Probably the leading cause of bike group crashes is one rider’s front wheel touching the rear wheel of the rider ahead. And a “touch” is all it takes for the trailing rider to fall almost instantly. If rider manages to make a clean fall with minor injury, a cascade of trailing cyclists may cause a chain reaction of injured riders and damaged bikes.… Read More »Watch That Wheel!
Should I pull until I’m almost exhausted? Answer: No. Team time trial studies has convincingly shown that a lead rider should ride until an arbitrary 70% of reserve energy is consumed. Then, when safety permits, step out. You’ll recover much faster when you don’t reach the point of exhaustion. Let your teammates share the load.… Read More »More on Group Ride Safety and Tactics
The lead rider–the person who is pulling the group–has the most important role in that group. That person is most responsible for the overall safety and riding efficiency of the the entire group. Don’t worry, the responsibility is shared when each lead rider takes his/her turn as “lead-dog.” Due to its importance, we’ll devote quite… Read More »Responsibilities of the Group Ride Lead Rider
Earlier mention was made that intersections were the most hazardous point of any vehicle travel. Driver Training Instructors preach the mantra, “Left, Right, Left,” for students first learning to drive, and when approaching an intersection. Cyclists are in much greater hazard at intersections. It takes at least twice as long as a motorist for a… Read More »Safety Blog: Cycling Safely Through Intersections
A “pace line” is a linear group of cyclists all drafting off the lead rider. Rotating the pace line is something discussed later, here we’ll talk about basic rules for pace lines. Not doing these things, is distracting at best, hazardous all other times. This is a topic that has countless components. We’ll begin with… Read More »Safety Blog: Pace Line Safety and Etiquette
By Phil Coleman When riding alone, you’re responsible only for own safety, in a group you’re responsible for everybody’s safety. In a group, nobody sees everything in front, side, and back. Somebody sees at least one of these and has a duty to call out hazards they see. Example: The lead rider sees a car… Read More »Safety Blog: Communication