14 Cycling Group Ride Etiquette Tips: How to Avoid Being “That Rider”
Group rides are growing! Cyclists around the country are meeting outside bike shops and coffee houses for their Saturday morning club rides. Sometimes it’s a road ride, other times it’s on gravel or mixed surface ride. There might be some new riders at the group ride or on your cycling team. If you’re new to group riding or want to make the new folks feel more welcome, it’s important to remember good group ride etiquette.
Point OUT hazards
Flat tires suck for everyone, especially when you’re in a group that stops to wait for the affected rider. Minimize flats by physically pointing to the holes, glass, and random car parts. This hand signal needs to travel all the way back, so pass it on so the people behind you get the message. Different groups have different habits, but personally I reserve audible warnings for really dangerous situations.
If you run over debris, use your hand (preferably with gloves on) to brush the surface of your tire. On the front tire obviously do it in front of the fork. For the rear tire, hook your thumb on the seatstay and use your fingertips to brush the tire directly in front of the stays. Hooking your thumb prevents you from getting your hand jammed between your rear tire and the seat tube. Trust me, that’s an experience you don’t want to have.
Be proactive around safety and pacing
Nobody likes being barked at constantly, and certainly not during a nice group ride. But there are some times when it’s good to speak up. The riders at the back should let the group know when they need to single up to better share the road with cars, or when there is a particularly large vehicle coming around (like a dump truck).
The riders in about the 3rd row of a double paceline are in a good position to call for an adjustment to the pace. At this point in the group you can tell if the riders around you are struggling with the speed or the wind direction. Riders in the first and second rows can sometimes misjudge their pace and position relative to the rest of the group.
And of course, it’s everybody’s responsibility to watch out for potential bicycle-car collisions. If you see something, say something!
Stay off the brakes
You’re going to need to make minor speed adjustments in a group ride, and you want to do this with air resistance rather than braking whenever possible. That means sitting up a bit and/or moving out into the wind a little to slow down, or tucking into the draft and pedaling a bit more to speed up. When you tap the brakes, you slow more abruptly and that signals the rider behind you to tap his brakes, and so on. Obviously there are times when you need to and should use the brakes, but try to make minor speed adjustments without braking to avoid a herky-jerky riding experience for everyone around you.
Pull longer, not harder
If you’re feeling like superwoman or you’re the fast rider of the group, don’t ramp up the speed when you get to the front. It’s not nice and it makes the pace uncomfortably hard for your friends. Instead, ride the group’s pace and stay at the front longer. You’ll get the training you want and give the rest of the group some extra time in the draft.
Pull shorter, not slower
If you don’t have the fitness to take a long pull at the group’s pace, you should still rotate through like everyone else, but just pull off quickly. There’s no rule that says you have to take a pull equal to the rider before you. The rule is that you need to pull at the group’s pace. Don’t slow down, because then everyone stacks up behind you. For a smoother experience for everyone, keep it short and pull off.
Pace the climbs for the middle of the group
When the pack hits rolling hills it can be hard to keep the group together, especially when “that guy” drills it on the front. When drafting is less of a help to the riders in the middle and rear of the group ride, it’s important for the riders at the front to consider everyone when establishing the climbing pace.
On social group rides it’s typical to wait at the top of longer climbs. To minimize the frequency of these softpedal periods or stoppages, try to set a pace that’s comfortable for the middle of the group. This may mean it’s a bit easy for the fast riders at the front and pretty challenging for some folks at the back, but this pacing strategy is good for keeping the group together over the majority of hills.
Learn how to blow your nose
True story: In one of my first pro races in Europe I was riding along, middle of the pack, and I turned my head and hocked a lugie… right onto the legendary Francesco Moser’s thigh. A chorus of Italian curse words erupted around me and I slunk my way to the back of the pack for a while like I was in time-out. If it’s time to spit or blow a snot rocket, do it when you’re at the back of the group. If you have to do it around other people, aim down to the road not out to the side. Put your head down a bit and expectorate under your arm, almost as it you’re aiming for the end of your handlebar.
