It seems once people buy a bike they think they know how to ride. Worse yet they carry this thinking over into group rides. You see all kinds of crazy scary things on these rides & its getting to the point its becoming dangerous. A few simple common sense things would make everyone's ride better. So I've decide to come up with a little beginners guide to riding in a group.
Basics:
-Keep your hands on the handlebars. Outside of eating & drinking keep your hands near the brake levers.
-Pay attention. Then since your hands are near the brake levers you can slow down if needed.
-Your bike will slow down in a timely manner, no need to jam on the brakes (unless you've not been paying attention & your hands are else where).
-Its OK to ride 2 or 3 abreast as long as you can get over when a car is coming without putting someone in the ditch or causing the driver a fit of road rage. Better yet ride close to the right side of the road & help keep from pissing the road ragers off. That line in the center of the road is for cars not people on bikes.
-Warn people of obstacles in the road. This is usually accomplished by pointing but most people need to keep their hands on the bars so call it out.
-Don't overlap wheels! If the rider in front of you moves over where are they going to go? That's right into your front wheel. You don't need to overlap wheels to gain benefit from the draft. Keep about 12-24 inches between your front wheel & the rider your following rear wheel.
-If your going to draft take your turn. Then signal or say something & smoothly pull to the side. If you can't help out your in too fast a group & need to fall back to a group more your speed. Some where along the line people have been led to believe if OCC riders are on a group ride it is their job to pull everyone the entire ride not so.
-If lead rider or riders pull to the side they want to quit pulling. Don't follow them trying to force them to continue pulling. This is a chicken shit move. Its done in racing not in group rides. Refer to above rule, take your turn then pull off.
-If in a single line paceline & the pace becomes too much & you need to fall off warn the rider behind you so they're not hung out to dry when you swerve to the side. Better yet muster up a bit off strength a pull up a little before pulling out to help the following rider catch on to the back.
This is the basics for now. I'll work on the list & update it. So study up there will be a quiz.
Don't make the quiz too hard, most people can barely read, must less remember all that tough stuff. Maybe you can help me study!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm grading on a curve & you get bonus points for things like minutes under an hour in a 40K, miles raced this season, MOBRA points, & USCF Ranking & Category.. So your already sitting @ 368%. Big Cheater. Now the bar is too high for avg mortals.
ReplyDeleteI left a rule out. Don't ride with your forearms on the Handlebars TT style EVER! Its just plain stupid.
Better tell that last part to ED, he thinks riding faux aerobars is cooler than school.
ReplyDeleteLast one was kinda directed to him. I've already told him my feelings about it to no avail. A high speed digger into the pavement then having half the pack ride over him might change his mind though.
ReplyDeleteYou are alive!
I see you had fun on the thursday night ride huh??
ReplyDeleteWow! Oh the joy I am missing on the group rides. At least I know that the lady next to me in therapy on the eliptical trainer won't swerve into my path.
ReplyDeleteSteve I
Don't be surprised if she doesn't. I've seen them bigguns move those things around.
ReplyDeleteYou know all the crazy riders are out trying to get a few miles in before there big MS ride. Some solo riding for me this week sounds like the best idea.
ReplyDeleteOver and out,
JB