Guidelines for safe group riding

These are some guidelines that FOTR adopted (subject to fine tuning):

• Use verbal cues and hand signals - car back, hazards, etc. ANZA cycling has very good guidelines.
• Accelerate smoothly and gradually from stationary starts and away from corners. More so when the train is long and at higher speeds, to allows rear riders to stay with the group.
• On undulating terrain, front riders should ease up when climbing, especially if the train is long. 
• Designate certain stretches as no surge zones and sprint zones where riders can rev their engines with designated rv points
• Pre-ride briefing to emphasize ride route, stop points for re-grouping
• Pre-ride route sent out via email 
• Let the group know if tired or not feeling well
• For inclusivity, we should have shorter options for riders who are not out to do endurance riding
• Commitment to riding as a group for safety. Sometimes we may split up into two sub-groups - the speedy and steady sub-groups. Each sub-gorup should have a sweeper. Those who are dropped from the speedy group, please slow down and join the steady group. We should also stick together as a group when traffic builds up. We should have at least two or three riders sticking together, especially when peeling off.
• Organize the 2 groups such that the group taking the shorter route could rv with the group taking the longer route at a designated point at a later time. This way we could all end together, have breakfast and live up to the name of the group - fellowship!
• Rolling off - pull for a specified time/distance and then roll off. This way, everyone takes turn pulling at a good speed

Cycling: How fast is fast?

The start of our back-to-back long rides to prepare for Mersing double century was a 86km on Sat followed by 66km on Sun. We hooked up with another group of strong riders, and they, together with CS and MH set a blazing pace. More often than not, we were above 30 kph up till LCK.

After a rest stop along the westcoast highway, the action got even faster and more furious. We were rolling along at more than 35 kph along, and the speed went above 40 kph subsequently. This was the first time I hit above 40 kph (42 to be precise) over a single km on flats. I got dropped along the Keppel viaduct after a traffic light and slowed to join the steady group. Average speed: 28.3 kph over 86 km (the rest were faster!).

On Sunday, we tried taking turns to pull. The first part went quite well as we rode the Braddell viaduct, with speed between 25 to 30 kph on undulating terrain. RV with HP and WL for the second loop, and also RV with Jodan. Kept the pace to a comfortable 25 - 28 kph. And went up Hendon Road, a 400m climb that was sufficiently challenging but doable.

Then we decided to take turn pulling along CCR. We sped along at 32 to 38 kph and realized that we had to fine tune our technique to switching / rolling over.

At higher speed (above 30 kph), the first rider has to slow down to peel off, but the second rider should not speed up too much. Just enough to maintain the speed, otherwise the first rider would not be able to catch up at the back. Also, three lamp-posts appeared too short a distance to pull. Perhaps 1 km is a better distance. The other thing to note is that once the lead rider drops below a specified speed, he should switch back. 

For a better perspective on Sunday's ride, please see Jodan's account.

Personally I thought last weekend's rides set a new milestone for FOTR. We could now sustain above 34 kph and we achieved new highs (as a group).

But the question is how fast is fast? I had asked myself this question before, and my answer then was 35 kph is fast enough for me. Sure, it feels good to hit new highs to improve. Yes, it is wonderful to be stronger. However, we should never do so at the expense of safety.

One of the key learning points for me is to accelerate gradually. Surging from a stationary start or after cornering would mean that the riders at the back would have to accelerate even more to keep up. The same applies for going upslopes. This becomes more critical when the speed goes above 30 kph.

Why is this important? Safety. Riders tend to get dropped if the pack surges, and it is certainly safer to ride with the pack.

We have been mulling over some guidelines for safe riding, especially as our group gets bigger. Certainly need to fine tune our guidelines as we go along.

But hey, it feels great to hit 42!

Group riding by Wild Cat

Found this informative article by Wild Cat on TriFam forum, reproduced with permission:

Why ride in a bunch (by Tanya Bosch)? Some do it to motivate themselves to get up and train, others do it for safety in numbers on the road or simply for social reasons. Many friendships have been forged while spinning away the kilometers. Some view bunch riding as a personal challenge: if only I can keep up with them going up this hill then I know I've really made it.

So how do you join a bunch? If you join on the road, keep on the back unless you have permission to move towards the front. Some bunches are groups of cyclists who are paying a coach and others are not keen to be responsible for a rider that they do not know.

Don't join a bunch unless they show some kind of support. Some will support slow riders by waiting at the top of long hills or having some kind of recognized short cut on the course. Others support faster riders by having some fast sections for them that don't break up the bunch too much.

There should also be some support for those suffering punctures or mechanical breakdowns when either the whole bunch stops or one or two people stop and help. Most bunches ride two abreast as it is safest to take up one lane of the road.

Accelerating
Accelerating away from lights and across lanes should be done in a more dignified manner than when you're on your own, so that other cyclists are not dropped.

Braking
Avoid braking as much as possible and give warning beforehand. When stopping for lights, do so gently without slamming the brakes on. The same goes for stopping pedaling suddenly, which can cause an accident.

Cornering
Give your partner plenty of room in the corner and keep level with them. Corner at a safe speed so that everyone behind can keep up and hold your wheel. If you find that you are continually "losing wheels" then it is time to do some cornering practise.

Downhill
If you are at the front of the bunch, keep pedaling down gentle gradients. If you don't everyone else will be putting on their brakes.