Shift as you stand up
When you stand up to pedal your weight shifts and your cadence almost always slows. This can result in what’s known as a “kickback”, where your rear wheel seems to kick backwards toward or into the front wheel of the rider behind you. It not only freaks people out, but if you end up tapping or overlapping wheels it can cause a crash. To avoid this, shift up once or twice into a harder gear as you rise from the saddle. With your full bodyweight over the pedal you can push a bigger gear at lower cadence and maintain your speed without causing a kickback.
DON’T…
… pull so hard you drop yourself
Social group rides tend to wait for dropped riders, which is great. However, try not to make them wait for you because you were riding like an idiot. If you take monster pulls at the front and then get dropped, you’re not making any friends. Learn to gauge your efforts and keep something in the tank to make sure you can latch onto the back of the group and stay on a wheel.
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… show up late and unprepared
We’ve all been late to a group ride at some point, and we’ve all forgotten something important (like food) before. It happens, but it shouldn’t happen often. Be on time and be self-sufficient. This includes tools, a tube and a pump. I don’t care if you have tubeless tires and sealant, or if you prefer CO2 cartridges. When the sealant doesn’t seal and you’re out of CO2, a tube and a pump will get you going in minutes. We’re all nice people and we’ll give you a tube or some food if you need it. Just try not to need it.
… half-wheel your friends
The right way to ride in a double paceline is handlebar-to-handlebar, not half a wheel ahead of the rider next to you. Half-wheeling pisses people off, especially when you accelerate to maintain the half-wheel advantage despite your partner’s attempt to pull even with you. It also messes up the spacing for everyone in the paceline behind you.
… sprint away from stops
When the light turns green, gradually build the speed back up to where it’s supposed to be. Don’t be that rider who does a standing start sprint at every traffic light. Depending on the size of the group, the folks at the back won’t even start moving until you’re 50 meters down the road, and then they’re going to be maxxed out trying to get on a wheel.
… run stop signs and red lights
Just don’t do it. Besides being unsafe, against the law, and damaging to our collective reputation, it’s also disrespectful to all the groups who are working hard to convince communities to improve cycling infrastructure and enhance cyclists’ safety.
As of 2023, there are 10 States and the District of Columbia where cyclists can legally treat stop signs as yield signs. Originally known as the “Idaho Stop” because Idaho passed the first such law in 1982, the following nine states have passed similar laws between 2017 and 2022: Delaware, Arkansas, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Utah, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia. In Idaho, Arkansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma, cyclists can legally treat red lights as stop signs, too.
However, even in places where Stop as Yield and/or Red as Stop are legal, it’s important that you don’t…
… Get The Whole Group in Trouble or in Danger
When you decide to join a group ride, it’s like joining the Musketeers: all for one and one for all. For safety and efficiency, the whole group needs to move with one mind. This is most important when you are at the front. Can the whole group make it through the green traffic light? Is there enough space in traffic for the whole group to turn left? Though everyone has to be responsible for himself or herself, try not to make riders at the back have to decide between a dangerous situation and staying with the group.
At some point on some group ride, a car will pass too closely or some unhappy person will yell at the group from a car. Escalating these situations can be dangerous, and during a group ride you are potentially endangering more than just yourself and involving other people in a situation they may not want to deal with. Individual cyclists and groups should absolutely defend the right to safely share the road. Just remember that how you do that will reflect on the entire group. Be an adult, even when others are not. In the case of traffic stops, one hothead can get everybody ticketed instead of getting on with the ride.
In the long run most of these habits become second nature, and the longer you ride with the same group of people on a team or local club ride, the more you will be able to anticipate how the whole group is going to behave and the more comfortable you’ll be riding close together in a nice, tight pack or pace line.
