jppe

caloso

I love group rides. I just don't get to do as many of them as I'd like due to work and family commitments.

justtrying

Ogsarg

When I rode motorcycles, the one thing I absolutely would not do is one of those crazy parade rides. I can't for a minute understand the appeal and riding in close formation with anyone is just unnecessary risk in my book. If I'm riding with a group it's a small group that knows how to leave some space between them. I keep my distance from other riders and expect they do the same.

caloso

The point of riding in group is to share the work. You go faster and farther in a group than you could ever do on your own. Plus it's social, or it can be if you want it to be. I don't think there's any comparison to be had with motorcycles, since there's no work to be shared and it's too loud to chat.

TiHabanero

In my glorious past I lead a weekly group ride. At one point it was 2 a week, however I lost interest when I stopped racing and found no need to go hammer myself into the ground. I really, really like riding alone, and almost always do so. I do ride with my daughter whenever possible as she is a great companion to ride with and is a very conversationalist and uninterested in riding her brains out.

Terex

Yep, it really depends on the group. I've lead groups of 20 strong, considerate, riders averaging 25+ MPH and it's been like a beautiful current in the ocean. My usual choice - about 5 friends with lots of climbing and BS'ing on the flats.

indyfabz

I stepped leading club rides because I got tired of dealing with goofy people who would sometimes show up. I may go on a group ride now and then, but they are usually the type that I can drop out of if there is too much stupidity afoot.

When I do self-contained touring, I always go alone. It's my me time. Nothing like being out on the road for a week or two by yourself. Don't have to stick to anyone's schedule but my own. Don't have to deal with anyone's problems but my own. Looking forward to another cross-Pennsylvania tour starting the weekend after Labor Day.

Biker395 

Yep ... that's it!

Bob Ross

In my experience many of those folks do know what they're doing; the problem is, they don't know what they're not doing. And that's what makes them dangerous to be around.

I love group rides. I think I prefer them to riding solo. But I hate riding around folks who don't know how to ride around folks.

For the past decade or so I've been a Leader/Coach for the annual 12-week progressive training series my Club sponsors that teaches cooperative group cycling skills. And admittedly part of the reason I do this is selfish: I want there to be more cyclists who I would willingly get into a high-speed paceline with.

Doesn't always work out...but when it does, it's a thrill to ride with these people.

fwiw, of the four serious crashes I've been involved with over the past 10 years, two were while riding with less-experienced cyclists...and the other two were while riding with more experienced cyclists! Go figger.

vinfix

I gave up on group rides right around when I turned 50. I was active for a couple of years in a club that was mostly older, especially young retirees. I did ride more with a group, even a couple of centuries, and got involved the the club leadership, too. But I got frustrated with some of the problem personalities and ride pacing. I wasn't generally concerned about safety (although there was one ride leader who was quite reckless) as it was mostly a C and B level club. There was one particularly well-endowed woman who had bike handling and balance issues, though. On one ride she went down hitting gravel on a turn. On another, she side-swiped her husband and he ended up in a ditch- boy was he pissed!

Around here, group rides don't seem to enjoy a good reputation as ambassadors of the sport. They tend to take over entire country roads or lanes rather than riding single or double file, creating a hazard to themselves and a nuisance to motorists. That's not a club I want to be part of, either.

canklecat

This video demonstrates the sort of stuff that makes me nervous on some group rides and on the MUP.


Primarily:

• Using aero bars anywhere around other humans. I see this on the narrow MUP almost every ride and it always pisses me off. Superman position, hands nowhere near the brakes, passing others at a combined closing speed of up to 50 mph, on a narrow path that's basically just a sidewalk, not even a proper bike path. Aero bars belong on solo rides, period.
• Overlapping wheels. I always stay at least a full bike length behind people, even if I know they're experienced -- because I don't trust the other people ahead of them, who I can't see.

Almost as bad is draping the forearms casually over the top of the bar. I saw an example of this in a local weekend gravel ride, that some regard as a race. One photo showed a rider in the lead of a pack with her arms draped across the top of the bar. If she's who I think she is, she's a pro or former pro and very experienced. But that pseudo-aero position on gravel while leading a pack is just asking for a mass fuster cluck disaster, risking several following riders. No way I'd draft someone doing that. Save the arm-drape thing for good roads, not in tight packs, on flat straightaways.