Half Wheeling
"Half-wheeling" is one rider always riding in front of his partner, which then puts the whole bunch out. It is essential that you keep level with your partner if at the front. Keep your handlebars level with the handlebars of the rider next to you, rather than your front wheel level with theirs. (add on by me: If I find the person next to me uncomfortable riding too close to the one in front, I may drop back so that I am level with him (rather than trying to force him to ride closer than he's comfortable with). Also worthy to note, some newer riders are not too used to other riders coming too close to them. Be sensitive about it.)

Sitting On
Keep reasonably close to the cyclist in front of your and again keep level e with your partner. If too much of a gap is left the bunch is always playing "catch up". Keep your head and eyes up. Don't watch the gap between bikes. Scanning ahead will give you early warning of changes.

Uphill
In some bunches everyone splits up and goes up at their own pace while other bunches try and stay together. If that is the case and you feel like dropping off, pull off quickly so that others don't get caught behind you. When climbing a hill and deciding to get out of the saddle, do it in one continuous flowing movement. Otherwise the wheel slows momentarily and can hit the wheel of the cyclists behind, causing a fall.

Warnings and hand signals
If you are riding well into the bunch, you won't be able to see very far ahead.
Hazards: the most common are glass, rubbish and potholes. Call them out. Hand signal is point of the finger.

Parked cars: "Car left" is the call and arm swings back and goes behind the back, i.e. pointing the direction the pack should move out from.

Slow rider: "Rider left" and same sign as above.

Lights or stopping: Elementary.

Car behind: "Car back" is the call and no hand signal.

Changing lanes: "Over" or "Wait" whichever safety dictates. Called by the person at the back and on the right.


These are the basics which I have skimmed from the writeup available from http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/anzac...20Etiquette.ppt


Other things to note
1. Be predictable in all actions. Maintain a steady line and avoid sudden hard braking or changing directions suddenly. Remember that there are riders following closely behind you.

2. Keeping to your line. Try as much as possible to stay on your line. Avoid changing from left to right to left to right as it irritates the riders behind you (and possibly in front of you too).

3. Do not cut in suddenly. This happens quite a bit on the Sat rides. Always be aware of who is behind you on the left side before cutting in. Look. Then if there is space, cut in gently, not in a sudden movement. As an illustration...

. . |a
. . |b
|x |c
. . |d

Rider a has passed a slower rider x. He has enough space to cut back into the leftmost lane without causing any problems. What happens then is rider b who is drafting directly behind rider a, or even rider c, who has overtaken rider x but not completely, then cuts back in left. Physics tells us no two space can be occupied at the same time. What happens now is rider x has to either do an emergency brake, or be run off the road.

If rider a moves back in, if you are rider b or c just continue at the same speed but do not cut back in immediately. Ensure you do not cause a danger to rider x. For this same reason, I do not move back in immediately to the leftmost lane even if I am in front as I know some people drafting me may try to follow me and cut back in immediately.

4. Stay to the left to allow others pass by safely from the right. Overtake on the right hand side. If overtaking on the left, make sure the rider in front of you knows (call out, "overtaking on left") and should be avoided as much as possible. It's the same principle as cars overtaking from the left side on roads.

5. Be smooth with turns in front of group. Avoid surges unless trying to break from the bunch. A group will travel faster when turns are completed smoothly.

6. Don't leave gaps when following wheels. A newer cyclist may find that it is not possible to keep too close to the wheel in front. I use the following method: imagine a string between you and the next cyclist. Keep to that distance. If you get too close to the cyclist in front, the string droops. If you drop too far from the cyclist in front, the string breaks. However do try to maintain a steady pace rather than a surge/brake kinda thing which does irritate the rider behind you. If someone is doing that to you, just leave more space between you and the person.

7. Keep to your line. Yes, I mentioned it before and will mention it again. If you are not comfortable cornering, slow down BEFORE the corner (try not to brake too much IN THE CORNER, unless you really have no choice). If you are the ride leader, slow down before the corner and don't accelerate immediately after the corner. This is not a criterium race.

8. Keep to your line. You do not have to overtake just because someone in front left a gap. There may be a reason. The person may not be comfortable with keeping the distance? The person may just want to smoothen out the ride? I tend to do this especially when the pace in front is too jerky, and you will find me catching back to the group on downhills. Understandably there will be times when the group will split into a faster and slower group. If that is so and there's a big gap that you want to close up, then look for a SAFE opportunity to do so, ensuring there are no traffic on the right before overtaking.

9. Try not to gain places when everyone is stopped at the lights. If you are behind someone, unless there's a good reason to overtake at this point, just stop behind the person.

10. Stop behind vehicles at lights. Do not try to squeeze in between cars and such. If you are a solo rider or just a very small group of two, three experienced riders, then go ahead and do it. Otherwise, in a big pack, just stop behind the last vehicle and take up the lane behind it. When the lights go green, it gives you a lot more space to startout, rather than being caught in between a car and the pavement/another car and less than an inch between to try and push off from stationary.

Another thing to note is that a car may find it difficult to pass cyclists (especially big packs). Once it does so, it will be pretty irritating to the car to have to overtake the cyclists all over again and may be less patient this time. So in order to be road-friendly, I'd suggest just stopping behind the last vehicle.

11. Running red lights. I admit, I'm guilty. Let's try to avoid this. And another point is even if the lights are green, do slow down at junctions.


Ride safe.