Have fun out there!
By Chris Carmichael
CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer
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Comments 59
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The info was educative
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My group has ridden 200+ in a day, many centuries and in between. We use an endurance pace lane, not a racing pace line. It’s all about conserving energy as a group. We do follow a few simple rules that dovetail with Chris’s great advice:
1-Never accelerate entering your pull. Everyone else is conserving energy; don’t bogart that.
2-After intersections, obstacles, ballards, etc, the group will accordion a bit, so very slow acceleration keeps the back riders from struggling.
3-We ease up the inclines to keep the pack together. Saves having to regroup, and the time lost is negligible.
4-On descents, the leader pedals to maintain pace, everyone else takes a longer interval and no one passes. That’s what brakes are for, and it’s a lot safer than bunching up at speed behind a slower descender. Those more interested in their momentum are not a good mix with us.
5-We call out a lot, and repeat it down the line.
6-No one should be afraid to call “Gap!” and then the pace line slows down. Period.
7-If you’re feeling it in the quads during a pull, you’re probably a bit too fast. Relax, we’ll get there.
8-Take what the wind gives you, but it’s not a race.
9-Into the wind, spin up and stay comfortable, don’t tense or hunch. That’s worth .5 mph easy.
10-Drink when you’re not pulling and not climbing. You can wait until you’re at the back.
11-We do rest stops “with a purpose,” especially if there are time cutoffs to make. Re-fill bottles, ice, a quick bite and bathroom break, and off we go again. On long rides, we build a cushion in case we’ll need more time later.
12-Pull your time and move over. No heroes. You can pull less if you are blowing up, but anything over our agreed time (2 minutes) is too long. In the wind, we sometimes drop it to a minute. We’re not racing.
As more people seem to be riding e-bikes these days, I have a suggestion. If you’re on an e-bike, try to refrain from breaking up the group by pushing the pace up hills. You have an assist; most of your group *doesn’t*. I have no qualms regarding people riding e-bikes. Just don’t be a jerk.
I have spent my fair share of time on group rides. When pulling at the front, so many riders lack awareness of the appropriate road position as dictated by wind direction. A cross wind from the left dictates to position yourself to the far left of your lane, when a cross wind is from the right, position yourself to the far right of the lane. These positions facilitate riders to echelon and maintain their draft advantage within the peloton. And, unless instructed otherwise in pre-ride announcements, the lead rider pulls off into the direction of the crosswind as well.
Forgot to mention, I live and ride in the state of OKLAHOMA… you know, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains…
Echelon formations are nice, but they require a lot of practice AND an OPEN. In thousands of miles of group riding, we’ve had space and time maybe twice to do it right, and then for maybe 1-2 miles. I’ve never ridden a closed course.
I’ve put in thousands of miles in single & double pace lines on weekly set bike rides with an established group of riders. We’re lucky to have many miles of rural roads to enjoy. It’s so common we don’t even think twice about it.
Now there are a few rides I do that are a looser group of riders that more or less keep together but have zero interest in tight pace lines but like the social aspect of a group ride. Of course, sometimes these groups can be more erratic and perilous.
After several scary incidents I now tend to avoid ANY open group ride allowing e-bikes. PERIOD. In my area too many e-bikers are 13-15mph riders who show up at 20-25mph group rides and motor (pun intended) towards the front. These folks tend to be VERY sketchy bike handlers because they think they can ‘automatically’ handle their bike at the higher speeds their e-assist supports…..and have little experience (or etiquette) in paceline/peloton riding.
FWIW- This concern is supported in the emergency medical press as a sharply rising number of cyclists going to ERs after being injured due to e-bikes (and not just the e-bikers themselves).
Of course the above does not apply to experienced road riders getting up in years (or recovering for injury, etc.) who want to keep riding with their younger buddies. That type of rider is generally at least a mid-pack (if not better) bike handler.
