Scared of riding in a group!

[jefmcg]

As @vickster says, I'm a big fan of Audaxes, but they don't generally lend themselves to group riding - with quite a few notable exceptions. An audax is technically anything under the auspices of the local audax/randonnee organisation, anything else is a sportive (or charity ride or whatever they want to call it)

Audaxes are generally longer, slower, more self-reliant, cheaper etc etc than sportives - on average. There's a minimum as well as a maximum time allowed. While proper audaxes start at 200km (125 miles) there are shorter ones. A 100km is probably a good starting distance.

http://www.aukweb.net/events/?From=...Category=&Dist_min=&Dist_max=100&Aaa=&Region=

You can do without a sense of direction if you have a garmin, or an smart phone. I generally just follow the gpx track on my android.

 

[Hacienda71]

As far as I know it's when the rider behind gets a little fast and their wheel overlaps the rear wheel of the rider In front (typically on the offside) It's common with new riders that don't yet have the confidence that they can keep up and they try a little too hard on the easier or slow sections.

It's really unnerving for the leading rider as they are trapped between your front wheel and the kerb with no space to avoid obstacles when a call of "hole" comes up from the front, or if the wind catches them.

I've seen guys almost come to blows over it on a really long ride....although I've also seen those two guys crying and hugging each other with respect and joy at completing a really hard ride. So don't take it personally if someone accuses you of it, just understand them.

Isn't half wheeling when the rider riding adjacent to another keeps pushing so his wheel is half a wheel in front, increasing the tempo of the ride which is not best liked?
Overlapping wheels is when you are riding with overlapping front and rear wheels and is dangerous as the person in front has an obstical restricting their movement they are unaware of.
When drafting close you should not be exactly behind, a couple of inches to the side gives you more chance of avoiding a rear shunt if the speed drops unexpectedly. Also if you need to stand up on the pedals i.e. on a slight incline push hard when you stand or your speed will drop and the person behind may run into the back of you. The only other tip I would give that hasn't been mentioned already is try to hold your line through the corner in a predictable way. This becomes more important as you ride closer and in a race is imperative.

 

[jonny jeez]

Isn't half wheeling when the rider riding adjacent to another keeps pushing so his wheel is half a wheel in front, increasing the tempo of the ride which is not best liked?
Overlapping wheels is when you are riding with overlapping front and rear wheels and is dangerous as the person in front has an obstical restricting their movement they are unaware of.
When drafting close you should not be exactly behind, a couple of inches to the side gives you more chance of avoiding a rear shunt if the speed drops unexpectedly. Also if you need to stand up on the pedals i.e. on a slight incline push hard when you stand or your speed will drop and the person behind may run into the back of you. The only other tip I would give that hasn't been mentioned already is try to hold your line through the corner in a predictable way. This becomes more important as you ride closer and in a race is imperative.

You are probably right, I'm not an authority on the topic really as one who steers clear of club rides.

 

[MichaelW2]

Your local Cyclist Tourists Club (CTC) should have weekly rides at various speeds. Easy Rider groups are OK for intermediate, non-racing riders. You will learn the technique and ettiquette of peleton riding at a manageable pace, in the company of a group of mostly very experienced riders. You can't learn this stuff if most riders are also newbies to the peleton.

 

[xxDarkRiderxx]

Yes it can be quite a scare riding in a group, but just like anything if you do it more you will eventually get comfortable with it. I have just started cycling with my wife who doesn't like being close behind me (probably the smell) but she is starting to get more confident and loves the fact that I can drag her up a hill and block out the wind.

Go for it.

 

[Yazzoo]

haha that last bit does sound appealing - not sure about the smell though!

 

[coffeejo]

haha that last bit does sound appealing - not sure about the smell though!

Just don't ride behind @xxDarkRiderxx

 

[User269]

Quite honestly, your biggest fear should be the endless succession of male riders drawing up alongside you and commenting on you saddle height, handlebar position, which gear you should be in etc. etc. And they'll do this out of the kindness of their hearts, saving you the trouble of expressing any concern or interest in the aforementioned subjects.

 

[mjr]

One absolutely crucial tip that so many people don't seem to know - if you need to stop, shout STOPPING. Please please don't just ... stop.

If the group cares about such things, it should be in the start-of-ride welcome. The hand-up stopping signal is one of two non-code hand signals I mention if I'm saying a welcome to the pootleton (we're no paceline), along with the accompanying shouts (the other being pothole).

 

[Smurfy]

Riding close and fast requires a lot of trust, as you must rely on the riders in front to be your eyes for road debris, holes and hazards. I've slammed into a few holes in the past because the riders in front didn't point them out to following riders.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Riding close and fast requires a lot of trust, as you must rely on the riders in front to be your eyes for road debris, holes and hazards. I've slammed into a few holes in the past because the riders in front didn't point them out to following riders.

On the other hand you can't always avoid them - I've been known to call out "thanks - if you hadn't pointed it out I might have missed it!". The other cry sometimes heard around here is "no holes", "holes" being the normality ........

 

[coffeejo]

On the other hand you can't always avoid them - I've been known to call out "thanks - if you hadn't pointed it out I might have missed it!". The other cry sometimes heard around here is "no holes", "holes" being the normality ........

I've been a participant of this bit of dialogue on many an occasion:

"Pothole!"
"Oooof. Too late. But thanks."

or

"Pothole. Gravel. Another hole. And another. MUD! MUD AND GRAVEL! AND ANOTHER BLOODY HOLE! This entire stretch is bloody awful. Good luck. See you on the other side. Can I have your bike if it survives and you don't?"

 

[mjr]

Riding close and fast requires a lot of trust, as you must rely on the riders in front to be your eyes for road debris, holes and hazards. I've slammed into a few holes in the past because the riders in front didn't point them out to following riders.

Yes, I've had to cut a ride short and had spectacular bruising as a result of that. No fault of those in front, they did their best. Others on the same ride had their rides ended by paceline riding with unknowns who weren't good at it. Choose your groups carefully. It's not a sure win.

 

[Yazzoo]

I DID IT!

Thought I'd let you all know that I gave it a go, just me and the other half.

Friday night we went for a little pootle, 7 miles around town of me practising trying to stay close and hold my nerve etc - downhill is far scarier than I thought it would be!

Then yesterday we went for a slightly longer one, about 14miles, and I really noticed how much easier it was behind someone, he's a lot stronger than I am and I noticed I was getting to the top of some hills at 17mph, I'd be doing about 10mph on my own and breathing like mad! My average alone over 40miles is about 15mph, my average with him is over 17mph - legs ache today though so day off!

 

[boydj]

The trick with downhill is to leave a good space to the rider in front to give yourself time to see and react to any problems. The aero benefit will make you faster than the person in front unless they are pedalling hard, which can be dangerous, so better to leave space and ride to the side a little so you have good visibility of the road ahead.