But other than that, sure, group rides can be fun and challenging.

BTW, in defense of the guy who went over the bars in this video:
He didn't panic and lock up the front brake, causing the endo. Watch carefully in slo-mo -- he never touches the left brake lever.

Apparently four spokes broke in the wheel-to-wheel contact, causing a death wobble. The rider did the smart thing by gradually slowing and heading toward the grassy shoulder for a soft landing. But it appears the wobbly front wheel dug in and turned unexpectedly in the gravel, possibly simultaneously jammed by a broken spoke. That appears to be the cause of the endo.

And he was so close to that soft landing. Just barely missed the grass by a foot.

Best part is when he looks up at the camera and says "Did you get that on film?"

When you gotta pull some dignity out of a screwup, that's the way to do it.

az_cyclist

I still enjoy both group rides and solo rides. As has been mentioned, you need to be careful.

caloso

I think the lesson here is don't do group rides with triathletes.

ddub

Don't have friends, don't participate in club group rides (no club locally anyway). I do a few century/fondo type organized rides but I don't have to ride with a group or even chat .

sjfoote081

I don't mind riding with a small group of experienced cyclists but what always gets my goat is when the ride is listed as casual 12 mph average and then some fool gets on the front and starts hammering. So much for casual riding. Was on group ride Sunday (silver comet trail) and this happened. The pace got too quick for conversation, so we basically rode in silence for the first hour plus. Not what I had in mind, so I excused myself and dropped off the back. Would have been more enjoyable by myself....

canklecat

I've seen that on every group ride, from casual to B-group rides that should be A-group.

My proposal is to make every ride leader use a city rental bike. Easier to draft. They're more likely to ride the posted average speed.

Rowan

My best bicycling friend is my wife, Machka. We have done quite a few rides together, from simple touring to complex hundreds of kilometres of randonnees. We can get a bit far away from each other sometimes, but never leave another behind. And if things get overchallenging or difficult to deal with we haven't gone against one's suggestion to find a campsite or somewhere to stay, or just go back to the start.

Both of us have ridden with other people, it isn't something that we have to do. We've ridden on PBP with largish groups away from the start, but have ended up independent after the first 100km or so.

justtrying

slorollin

And I love it when a 20-something that can't fix a flat or hold a line lectures me on the absolute necessity of a helmet or some other irrefutable fact learned yesterday.

TimothyH

Or when a self appointed father figure shows up to lecture everyone slower than him about how to ride properly.


-Tim-

Koyote

A group ride needs a Directeur Sportif who establishes and enforces the rules...And one rule is to not use aerobars (or only use them if pulling, not drafting).

There are plenty of other good rules, some of which will be specific to the ride's philosophy and personnel. (e.g., is it a "no drop" ride?)

But yeah, I get it. Riding in a group opens up more possibilities for mishaps, and I was once that guy who caused a crash, and I certainly have seen others cause crashes. I also once wrecked a wheel because a rider didn't point out a tree branch on the road. But I do think that regular group riding enhances a cyclist's handling skills.

Koyote

If that's all it took to break four spokes, it was just a matter of time before that wheel failed.

sevenmag

I ride solo 100% of the time. The only exception is at an organized/charity type affair. Given that, I know I have some bad habits and like was already mentioned, there are things I don't do that should. Because I'm always alone, It's not a habit to point out pot holes, or make sure I'm not going to swerve in front of anyone going around one. I know my mind is going to drift off at some point and I'll lapse and cause a wreck. When I ride a charity type event, I stay at the back when it starts and slowly pick my way through until things naturally thin out and I can comfortably settle into my own pace. I generally don't even sneak in a bit of drafting when a group passes me. I like those types of events, they give me motivation to keep getting on the bike. Once I pay the fee for the ride I feel obligated to put in the prerequisite miles. Seems silly but it works for me. I don't think I'll ever go looking for a group to ride with.

canklecat

Eh, I dunno. Wheel with minimum spokes. I've only ridden old school bikes with enough spokes to outfit a peloton.

Looks like his front wheel might have snagged the quick release on the rear wheel of the guy ahead. That could have broken several spokes very quickly. Lucky it didn't take down the other rider too, although the rear wheel contacts are usually recoverable.