The F.C.C. Guide to Cycling in a Group
These “10 Commandments” have been written by combining the best advice that is available from the wide assortment of cycling club websites. Hopefully it will provide a useful introduction to novice riders and a timely reminder to our more experienced members. Please follow all of these rules as they will help to keep us cycling safely and minimize the inconvenience that we cause to other road users. Obviously we must also obey the rules of the road and use common road sense. Please do what you can to avoid accidents.
- Prepare your bike. Make sure your bike is in good working order. Check your tyres and brakes before each ride. Your tyre pressure should be 85 psi or higher. On each ride take at least a pump, a spare tube, a puncture repair kit, tyre levers, allen keys, mobile phone and money for emergency drink, food, etc.
- Dress sensibly. It is best to wear cycling specific clothing. In the winter it is better to be too warm than too cold. Several inner layers, a wind proof top, fingered gloves and overboots will go a long way towards keeping you warm.
- Group riding. The close proximity of other riders in the group makes sudden change on speed or direction undesirable and dangerous!. Do not make any sudden movements when riding in a group. Think about where other riders might be and how your actions may affect them. Whatever happens, respond smoothly, indicate your intentions and gradually leave the pace line if needed.
- Two Straight Lines. Ride no more than two-abreast and stay in straight lines, close to the left side of the road. If the line starts to spread out towards the middle of the road, let the riders know and begin to return to the side again. Change to single file when approaching towns or where it’s necessary to help cars overtake.
Use the hard shoulder where the road is good – this avoids driver frustration by giving them an opportunity to pass. - Keep you distance. Do not ride with your front wheel overlapping the rear of the person in front. If the person in-front makes a sudden move, your front wheel could be knocked from under you and you will crash.
- Never pass on inside or ride between a pair of cyclists. This is poor cycling practice as it can startle your fellow cyclists and lead to accidents.
- When changing position in the group, do so relatively slowly.Particularly if overtaking, do this at about 1/2 to 1 mph faster than the other riders; this allows them to take your wheel and benefit from the aerodynamic drag that you produce.
- Communicate. If you have a puncture (or mechanical problem)indicate and call, and then gradually pull over to the roadside. If you
see another rider that is having problems, alert others in the group to this. - Large groups. If there are more than a dozen people in a group, or there is an obvious disparity in abilities or fitness, consider splitting it into two (or more) groups.
- Problem Riders. Occasionally you may be troubled by other riders who don’t hold their line, stop unexpectedly, etc. Don’t ignore this, often it’s just a matter of education. Please talk to the offending rider in a polite way, asking him or her to refrain from the problem behavior. If you are reluctant to do this, ask one of the ride leaders to handle the problem.
Ride Leaders
- Prepare. Work a route out in advance with shorter options on long runs.
- Prepare. Get to the start-point in good time and let members know the planned routes and any options available.
- Prepare. Try to appoint two rear markers who will ride at the back and look after any new members, potential stragglers or
mechanical/puncture victims. The rear markers should be strong experienced riders. - Welcome. Welcome any new looking people that are in ttendance and explain to them what they should expect of the ride(s). Introduce then to other riders.
- Communicate. Before starting a ride or continuing after a stop, make sure everybody knows that your group is about to leave so they can prepare to move out. Be clear about which ride is moving off and when. Remember, less experienced riders may be slow to get started and if a gap opens up they will be playing catch-up from the start.
- Starting. Start relatively slowly to enable the group to get organized behind you and allow any gaps to be closed up. This is particularly important when riding through the town where traffic lights may conspire to split the group.
- Look and listen for signs from the group that you are leading the run too fast or too slow. Change the pace accordingly. Keep a steady pace when going up-hill and/orstop to regroup at the top of the hill.
- Large groups. If there are more than a dozen people in a group, or there us an obvious disparity in abilities or fitness, consider splitting it into two or more groups.
ADVANTAGES OF GROUP RIDING
This is the time of year when we tend to do longer runs, often on cold wet and windy days. Having the benefit of training companions eases the mental burden of training during these colder months, helps the miles go by and encourages you to get out and enjoy the craic.
Another advantage of riding in a group is that you will often work harder than you perceive. You’ll be working hard but because you’re concentrating on what’s going on around you, having a chat and generally refusing to get dropped, that you’ll actually be making more effort than you think. In other words your perceived effort was lower than your actual effort
But the more people there are, the more there is to worry about – especially when you’re riding on busy roads. Not everyone in the group will be in the same physical shape, some will be faster, some slower. And it can be difficult to keep a group of mixed abilities and fitness levels together over the course of a long demanding ride. Good group riding technique enables riders of different abilities to ride effectively together…especially when we learn to take advantage of drafting… riding closely behind another rider. Wind resistance is the main thing that limits your spend as you ride. The faster you go the harder it gets. As a rule of thumb, the wind resistance squares as your speed increases – double your speed and the wind resistance increases by four times, triple your speed and the wind resistance multiplies by nine. However when your training in a group you can reduce wind resistance by drafting. Tests show that if you ride 30 cms (1 ft) behind the rider in front of you the wind resistance will be reduced by approx 30%, whereas at three bike lengths behind, there is no real benefit.
For the safety reasons outlined below we recommend that the gap between wheels should be about two feet. You should never
ride directly behind the rider in front, always have your wheel slightly to one side of the rear wheel ahead. This allows you some room, if the rider ahead slows down suddenly, rather than hitting them. Watch out when you approach a hill. If the rider in front of you gets out of the saddle, the action of raising their body up and forward can throw their bike backward and result in reducing the gap by about one foot- so the two foot gap should also compensate for this.
Always pay attention to rider ahead. Don’t just look at their rear wheel, but keep an eye on what’s happening ahead on the road
to avoid any last minute surprises.
The font pair should ride about a foot apart with their front wheels level so the riders behind can achieve good safe drafting. The front riders should shout warnings for potholes, parked cars and other hazards. The rear riders should be on the alert for cars
approaching from behind and organize the group into single file if needed.
