Cookiemonsta

Whenever you are in close proximity to others, if one person falls, chances are he/she will take someone with him. That is why there is a bigger chance of falling. Also, there are often some that have to push themselves to keep up with the group. But that also makes them more likely to make mistakes.

Ray9

I think some have misconstrued what I was saying. I'm not saying you shouldn't ride in a group. I'm saying that when you ride in a group the danger level escalates by at least a factor of ten and you should be more aware of your surroundings. Cyclists are people and people do things in a group they may not do as an individual. This is still a free country and you can do what you want. I'm just trying to save you some road rash. If some of us relate what happens in a group it might cause new riders to be on the lookout that's all.

halfspeed

Where did you get that number?

Dudelsack 

90% of stats on the Intertubes have been made up.

roadwarrior

It makes you strong.

Personally, no group rides unless we all know each other.

krobinson103

I'll ride in a group if I must. But I drop back behind the last rider and givr myself plenty of space. If someone wajts to draft me all good, but I never draft another bike. Too close for comfort. If I have to fight the wind and work harder so much the better.

StanSeven

It seems these discussions always evolve into two sides - those that see cycling as a sport and those worried about safety. If you like riding fast and enjoy the competitive aspects, it has danger. It's difficult to go fast and enjoy participating with others without risks.

banerjek

You need to be on the lookout wherever you are and ride within limits.

Riding in a group is not particularly dangerous. Riding in one when you don't know what you're doing or too close to others who don't can be.

longbeachgary

Yes but that's not the advice that new riders are given. They are told to ride with stronger riders and to ride in a group to get stronger and faster.

krobinson103

So drafting will make you stronger? Less effort at the same speed (assuming you can hold the pace) seems to me the opposite.

caloso

No. More effort at a much higher speed. If the group is only going as fast as you would normally go on a solo ride, then you need to find a faster group.

StanSeven

I don't think the comment is about drafting. Riding with stronger riders forces you to go faster and harder to hang in there. Drafting is a nice skill to learn but drafting all the time detracts from benefits of hard work

krobinson103

Ahh. I see. Don't want to go any faster. Dangerous riding past 40kmh - in my opinion. I can already hold 35-40 solo on the flat. Think I'll stick to keeping at least three feet between me and the next rider. Hill repeatw are what I like climb the same hill four times.as fast as you can till you think your legs might fall off...

jsigone

Riding by yourself is more dangerous😁

RIRview

Carbonfiberboy 

Over 1000 group rides, never been in an accident. There's safety in numbers as long as the numbers are safe riders. We had one person killed when a car turned abruptly into our paceline. Druggie. We've had two other minor group ride accidents that I'm aware of. Our riders have had many more solo accidents than group.

MikeyBoyAz

he's talkin' Km/h so only 25mph

Nachoman

Knitting needles are sharp. They can take out an eye. And does the word grease fire mean anything to you?

furiousferret

People who avoid group rides or who rarely ride in groups have poorer handling skills, so of course its going to be dangerous for them. I probably put in 15k solo miles until I started with groups and was still sketchy. Now I do at least two a week and feel safer in a pack than solo and invisible to cars. Occasionally we'll have a sketchy rider but we just make sure to give that person a wide berth and tell him what he's doing wrong.

Its an unwinnable argument because those that rarely do it will never admit their pack skills are poor.

surgeonstone

Life, I guess it's all a crapshoot. Btw, I was being facetious about the dangers of group riding. Life is ultimately quite safe for most but peppered with non-sensical tragedies. Live and enjoy.

RIRview

My mistake...just noticed he's in Korea. Still, to hold 25 MPH consistantly while riding solo is pretty fit.

rebel1916

And he does it all on a mountain bike.

RIRview

OK, now that I have a hard time believing.

Young Version

Cool. I've been riding consistently for the past five or six years and my only semi-serious crash was completely my fault...riding too fast through a parking lot at night and hit an unpainted speed bump.

goenrdoug

...but you find people dying via choking and slipping in the shower ridiculous? It happens. I knew a guy who died via slipping in the shower when no one else was home. He was 19. My daughter nearly choked to death on a marshmallow when she was 9. These things happen.

The point is, know your limits associated with the activity you're engaged in and live within them. You do have to test those limits to figure them out, however. Do so carefully and you'll see the limits before you suffer the consequences of exceeding them. Do so in a not-so-careful manner and you could end up being a statistic.

For instance, my daughter learned that in a marshmallow eating contest, eight marshmallows in your mouth at one time is probably beyond her limit. She should have stopped at seven and considered carefully whether she could really fit another without having one end up trapped in her throat.

For me, 49 mph is apparently within my limits. I rode under control and worked with the other riders in the group and none of us endangered one another. We had a great descent and when the hill came to an end, we slowed down before hurtling into the intersection and plowing into pedestrians, cars, telephone poles, etc.