Heather Fell: Riding in a group is a great way to benefit your cycle training and also
add in that variety, you've obviously got company which can make that cycling easier
and, as a result you can go further. Hopefully, it all just becomes a bit more fun.
Mark Threlfall: Yes, but you don't want to ruin that by upsetting or annoying any of
your fellow cyclists. Today, we put together a nice list of things that you want to avoid
when cycling in a group. [music]
Heather Fell: This is one of the most important things to get right if you're running late.
It's not just going to affect you and put stress on yourself, it's also just going to
mean you're going to set off on the wrong foot with the group that you're riding with.
Even if they know that you're coming, they aren't necessarily going to be waiting for,
say, 10 minutes. If you know it's a 9:00 AM group ride, make sure you get there with plenty
of time, because 9:00 AM is 9:00 AM and they will be gone. Arrive a little bit early with
a few minutes to spare, so if you need to make any tweaks or just you're comfortable,
you're not going to be chasing them off from the start.
Mark Threlfall: I know I'm a few minutes late, but are we good?
Heather Fell: Good timing, Mark. Mark Threlfall: That leads me nicely on to
our next point, and that is, knowing where the group is planning to go. Now, this is
particularly important if you end up finding your split up from the group perhaps due to
junctions or traffic lights. By knowing where they're planning to go will hopefully give
you the best chance of being able to regroup with them. It's particularly important if
you don't know the area that well and may not know your way home.
Also, if you end up getting a puncture or mechanical one you obviously hope that the
group will wait for you, but if they don't or they don't notice, again, give yourself
the best chance of catching back up with them and being able to find your way home. Then,
there is also just the fact of maybe you got dropped perhaps on a climb, and if they haven't
noticed where you could find yourself in a murder of a pickle and perhaps even lost.
Now, I would add to that, if you hurry on just a nice, easy, Sunday cruisy ride with
your group and you end up getting dropped and they don't wait for you, you might want
to consider, is that the right group for you, anyway.
Heather Fell: Punches can happen. It's entirely understandable when riding in a group, but
make sure you're prepared if you're out for solo ride, you'd obviously have all of your
spares like a spare inner, your tire levers and a pump of some sort. If you're riding
with others, you still need the same kit, and if it does happen, then the group, I'm
sure, will stop and wait, but don't expect them to be changing it for you. If the worst
comes to worst and you get a pinch when you're trying to quickly get your tire back on, it's
a good idea to have a second set of spares, but I'm sure you can ask for a favor and borrow
one, just make sure you replace that. Also, talking of replacing, if you've used
your own, make sure when you get home you replace those, because you don't want to be
in that panic situation when you realize actually the spare in a tube you thought you had is
one that already has a puncture in it. Nutrition is equally important. Make sure you've got
enough hydration and fuel to last you for the ride, maybe a little bit more if you're
not exactly sure what you've got in store, because there's nothing worse than running
out of water and having to borrow from someone, asking for some food, or even getting to the
stage where you're bonking and the whole rest of the groups got to slow down to try and
keep up at your pace where you're struggling along.
Now, this one is a clear red flag. Don't turn up to ride with a group with your own individual
agenda. By signing up to group ride means you're basically signing up and accepting
that whatever is in the plans for the group are your plans for the day, so you don't want
to be the person that's riding along a mid-ride suddenly says, "Oh, I've got to go off and
do some intervals right now." It won't go down well the same way sprinting off the front
or going hard on the climbs. You basically just want to ride with everybody else and
make everyone else's experience as enjoyable as yours.
Mark Threlfall: Although group riding should be fun, it should also be safe for everyone
in the group. There's a few golden rules that you want to abide by if you want to be invited
back to a group ride. Above all, it's keeping your pace nice and consistent, especially
if you're riding on the front of the group and kind of driving and dictating that pace,
but also if you are on the front of that group, then you actually have the added responsibility
of pointing out any hazards to others in that group, which we'll get onto in just a minute.
Heather Fell: Yes. In a group, positioning is really important as well, and just being
aware of where you are in that group. For example, you're not going to make any friends
if you start half-wheeling. If you're just sort of pushing the pace riding just in front
of the person next to you. Then at the other end, if you're following someone, make sure
that your wheel is not overlapping those because that's just a surefire way to have an accident
happen. Instead of talking about the riding smoothly
that Mark has already mentioned, it's really important that when you do brake, you let
people know, so you sort of shout behind you if you're stopping, try and do it just gradually
unless obviously it's a real emergency. The same goes with just changing your pace generally,
if you're going to be standing out of the saddle, and suddenly getting up, then it might
change your pace naturally, but just be aware of who's around you.
Mark Threlfall: Finally, don't spit or snot rocket, at least when you're on the front
of the group. Now, if you do need to do it, just slip to the back of the group. Trust
me, no one enjoys a snot rocket at 30 kilometers an hour.
Heather Fell: Now, this is the key point when it comes to safety, communication. When you're
riding in a group, you need to know what's going on in front of you, and the riders behind
you to know what's going on as well. If you're new to group riding, you might be slightly
surprised by various hand signals that are going to be pointing at things, but they'll
usually come with verbal warnings as well, so people will be pointing out potholes or
cars in the road that are coming up. You'll need to learn some of these signals,
but also, importantly, you need to learn how to do them yourself and make sure you pass
this information on. Those riders at the front, it's their key responsibility to make sure
the riders at the back know what's coming up.
On the surface, group riding can look a little bit daunting, but there's so much to get from
it, and it can be really great fun. I think the main take-home is just to remember to
communicate with whoever you're riding with, and just be generally conscientious of others
and we'll all have a good time. Mark Threlfall: Yes. I absolutely love group
rides, not only for the social aspect, but time just passes so quickly.
Heather Fell: It does. Mark Threlfall: Also, café stops.
Heather Fell: We should have incorporated that, shouldn't we?
Mark Threlfall: Anyway, I hope you guys have enjoyed today's video, so please do give it
a thumbs-up, give it a "Like." Don't forget to give GTN a "Follow" over on social media,
and if you're not doing it already, give us a "Subscribe" just down below.
[00:07:20] [END OF AUDIO]