Etiquettes of group riding...

[Maz]

I was riding home from work and had a chance meeting with a friend, also on his way home cycling, so we rode together for the last mile or so.

What became immediately obvious to me was that I was clueless about group riding etiquette (I nearly bumped into him a couple of times at junctions and going past a parked car). I also felt guilty at riding 2 abreast on one stretch of road, possibly to the annoyance of a driver behind us.

What are the rules of group riding? Thanks

 

[dellzeqq]

oooch!

The truth is that it's a dying art, and, to make things more complicated, the art has changed over the years.

Road clubs usually ride two abreast, revolving, with the left hand file dropping back and each rider catching the back of the right hand file. The distance between two riders side-by-side is minimal, and far less than your ordinary commuting cyclist is comfortable with. Sometimes I find myself riding with road club members who are almost touching my elbow, and I confess I find it a bit of a worry.

Most of us are happy to ride side by side with about 450mm between elbows. The golden rule is to consider your fellow rider. If there's a hole, or an obstruction ahead, then ask yourself what your neighbour would want you to do - give way, move ahead, and then say 'after you' or accelerate with purpose.

If you're riding ahead of somebody then let them know what's going on. There are some arcane signs indicating obstructions ahead, but, to be honest, most people don't get them. It's simpler to call out 'moving right' or 'glass' or 'hole'.

So, if you're in a group then follow the rules of the group. If you're with a friend or friends then be considerate - do as you would be done by

 

[HovR]

Riding side by side with only one other rider is fairly simple. Leave enough room between the two of you to navigate any cracks/holes in the pavement, and keep your eyes on the road ahead so you won't have to make any sudden movements to avoid anything.

If you have someone behind you it is your job to tell the person behind you possible dangers or obstructions that are approaching, as they can't necessarily see them (if you're not the front rider you might not be able to see them either, in which case you just pass the warning down the line). The club I ride with has some very basic hand signals along with some calls.

For example, if there's a pot-hole coming up on the left hand side we will point in its general direction and call out "hole!" so that riders know both that there is a pothole, and where it is. Same applies for other dangers such as glass, gravel. Pointing isn't necessary if you can't take a hand off the bar.

If there is a parked car we need to move around, we point behind our backs in the direction we need to go to avoid it (so it isn't mistaken for indicating!)

If the group is slowing down faster than the rider behind might expect, we'll call out "Slowing".

Keep a safe distance away from the rider in front. If you're not racing, there's no need to be an inch of someones back wheel - leave a little bit of room for braking.


When riding with a new group for the first time stick to the back. You'll quickly learn their calls and signals just by observation, but if there's something you don't get don't be afraid to ask! They'd rather you ask than do it wrong.

 

[dellzeqq]

apologies - I forgot to link to this.... http://fnrttc.blogspot.co.uk/p/lights.html

when people come on the FNRttC and use the behind the back indicator I have a word and tell them to stick to shouting right and holding their hands out to the right. Every group is different, but most of the riders on our rides just don't get the hand behind the back thing

 

[GrumpyGregry]

apologies - I forgot to link to this.... http://fnrttc.blogspot.co.uk/p/lights.html

when people come on the FNRttC and use the behind the back indicator I have a word and tell them to stick to shouting right and holding their hands out to the right. Every group is different, but most of the riders on our rides just don't get the hand behind the back thing

we only use the back indicator behind dell's back.

 

[dellzeqq]

we only use the back indicator behind dell's back.

and in front of the newbie who avoids the parked car at the very last second......

 

[GrumpyGregry]

and in front of the newbie who avoids the parked car at the very last second......

If they are a quick learner that ceases to be a problem.

If not well...... it isn't like Olaf rode several rides thinking us shouting "All up" was actually us calling his name!!!

 

[gbs]

I hesitate to respond to the OP but here is my take on the art of riding in a group

• ideally leave enough room to manuoevre around potholes etc without causing your partner to deviate
• do nothing unpredicatable so call out if you are moving out or slowing (by braking or standing to tackle a hill)
• look beyond the pair ahead for improved anticipation
• do not half wheel
• allow/encourage the outside man to go ahead when singling out

 

[e-rider]

...don't slam your brakes on and just stop in the road - how many times have I seen newbies do this! You'll send a whole load of people into the back of you. Shout that you are slowing/stopping and get to the side and off the road in a safe place, especially if it's a large group as you could end up leaving the people at the back stuck in the middle of the road as they run out of space

wild, last second swrves to avoid potholes are also dangerous in large groups - keep your eye up the road a little

don't send riders behind you into the back of parked cars - remember that people behind you don't get a clear view of what is coming

on fast dangerous roads, ride in single file - you might have some right to ride twoabreast but in some cases it's just crazy to do so - what annoys me is when a group of 30 people single out but one dickhead insists on his right to ride twoa brest and puts danger onto the other riders asa result

 

[benborp]

That 'dickhead' is often riding with the consideration of other riders' safety foremost. Consider that.

