Although chatting while cycling can be pleasant, you always need to lend a watchful eye and open ear to potential road hazards. Associated with attentiveness is anticipation. Try to understand the cycling patterns of the group and that of each rider. Never make any sudden or uncharacteristic moves. Remember, safety is paramount! Hold your line: It is of the utmost importance to ride in a straight line. No sudden movements side to side, forward or backward. As simple as this concept may seem, it can be quite difficult to master. By following a straight path, you become more predictable, not only to those cyclists behind you, but also to automobile traffic. (Note: Try riding the "white line" on your next solo training ride. It'll tell you how straight you can ride and it's good practice). If in town, hold your line approximately three feet away from the parked cars to your right to allow for "door swings." It is every rider's responsibility to maintain the smooth flow of the group. When riding in a group, sudden movements of any single rider can be disastrous (even fatal!). This means that abrupt braking, swerving, and any type of erratic riding, whatever the reason, is always dangerous and is poor technique. When the lead rider is careful to make all following aware of what's coming sudden reactions are seldom necessary. Each rider in the paceline is responsible for maintaining his or her place in that line. Riding relaxed and in a straight line in some situations can be somewhat counterintuitive in that a riders natural response is to brake or swerve abruptly when another rider makes a sudden move. Many times these sudden movements may be a quick shift of only a centimetre or two to avoid minor debris, minor loss of balance, etc., and does not merit braking or swerving suddenly in response. Keep your head about you at all times and realise that any movement you make (even in response to another) may create a serious situation. Others rely on your judgement. Keep in mind that above all a cyclist riding in a group has a responsibility to the group to always ride safely.
Rule of thumb: don't do it. As you ride in a paceline, avoid overlapping wheels (riding with your front wheel next to the rear wheel of the bicycle in front of you). This way, if the rider in front of you suddenly swerves in your direction, he or she doesn't take you down as their rear wheel smacks into your front wheel. For subtle speed reductions in a fast moving paceline, it is possible to simply move from behind the "wheel" ahead of you or "sit-up" rather than braking. To do this, just move to one side or the other (when there's space) thus slowing as you lose some of the drafting effect or make yourself a bigger target for the wind in order for it to slow you naturally. Always glance, if possible, where you intend to go to make sure you do not swerve into another rider.
Riding together in a tight group is fun and lessens drag but as mentioned earlier, requires constant concentration. Ride single file or double file as appropriate to the roadway and traffic conditions and where allowed by law (max. 2 abreast). Even where riding double is legal, courtesy dictates that you single up when cars are trying to pass if they are unable to get around in the passing lane. When riding 2 abreast in a paceline, in order to rotate off the front, the leading rider on the outside relays his/her intention to pull off, and then moves up and to the right, and drifts to the back rather than splitting apart and allowing the following 2 to pull up to the front. When splitting apart there is a line of 4 riders across the road and can interfere with vehicular traffic (and is unlawful). Keep in mind that whenever you ride you represent all cyclists to many motorists, and will garner respect or animosity by your actions. Motorists wield potentially overwhelming force. Give them reasons to respect your actions. Have your hands near or over the brake levers at all times, ready for unexpected reduction in speed of the cyclist in front. Remember, concentration and awareness of what's happening around you is everything while riding. These are fundamental tenents of safety.
While leading the paceline, each rider must make his or her own best judgement regarding how long to lead. The proper etiquette is to maintain approximately the same speed as the former rider at the front, pulling longer if you feel strong, shorter if you can't keep the pace. It is the responsibility of the stronger riders in the group to maintain a pace that all members can maintain, especially at the beginning of a ride when there are varying levels of ability present. A pace line normally runs smoother and faster when everyone takes relatively short pulls. Indicate your intentions appropriately to the next rider to assume the lead position as you prepare to pull off. This is done by an arm or hand gesture (normally flicking your elbow out a few times without taking your hands off the bars). After gesturing, the lead rider smoothly moves over. Sudden movements usually signal impending danger and can send the peloton into a tail-spin, or to the hospital. Look behind you before you pull out (or around) others; there's always a chance that someone (or something) will be rapidly approaching from behind. If the speed is obviously beyond your capability, then you have a responsibility to stay at the back and tell each rider to 'pull-in' in front of you as they move toward the back of the paceline for their wind-break. Don't try to be a hero by staying in the paceline if you don't have the fitness, or are just tired on the day. That will only serve to needlessly endanger the other riders in the group. Keep in mind that sitting at the back can save you 30-40 percent of the effort of the rider at the front. This is great if you are trying to ride (keep-up) with a group of riders that are stronger than you. (etiquette tip: If you DO sit at the back for the better part of the ride; never, EVER contest(and definitely don't WIN, the sprint point before the coffee/ice cream stop-that'll get you an open can of verbal whoop-ass from your cohorts!) In a long pace line, if you are the last person in line, inform a rider dropping to the rear that you are the "last man." Since the line is moving faster than the rider coming off of the front, the warning enables the rider to start picking up their speed to match that of the line.
When a rider in front of you is clearly getting dropped, a quick decision is required whether to stay where you are, or "jump-across" the gap before it gets too big. If the group is moving very fast, the latter may not be an option. This is known as the "crunch" time in bike racing terminology - when the pace is so fast that the paceline string breaks, the riders who can keep the pace end up in the lead group, and those that can't are "off-the-back." This means that if you let a gap open up everyone behind will be "dropped" either temporarily or for the rest of the ride. If you do this in a race, afterwards (sometimes during), racers feel completely within their rights to verbally abuse you.
