Bunch or Group Riding Etiquette
Arrive in time Have yourself and your bike prepared so the ride can start as scheduled.
Riding In Formation On our weekly rides we normally ride in a formation of two riders next to each other, two parallel lines from front of group to the back – the front positions are very responsible/crucial positions in the group and only experienced riders familiar with the route / riding etiquette should ride up front.
To keep a steady riding formation/speed it is important that you try to avoid free-wheeling (not pedalling) at any time when riding in the group. Always keep rotating the cranks even if you are not putting any force/power on the pedals.
If you stop pedalling riders behind you will assume you are slowing down (almost like a break light on a car) and it will result in a chain reaction (domino effect) and the speed will be unsteady in the group. The group will be like an elastic band, contracting and stretching which makes riders sprint then brake to maintain the group integrity.
DON’T LEAVE RIDES ALONE BEHIND THE GROUP If someone encounters a problem, either mechanical or physical, which forces them to stop, someone should stop with them to ensure they have a companion to help them catch up to the group again, or to stay with them until further help arrives.
Keep a close watch far enough ahead so that you can see and point out obstacles early enough to allow yourself and those behind you to smoothly avoid them. Pass on Signals to other riders as our groups are fairly big.
Ride predictably. The riders in the lead of the group must give signals to the rider’s behind. You can use signals by hand or your voice (like “hole “for a hole in the road or “left turn” for a change of direction) to give or pass on signals.
Signals coming from the front should be passed on to the riders behind you.
Always expect that we have new riders in the group which are not aware of the route so they need to know where to go. Crashes occur when you swerve quickly to one side to avoid a hole and you bump the rider beside you or the rider behind you. If you swerve quickly to avoid an obstacle, the rider following you will not have time to avoid it. You don’t want someone to do that.
Keep a safe distance from the bike in front of you. You still get plenty of draft if your front wheel is a foot or two behind the wheel in front of you. This gives you time to react to whatever the person in front of you does. This also means not overlapping your front wheel with the rear wheel of the rider in front of you, except when riding in an echelon in a crosswind. Remember, if the rider in front of you moves into your front wheel, YOU are going to crash, not the rider in front of you.
Keep a safe distance from the bike beside you. Just because you see the racers in a peloton riding with their handlebars a couple of inches from their neighbouring rider’s, doesn’t mean they ride that way all of the time. The rougher the roads and the less experienced the riders, the farther apart everyone should stay for safety’s sake and for peace of mind. Because many of the roads are, shall we say, less than ideally smooth, it makes sense to keep your handlebars a foot or so from your neighbour’s. Also, many of the riders on the social rides do not possess the riding skills necessary to recover from bumping bars. Ride where you’re comfortable. If you find yourself riding next to someone who rides too close for your comfort level, calmly and smoothly move away and back to another spot in the group.
Stand-up pedalling. When you stand up to pedal, push a bit harder on the pedals as you stand to keep from moving your bike backwards and into the front wheel of the person behind you.
Braking. Use your brakes lightly and sparingly. Adjust your speed by small changes in your pedalling cadence rather than using your brakes. Avoid strong braking. If you need to stop (flat, dropped water bottle, etc.) yell STOPPING and SLOWLY move to the left side of the road, looking first, and applying your brakes very lightly.
Cornering: Hold your line through corners. Unless you’re way out in front or behind everyone else, avoid cornering like you’re racing, i.e. swinging wide then cutting to the inside of the corner, especially on right turns where you cut the corner into the left traffic lane. Many of the corners contain sand or gravel in the inside so it’s best to hold your line and stay in the car wheel “lanes” where there is less debris. Corner smoothly being aware of others in the group around you. You want them to do the same for you.
Stop signs. Bicycles are considered motor vehicles and therefore are subject to the same laws. Also, it’s very good for public relations between bicyclists and vehicle drivers if we bicyclists obey the stop signs, especially when vehicles are present. Always watch the other riders around you at intersections with stop signs. Some riders like to come to a complete stop while others seem content with simply slowing down to make sure no vehicles are approaching. If the riders in front smoothly slow to a stop, no problems will occur. If the front riders fly up to the intersection and brake suddenly, a crash is likely to occur when the riders from the rear fail to stop quickly enough. Again, be predictable, ride smoothly, look ahead, and let the riders behind you know what you’re going to do.
Trucks and Cars. Which brings up what to do when a vehicle driver does something that you find objectionable. About 99.9 percent of the time, the best thing to do is NOTHING. Especially if someone in a vehicle zooms by you too closely for comfort from behind and yells at you. Gesturing that you think their age is 1 is only going to make them more likely to turn around and do something even worse the second time. Even smiling and waving to them acknowledges that you noticed them, which reinforces their act because they were trying to get a reaction out of you. If you show them no reaction at all, it’s not fun and they may not do it the next time they pass a bicyclist. Perish the thought that you can teach them anything by yelling or gesturing. You can only make things worse. DO NOTHING except IGNORE THEM. Thankfully, this does not happen very often in our area. TIP – After the objectionable driver passes, don’t dwell on the negative experience and start talking about all of the other bad drivers you’ve encountered over the years. Forget the incident. Keep the conversation positive. Help everyone enjoy the beautiful countryside and the rest of the ride
Pace lines and Echelons. When riding into the wind, a rotating pace line is a fun way to keep moving at a higher speed while still getting to draft others. Echelons are very helpful when riding with a strong crosswind. Both of these specialized peloton manoeuvres require concentration, a great deal of cooperation and the smoothest riding you can muster. You can read how to ride pace lines and echelons in most of the bicycling how-to books but the best way to learn is to listen to the experienced riders in the pack and give it a try. Stay calm, keep focused, ride smoothly and you will do just fine. And remember, you drop back on the windward side and move up on the leeward side. More detailed information including diagrams, on Pace lines can be found at the following website http://www.swcc.cc/paceline.php
Eating and Drinking. It’s reasonably safe to have a drink from your water bottle while maintaining your position in the peloton, provided you are able to hold your position without swerving or slowing. Eating, especially when it involves opening the wrapper of your food bar, is best accomplished at the back of the pack where you can either ride with no hands more safely to open the wrapper or wrestle with biting the wrapper open. Put the empty wrapper in your pocket – Don’t Litter.
Aero or Tri bars are great for time trials but should never be used while you are riding in a peloton, unless you are the very last rider in the group. While you are steering with your elbows, you have limited control over the direction and stability of your bicycle as well as not being able to use the brakes. This is very dangerous for everyone behind you. Remember, the safety and well being of everyone beside and behind you is in your hands, so keep them on the handlebars while anyone is beside or behind you.
Nose blowing and spitting. Everyone gets a runny nose or cough from time to time, be it from a cold or just cold-rhinitis (nasal irritation from cold weather). When you need to blow your nose or spit, be considerate of those beside and behind you. Move to the leeward side of the pack or, better yet, to the back of the peloton before blowing your nose or spitting. Remember, when riding 15 to 25 mph everything you eject goes backwards quickly enough and far enough to land on fellow riders a considerable distance behind you.