 

[e-rider]

you

That 'dickhead' is often riding with the consideration of other riders' safety foremost. Consider that.

you mean that they are 'offering themselves' in a selfless way as the person to get killed?

 

[Rob3rt]

Room between pairs will vary depending on the type of group, on a chaingang or fast group ride, you might be riding with 15cm between your own and the person adjacent bars, on a more leisurely ride, the gap can be wider. The gap you leave between yourself and the person in front also varies, in a chaingang you will be right on the wheel, letting a gap open up detriment's everyone and you will likely get very tired and go off the back. In bad conditions or on less "serious" rides, people might leave a larger gap. If you are riding with a mate 2 abreast, you need not worry much about club riding and racing etiquette.

I hesitate to respond to the OP but here is my take on a difficult art of riding in a group

• ideally leave enough room to manuoevre around potholes etc without causing your partner to deviate
• do nothing unpredicatable so call out if you are moving out or slowing (by braking or standing to tackle a hill)
• look beyond the pair ahead for improved anticipation
• do not half wheel
• allow/encourage the outside man to go ahead when singling out

To make this clear (not that this post was unclear, just that it is a term that is often misunderstood), half wheeling is not overlapping your wheels, it is the act of placing yourself half a wheel ahead of your peer in the line, this encourages them to step on it to level up (everyone behind them speeds up to hold the wheel), you then move forward to half wheel again (either compulsively or on purpose, dragging your line up too), you peer accelerates again, before you know it, the pace has ramped up to the high 20's for mile on end and people are being shelled out the back like nobody's business while you two on the front are out macho'ing each other or even completely oblivious to the pain behind! Sometimes half wheeling is an accident, it just happen's, a little jokey "are you half wheeling me?" tend's to right this!

 

[benborp]

When I said "consider that" I hoped you might actually do so for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I'd hope that you would reconsider your blanket advice on 'fast dangerous roads'. There are a large number of situations where singling out throughout the group is not conducive to safety. On roads where people drive fast and dangerously (please note the distinction there) this is often the case. Sometimes the riders remaining on the outside will take a more commanding approach. Talking to the group, communicating clearly with motorists as to when hazards are present, making clear signals as to the group's movement and acknowledging drivers' courtesy. Sometimes they'll be far less obtrusive but still be performing a role in regulating the group and the manner in which it's passed. Even the joker that always seems to resolutely plod along, knees akimbo, animatedly chatting to the guy next to him might be far more engaged in what's going on around him than first appears. Different approaches work for different people, at different locations, at different times of day. Sometimes a long single line is exactly what's called for. The truth is though, that inviting an unthinking overtake of a string of thirty cyclists often leads to motorists committing to manoeuvres beyond their capabilities. The same is true for much smaller groups.
Picking up and understanding the strategies that a collection of cyclists has developed for negotiating various situations is part of the mystique of group riding. Recognising when the group is deliberately being allowed to break apart or needs to stay together, or that the group is relaxedly rolling along or maintaining strict discipline is probably best done by observing the behaviour of the more prominent members. Those that you might consider 'dickheads', if experienced cyclists, are probably quite good bellwethers.

I won't go into my second reason.

 

[HovR]

...don't slam your brakes on and just stop in the road - how many times have I seen newbies do this!

Not just newbies either. A few weeks ago a guy (who has been in the club longer than me) two bikes ahead hit their brakes for a reason which never became apparent. The rider directly in front of me with disc brakes stopped with no issue, however my caliper brakes weren't quite so responsive in the damp, cold and misty conditions!

I came very close to hitting the rider in front but just about recovered!

 

[gbs]

@Rob, thanks for and adding the "it all depends" qualifier (your first para) to my simple bullet points . As for the clarifying comment re halfwheeling: your definition is new to me and strikes me as dealing with group destructive behaviour and applies only to the leading pair in a chaingang/training ride where precision and discipline are perhaps the essence of the activity. Your point obviously has its place on this thread. However, as an infrequent guest participant in club rides I am more concerned with dangerous habits such as overlapping wheels in mid-peloton and that was in my mind when I wrote "no halfwheeling". If that is a misnomer please comment.