Although the brunt of the responsibility to call out what's ahead of the peloton falls on the shoulders of the lead rider(s), all individuals in the paceline need to communicate with one another. Don't be afraid of redundancy. It doesn't hurt to point or call out an approaching danger after one or more members has already indicated them. Point/call out road obstacles (e.g., "glass," "door," "bike up," "car up," "runner up," etc.). Additionally, it is the more experienced riders responsibility to call attention to unsafe actions or situations. Riders behaving improperly, unsafely, or belligerently should not be tolerated, and should be tactfully notified, and the situation rectified. A strong rider is not necessarily a safe rider, and as stated earlier, safety is paramount. The potential price paid for negligence in pointing out these situations is far to high, to be overly concerned with bruising frail egos.
When a rider changes from a sitting to standing position on a hill for instance, their bike can, and unless checked, will suddenly move backwards as much as a foot-and-a-half. This is a temporary reduction in forward momentum due to a body position shift toward the front of the bike. When a rider stands in a group, they have a responsibility to guard against this sudden movement by avoiding this common pitfall. Practice when riding alone in order to stand and keep your forward momentum smooth and even. Again, beware of overlapping their wheel when this happens. Try to maintain the same pace as when seated to avoid allowing your bike to lurch in any direction.
Riders tend to let a gap open up between cyclists when cornering, so with each position back from the lead rider increased proportionally, the total distance from engine to caboose can double or even triple. This means that the further back you are after the corner, the harder you will have to work to "get back on" the back of the paceline. Obviously during races you don't want any gaps to open up and smooth efficient cornering at speed in close quarters takes practice (a subject for another article).
When there is a crosswind, the best draft is obtained by moving laterally from directly behind the wheel ahead, to the downwind side. How far 'off centre' depends on the exact direction and speed of the wind, but I can tell you that in a huge crosswind I've spent many a road race or time in a paceline with my front wheel even with the cranks of the rider ahead of me-drafting efficiently. Keep in mind that unless you are in a race with adequate traffic control, you must not spread out across the road. In group rides, the leading rider should be aware of the wind direction and "protect" those following from the wind, and as other riders move to the front, they do the same. To do otherwise is termed "guttering", and has no place in group rides. When racing, tactics will be a large factor in strong crosswinds. Training is often and should be convivial, but racing is very often much less so. Follow the rules of the road: No "shooting (running)" red lights (including left turn red arrows except when it's obvious your non-metallic bike won't trigger it.) This manoeuvre by the lead rider(s) causes confusion amidst the peloton, thereby jeopardising not only the leader who ran the red, but the entire group. Stay within the bike lanes (except perhaps when passing slower bike traffic or avoiding road debris.) Avoid riding three or four abreast which usually necessitates taking up part of the right car lane. This is asking for trouble! It is also unlawful! And remember; sometimes it's only safe to ride single file.
The quickest way to show yourself as a derelict (or worse) is to get in the aerobars, in the middle of a tight peloton, while travelling at 28 mph! Only use your aerobars if: (1)you are pulling the peloton, or (2) you've been dropped! If you see anyone riding in their aerobars in the middle of a paceline, inform them that their services are requested at the front of the pack
One of our club members was given a sobering demonstration of the benefit of wearing a helmet. I believe that we are in compliance with this 100%. There is no need to explain the importance of wearing a helmet. If you want to see what a helmet looks like after a crash, please contact me. If you want to see what a head looks like after an accident without a helmet, you are twisted! Keep in mind that helmets are much tougher than our heads, and a bargain at twice the price. Visibility: It can be very difficult for motorist to see a cyclist from behind a dirty window of a vehicle, especially early in the morning or late afternoon sunlight (while drinking coffee, eating, talking on the cell phone and adjusting the radio). Remember this for the vehicle approaching you from behind when cycling into the bright sun. On narrow roads, this applies for the vehicle coming towards you when you are cycling away from the sun. You can easily see the vehicle, however the driver might not see you. Also consider the visibility of motorists on rainy or dull days. They might not see cyclists until the last second. Ride defensively, always preparing an escape route if a situation occurs. Bright or light coloured gear can be a real life saver. Always assume that motorists do not see you, and always ride with caution.
When cycling on your own or in a group, be prepared for any sudden jolt. Cycle with both hands on the handlebars, not necessarily gripping tightly, but resting with your thumb and fingers surrounding your bar or brake assembly base. Proper positioning on a bike requires that the elbows be slightly bent in order that the front wheel does not move with every turn of the head and will absorb shock that can cause sudden movements of the front wheel, and therefore the entire bike. Move Off the Road: When You Stop; whether you are stopping because of mechanical problems or to regroup with your companions, move well off the road and shoulder so you don't interfere with traffic. It is usually best for the lead rider to pull forward in the stopping area and for other riders to pull in behind the rider in front of them. When you start up again, each cyclist should look for, and yield to, traffic. Often a flat or mechanical seems of considerable concern to a cyclist and this may lead to them being unaware of the impediment they become to approaching vehicular traffic. Always be aware that the safest place to be when riding or stopping is as far to the right as possible. It is easier to fix a few flats picked up riding on the shoulder than it is to heal from an altercation with a car or truck. I often offer to fix flats for those who think they are invincible or "hate getting flat tires" or "it won't happen to me". I would much rather be inconvenienced a few minutes every hour fixing flats than a few hours, or days, attending to injury or death. Remember: Everybody riding a bicycle started at the same level and now have their own reasons for riding. Acknowledge each and every rider you meet with a smile, a tilt of the head or a quick wave. You never know when you might need their help.
Ride safe and have fun,
Thunder Mountain Cycling