Should riders in a group ride pass a rider that is not maintaing proper distance.
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Question…I am an experienced rider but yesterday on a small group ride (4people I had not ridden with before), we were 60 miles into a quick 85 mile ride. We were all pointing out trash in the road however, while i was on the front i missed pointing out a rock. The guy behind me hit it, flatter and later told me he cracked his Enve 2.2 tubular rim…should I feel resposible to pay for the damage?
no. your friend should buy rims that don’t break in half every time he rolls over a rock
No !
Nope these are the risks of bringing your prize bike to a group ride without a prior arrangement.
Absolutely not. Pointing out hazards is an important courtesy but not an obligation. Look out for each other but remember, we all make mistakes.
No. These things happen. Next thing you know, someone will slip on gravel and want you to pay for their road rash.
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The Idaho Stop is now legal in Oregon as of 1/1/20
And in Colorado as of April 2022.
“Although Idaho pioneered the practice in 1982, it wasn’t until 2017 that another state, Delaware, followed suit. (Delaware permits treating a stop as a yield, but not treating a red light as a stop.) Since then, the movement to legalize the Idaho stop has been gaining traction, with Arkansas, Oregon, Washington, Utah, North Dakota, and Oklahoma each passing their own versions of the law.”
Just a suggested tweak regarding advice not to accelerate to fast from a stop. If you are in front of a large group at a traffic light, be ready to move with purpose through the intersection–you have riders stacked behind you. Don’t drift into the intersection at two miles an hour looking to clip in. Get going and focus on that if you have to once you’ve cleared the intersection. Otherwise you end up leaving people in the back who couldn’t get through before the light turned back to red, or you help promote a stream of riders entering the intersection despite the red–a very dangerous situation that also annoys motorists, particularly those trapped behind the group.
Great advice Chris, much appreciated
Embarrassed to admit quite a few misdemeanours; will try harder.
One thing I have learnt from a few riders is tapping your right lateral thigh twice before standing off the saddle to prevent being rear ended by the following cyclist, or just shouting out “standing”
Cheers
Max
In our endurance pace lines, you maintain the restrained but steady pace. If you check up, it creates havoc behind you, even if you “signal.” You stand if you can do it at the same steady pace. After a few rides, you’ll learn to stand if needed and maintain the pace. Being trapped between a fidgety or stand-up rider and the folks behind you is not pleasant. Our rule of thumb is “if it upsets a rider 6″ off your wheel, don’t do it.”
It’s simple physics. Your wheel goes back when you stand became you move your center of gravity forward relative to the frame. Anything you do that slows that change reduces the problem.
I have a technique, but I don’t know if it’s right do take it with a grain of salt. Just a moment before I stand up on the pedals, i shift my weight forward. It causes the bike to lunge ever so slightly which advances you enough to stand without causing the rider behind you to hit you.
I’d add, when leading, don’t ride in the gutter
You may be able to pick a line on the last two inches of pavement,
but it will be hard for those behind you to follow and it serves no purpose,
especially on an empty road or in a cross-wind.
Excellent. I’ve taco’d a wheel when a drain stepped out in front of me…. We call out “no shoulder” when the situation arises, and we ask our leader to pick as safe a line as possible. It’s a beautiful thing when your leader is calling out holes and gravel through a dicey section.
Under the subheading “ Point OUT hazards” you suggested using the tips of your fingers to brush of the debris on the rear tire’s surface. Ouch! [Doggies dat smarts! 😉 ]
May I suggest the following, which I have practiced since the early 80s:
1- spread out your fingers, and keep them spread out
2- place the back of your had against the seat tube
3- slide your hand, with fingers spread out wide, down until the gloved-palm of your hand touches the rear tire’s surface.
Any debris on top of, or stuck in, the tire will brushed off by the gloves’ leather surface.
So there! That’s my story and I’m going to stick to it!
Absolutely agree. I started riding and racing in the late ’70s and always used my gloved hand to sweep debris from my tires.
