two other cycling terms that may by useful to the newer rider are:

"Half-Wheeling": this is the term used when two riders are riding side by side and one keeps his wheel in front of the other. It is generally the stronger rider who tries to get his wheel in front to keep pushing-up the pace. Do not try to match the stronger rider unless you know you can, as they will just up-the-pace again. If you are the weaker rider, either pull off the front and let another rider take up the challenge, or drop back slightly. This is generally enough to let the other rider feel good and drop the speed to a reasonable level so as not to ride off the front of the group.

Use your head as well as your legs when riding in a group. It is surprising how you can influence things to your advantage without others realising it!

"Line-Out" or "Bit and Bit": when riders in a group ride in single file, or if it is a fast moving line, this may become two working lines of riders. One line will be moving forward and front rider working to keep the pace (speed) high. The front rider, after his work period (this may only be 10 seconds if the line is moving very fast or you are in a team time trial), will move over onto the other line, which is moving backwards and is the resting line. The last rider on the resting line will move over on to the back of the working line and will travel up that line until the front is reached and the pace-making effort made again. The working line should always be protected from any side winds by the resting line. This will require the working front rider to appreciate any change in wind direction and if necessary, move off the front to change the side of the resting line to the working line.

A weaker rider should sit just off the back of the resting line and not interfere with the working line (unless they are trying to disrupt it and that is another subject which should not be applicable to club group/training rides).

For a Team Time Trial to be ridden properly, a rider requires many skills and techniques, but when mastered, the speed that can be achieved is a wonderful feeling. New riders are best to ask experienced riders for tips before riding a team time trial, as one ridden properly is exhilarating but ridden poorly can be soul-destroying!