So you'll find a lot of advice on forums about riding in groups and there's a lot of discussion about how you do this and why you do this.
Just to consider why: when you are riding (without tri-bars), at a reasonable pace, you have to push through about 100 kilograms of air for every hundred and fifty meters, so that is several tons of air that you have to push through per day. So it's no wonder we get a little bit tired.
But if you ride together as a group, riding behind somebody, say 1 or 2 meters, you can save up to 30 percent of your energy. 30 percent, think about that for a few moments....it is like making each ride only 2/3rds of the distance....okay I am simplifying it much more that it is, but you get the idea.
And that's the idea of why you ride together in a group......more
If you are riding on a long open road, poor surface, full of false flats, after a few hours if you are by yourself, trust me your spirits can drop...it is just a long tough road. Add the possibility of headwinds then your speed will be significantly reduced, or you need to put in a lot more effort...it is mentally and physically tough.
So riding in a group is important, not just because of the reduction in overall effort, you get to chat to people and the time will drift away, the ride will be easier.
On an events, if you riding alone, try to get into a group as fast as you can. Don't expect to find your perfect match immediately because you will have your own pace and the hills will split groups of riders from the strong to the less strong...but you will begin to meet familiar faces who you can pair up with.
Keeping the Group Safe
As some of you may be new to riding as a group, I will give you some of the basic do and don’ts and the techniques you need to master to keep the group safe. As you can see on the picture, one of the guys in front of me is pointing out a large manhole cover which is not in my view yet, meaning I get a good warning ahead of time and so can avoid it.
So, here we go, in no particular order :
- Agree the duration that the person on the front of the group is going to stay there taking the wind. A good rule of thumb is a few minutes maximum, but you can make it shorter if you are riding into a headwind, as you do not want the lead rider taking the brunt of the wind for too long. Also don't make it every 15 seconds unless you are a very well oiled machine. So every few minutes,
- To change position, the lead rider should look over their shoulder and when it is safe to do, move out to their right and let the rest of group pass then come through, rejoining the line at the back of the group.
- The person taking over at the front should not increase their pace, but should keep it steady. If done correctly, and with practise it will be a smooth process and the miles will drift by.
It is permissible in the Highway Code to ride two abreast, but not many car drivers know that, so be very careful as there are not too many places that you can do this safely, some roads are quite narrow, and you need to be a well drilled team to avoid confusion and possible accidents. - Do not allow gaps to grow in the line, if someone is losing the wheel of the person in front of them, let the person at the front know to take a little off the pace and allow the other one to rejoin; this is especially important for the person right at the back, once you drop off the line it is incredibly difficult to rejoin without burning a huge amount of energy.
Do not get too close to the person in front of you, as you are putting yourself in danger of touching wheels especially if that person brakes, stops pedalling for a few seconds or stands up to change position on say a hill. - Never overlap the wheel in front of you. This is called "half-wheeling", and is quite a common with inexperienced group riders. If the rider in front of them needs to move to the left or right and there is an overlap, then there may nowhere to go and you are potentially going to end up having a collision or accident. So please don't overlap your wheels
Do look ahead rather than looking down at the wheel of the rider in front of you. It is easy to lose concentration, if they suddenly brake or swerve you may not be able to take action. So keep alert. Keep your head up and be a part of the group without staring at someone's back. - Even when not at the front, keep an eye out for each other and that you point out obstacles potholes, gravel etc.
- Don't brake abruptly. If there is if an obstruction and you can get over it and then do without braking.
- If you're riding in a group and you come to a slight hill or an incline, and if you have a tendency to stand up on the pedals, you may have noticed that you slow down, even just temporarily. It is best if you can avoid standing up while in the group, if you start standing up you might find someone coming into the back of you. So again just be careful and be cautious of those around you.
- Conversely, do not go hell for leather down hills, keep it steady and therefore safe, do not put people in danger or take them out of their comfort zones, not everyone is as good a descender as you :-)
Ground Rules
It is always a good idea to agree upfront some of the ground rules for riding as a group.
- First and foremost agree the pace that you will be riding, and that everyone is able to comfortably hold that pace, not just on the flat, but on the rolling roads. Keep the pace, and do not get tempted to surge when it is your turn at the front.
- Agree that you will stop at the top of bigger hills or simply from time to time and allow people to catch their breaths and regroup, everyone climbs hills at different speeds, so it is very difficult to keep the group intact.
- Agree to warn each other before braking or stopping. and agree beforehand your shouts and warning, otherwise it can get a bit irritating or confusing if it's being done all the time... or inconsistently leading to confusion.
Golden rule of this is to practise beforehand.
Final point here, if there are lots of hills that are very short and very sharp )which means you go down into a valley then come straight back up the other side) when riding in a group, you will find that riders in front of you will start to bunch as the group slows. And before you know it you can collide straight to the back of somebody. Just be very very careful coming down hills, take it steady. The riders ahead of you will slow down and so you need to be aware of that and change your speed to compensate or take avoiding action.