I might have missed this in the article, but I might also add “Don’t ride with a death grip on the bars.” Riding tense and gripping your bars too firmly intensifies the reaction when you inevitably get bumped or bump into another rider. Keep a good grip but try and relax and enjoy the ride. There is nothing more fun than a good group cruising along.
Greetings what is the etiquette when passing another group. Yesterday our group passed another. The other group(from the same club) quickened their pace and infiltrated us. Our group then had to up the pace to get away and we dropped some of our riders.
What is the rule on single up when a faster group is passing the slower group on a multi lane road?
We ride as a group, pass as a group (“on your left with 6”), get passed as a group. If someone wants to tag on, fine, but we explain the situation and the rules; generally they do one of three things: 1-ride on ahead, 2-fall back behind, or 3-(rare) join in and stay in line, pulling their turn. On several occasions, the person(s) who decide to join have become regulars. We’ve picked up riders on 200+ rides, and people doing 60 who decide to go for 100 in our group, and are pleasantly surprised when they pass the century mark, and are not gasping.
Hi, what would you advise your team riders in an aero line if the lead rider passes a lone cyclist – how long to maintain a straight line before moving back infront of the lone cyclist. Two bike lengths ? Three or four ? I see far too many clubs move in straight away as soon as past the lone cyclist.
Great rules! On the standing, I always appreciate (and try to do) a verbal heads up. Doesn’t have to be shouted out since it’s really for the rider behind you but a simple “standing” lets you be prepared for any kickback and if you are looking for it, you are less likely to have a big overreaction and set off chain reaction. Especially helpful when riding with groups that aren’t familiar with each other.
With a little practice standing up (and sitting back down) can be completely transparent to the rider behind you. I was taught to pedal yourself out of the saddle, and pedal back into it (instead of just plopping back down). This eliminates the the momentary coasting that can cause kickback. I was taught about shifting to a harder gear as well and that can help if you can do it reliably without coasting.
See, e.g., https://cyclingtips.com/2016/12/after-the-death-of-a-canberra-cyclist-should-you-be-concerned-about-catastrophic-fork-failure/
That link appears to not be working, but a lengthy back and forth on materials used for fork steerers, and mention of this incident can be found here. https://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=95672 Take it from someone who had steering tubes spontaneously fail twice on a tandem – not fun!
Not so sure about the advice of changing gears when jumping out of the saddle to prevent kickback . . . I give it a little gas immediately before and just ever so slightly as I am coming out of the saddle (essentially one motion) to prevent that by creating some instant space to offset any drop-off. Changing gears while rising from or out of the saddle places a little too much faith in components (which can and do break no matter how well maintained, etc.) I would rather avoid. I’ve seen people go down hard from a skip or broken chain changing gears while jumping/standing. Better to change gears in the saddle, especially given the reduced transition gaps allowed for by 11 speed cassettes out there. Just my experience and preference.
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I am 63 been riding my entire life stopped riding in groups 25 years ago. I ride mostly fixed gear. I don’t wear trendy cycling clothes. I don’t wear a helmet,I run numeral red lights every ride. I ride 5 times a week all year long in Michigan. I could care less what cyclists and motorists think of my riding. I love the bike and have a great time every ride and love my own company ?
If you care so little what people think of how you cycle why are you here talking about how you cycle? You ride a fixed gear but don’t wear “trendy” clothes lol. Fixed gears are the fashionably anti-establishment trend. They certainly aren’t sensible anywhere off a track. Do you hold your legs in the air to go downhill? Yet you think the clothes are all about form and not function? You don’t have to have to have clothes in my opinion and I didn’t always ride kitted up. The only one using it to show off who they are though is you, not me. I use a jersey now because they have a pocket in back for my phone and the front zips down to cool off. Your reason for wearing your clothes though appears to be related to defending your image of yourself. An image that you project by working hard to let everyone else know how much you don’t care about it.
