Getting to grips with Group Riding
Group rides are one of the best reasons to join a cycling club. Not only are they social and a great way to meet people, but they are a brilliant way to improve your skills and learn to maintain a higher average speed on longer rides.
It’s way more fun to ride in groups! However, group riding can be intimidating for new riders, especially without knowing what to expect.
The language of the peloton is universal. Once you’ve learned the basic call signs, ideal positioning and pace techniques, you’ll be able to master group riding etiquette in no time and feel safe and confident in a group.
Here are some easy-to-follow tips and group riding etiquette from Hub Velo CC’s Ride Captains that will help you quickly start enjoying riding with a group.
Ride Captain
Whatever the speed or route, every ride will have an appointed captain from Hub Velo CC to lead the group and provide directions and advice to riders of all capabilities.
Once all riders are introduced to one another, the ride captain will brief the group on the route, potential hazards, plus any planned stops for coffee or water breaks before setting off. You can expect to receive an overview of key hand signals, and ride calls used by the group during the ride (more on this below!). Weather and route conditions are reassessed at regular intervals, as even the most seasoned cyclists can struggle and may have to abandon rides if either deteriorate.
The Ride Captain is the chief communicator on any group ride and their guidance and direction should be respected at all times. They will call out any rotation changes and will ensure the pace is accurate and consistent. Our Ride Captains will also help new riders, who might be struggling and in need of a wheel, stay in the group and get the most out of their ride.
Communication
Learning the definitions of each verbal call, and variety of hand signals will increase your confidence and improve the safety of others around you. Our ride captains will always lead these instructions – pointing our obstructions, hazards and turns - and encourage people to pass signals on through the group. Here are some of the basics you’ll see, and hear being called out on our regular Saturday rides.
Signs
Know your calls
“Car up.” A car is coming towards the group.
“Car back.” A car is behind the group and waiting to pass.
“Car left’ / right.” Approaching vehicle might affect riders behind you (especially called at junctions) on the left or right.
“Change.” Rider(s) at the front of the group come off the front using the rotation system. Leader or front rider may call change.
“Clear.” There’s no traffic coming from the left or right and it’s safe to proceed. Never rely solely on the call of others – you must always check yourself whether it is clear to proceed. Never call ‘’clear’’ unless certain.
“Hole.” There’s a pothole, bump or bad road surface that you should avoid. Riders will point down and call ‘’hole’’ or ‘’bump’’ to the left, middle or right.
“Mechanical’’ or ‘’Puncture.’’ Group stops off the road at the first safe place, whilst one or two go to help.
“One the right / left.” I’m passing you on the left/right.
“Single” Move into single file.
Positioning
When you’re riding in a bunch, or on someone else’s wheel, it’s important to find a smooth position that’s comfortable to you. The ideal position in a group is close to a rider in front of you — 30cm or less — who you can trust and is a good communicator.
One golden rule of group riding is: Never overlap your front wheel with the real wheel of the rider ahead. Touching wheels is a common cause for crashes! For all riders, of all abilities: Avoid any sudden braking or swerving!
There is always the urge to ride at the front and set the pace, but learning to be a pacemaker in group riding takes practice. Do not ride on the front if:
Your ride captain has requested everyone follow behind them
You do not have the route
You feel the group is riding to slow
At junctions where your abilities at the front may endanger other riders
Worried about getting dropped
This is a common theme on all group rides, whatever your ability. This is why we advise all new members to start off in our Latte group to learn the basics of group riding, and communicate the distances and average speeds of our groups (see below).
Whilst on a group ride, try and position yourself in the centre, tucked in behind a rider in front. This will help conserve energy, avoid gusts of wind, and make it easier to maintain your speed.
Climbing in groups
In our non-drop group rides, the group will always wait for you at the top of any ascent. If you’re lacking confidence or haven’t done a lot of group riding before, then give yourself some room to slip back.
In your first few group rides, start in a comfortable gear (allowing yourself to maintain your cadence) and position yourself somewhere near the front of your group.
If you do end up taking the climb at a slower pace than everyone else, you can often find help from others who will help pull you up the hills. By the time you reach the top, you’ll still be in the group albeit possibly near the back.
Watch out if the person in front gets out of the saddle when they are starting an incline. Often, their bike will kick back slightly, and it can be unsettling. By practising steep climbs and focusing on smooth movements, you can completely eliminate this happening.
Remember, even the best climbers in the world have their off days in the mountains.
Ride Groups
If you’re wondering what group ride best suits your distance and average speed capabilities, check out our guidelines below. The less milk you take in your coffee, the faster and longer the distance of the group ride!
Latte - 50-75km - 22-24 km/h
Cappuccino - 60-90km - 24-26 km/h
Flat White - 80-100km - 26-28 km/h
Espresso - 90-120km - 28-30 km/h
Double Espresso - 100-130km -30+ km/h
Although riders are responsible for deciding on their own suitability for the advertised activity, our ride captains may ask for some general health and wellbeing questions before starting the ride.
Our group rides are posted on the club’s Hub Velo CC News & Rides chat group on WhatsApp, as well as on our Spond channel. To sign-up, each week, members are invited to accept their place on a specific ride before joining.
Look forward to seeing you on one of our group rides soon!