Thanks for that reply Bob! Like in life, people too often only think of themselves and not others. 1 cyclists’ actions could not only have an immediate impact on them and/or the group they’re riding in, but later effect how motorists perceive and treat other cyclists in the future.
My 2 cents.
Take care EVERYONE!
Thanks for that reply Bob! Like in life, people too often only think of themselves and not others. 1 cyclists’ actions could not only have an immediate impact on them and/or the group they’re riding in, but later effect how motorists perceive and treat other cyclists in the future.
My 2 cents.
Take care EVERYONE!
Next time cut the BS and simply say your an Ahole out ridding your bike.
Howie rides solo for a reason…
Wear a helmet. It’s not fashion. It’s common sense. Enjoy your safe solo rides.
Dear Howie,
Regarding riding without a helmet, have you chosen where you want to be buried?
Regarding running lights- are familiar with the “law of averages?”
Every year morons on bikes get killed because they ride against the flow of traffic, ride up on the sidewalk and jump down onto the street, weave in&out of parked cars, are not only not visible but even worse are not predictable.
Suggestion: sit down today and plan your funeral.
thanks for the description Howie.
i’ll try to steer clear if i see anyone who looks remotely like you.
Congratulations on making it to 63! So… what’s numeral red light?
We try to make friends, not enemies of the people with tonnage under their steering wheel, and other cyclists. It’s never worth the second you save to be a jerk. You never know when one decided to help a stranded cyclist out. It’s happened. A smile and humility go a long way.
Thank you, Chris. I have learned and am aware of these rules from attending several CTS camps. But it is a lot to remember and I needed to be reminded. I have to admit, that I am still not so comfortable riding side by side and trusting another rider, but that’s just one of the many reasons I love the camps…. learning and riding with coaches who observe, and give you tips in a nice and professional manner. I think we are riding the same coast, so see you out there!
Montar en la carretera es una felicidad y se aplican todos los anteriores consejos practicos pero al ingresar o salir de una ciudad con alta congestión de tráfico hace que se pierda la cultura del ciclista, nos pasamos los semáforos en rojo, nos metemos entre carros, entre motos y peleamos con ellas , nos montamos anós aceras y no lo digo solo por mi sino por la mayoría de los ciclistas que nos sentimos atropellados por la falta de cultura de los automovilistas y motociclistas a quienes nos tratan y tratamos cómo enemigos.
Be prepared for medical emergencies. No one plans to be in an accident- you can plan and be prepared for an accident. Be ready to be the first responder and possibly save the life of a fellow rider.
Another bit of safety advice is to manage the size of the group. Our club has 65 members and the Sunday turnout is usually 30-40 riders. We split into A,B and sometimes C level groups. A double pace line of 14-18 riders is easier to manage, and easier for cars to pass. Win-win.
Great info Chris, especially on the very important BUT often overlooked aspect of group/club riding regarding safe and effective cycling in traffic.
I’ve dedicated the last 22 years of my life instructing public safety cyclists how to safety and effectively utilize their bikes as a patrol tool , including riding in traffic.
A few years ago, I found out about a new grassroots organization called CyclingSavvy, who promotes successful cycling in traffic. Recently, one of their instructors created a Club Edition focusing on group riding in traffic. I’ve attended 1 presentation for adults and 1 for a SCNCA Junior Development Camp. I highly recommend this club edition presentation to anyone who wants fresh critical thinking strategies for group riding in traffic.
Gary Cziko of CyclingSavvy can be reached at gcziko@gmail.com for further information.
Be Safe out there!
Thanks Chris,
Some great points, some I hadn’t considered, or even was aware, since most of my riding is solo. By you putting this important info out here / there, it will help keep us cyclists enjoying the wind in our face.
Thanks for posting some common sense tips to make group rides safe and enjoyable for everyone, not just the “hammering man.”