14
GOLDEN RULES of
GROUP RIDES
A
s a recreational rider, I never spent much time racing against the clock or riding with a group. I rode with friends. Occasionally, we would use a pace line and sometimes sprint for town linesbut it was never anything organized or consistent. Having ridden for many years with friends I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of joining a group ride. But when I finally got up the gumption to do so, I was amazed at how much I actually enjoyed it, how much better my riding got and how many new friends and biking buddies I added to my world. So, about 20 years ago I started to do the Wednesday night ride with the Green Mountain Bike Club (GMBC). All of a sudden, I was riding in groups of 10 to 15 people, pushing hard on hills, holding my position in the line and taking my turn out front. Riding in a pack, I had a chance to let the person ahead be a windbreak. By
10 VTSPORTS.COM | JUNE 2021
IF YOU’RE JOINING A WEEKNIGHT SHOP OR CLUB RIDE OR JUMPING BACK INTO BIG GROUP RIDES, YOU’LL WANT TO HEAR SOME OF THE LESSONS THE AUTHOR LEARNED AFTER YEARS OF RIDING WITH THE GREEN MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB
riding in a slipstream, you not only save energy (as much as 40 percent by some estimates) but you also help that person ride faster. Paul Doherty, senior scientist at Exploratorium explains, “The interesting thing is by filling in their eddy you improve the front person’s performance as well. So, two people who are drafting can put out less energy than two individuals (who are not drafting) would to cover the same distance in the same time. While the lead cyclist gains some advantage in this situation they still need to expend much more energy than the cyclist who is following.” Thus, getting sucked along in a pace line as a group we could move much faster than riding alone. Plus, watching the pedaling motion of the rider ahead helped me adjust my cadence. This led to joining some of the longer group rides and organized events around Vermont. After all these years I have
BY STEVE GLADSTONE
learned a number of things about riding in a pack which may seem obvious to those who have a racing background but are a bit of a revelation for amateurs. This summer, group riding will be back. And for those who want to join in, here are a few tips I wish someone had shared with me so many years back.
1. COMMUNICATE “Car back,” ”On your left,” “Hold your line,” “Slowing,” “Dropping,” and all the related hand signals (see page 12) are the lifeblood of a pack. There is no way that a group of people on bikes going 15 to 20+ mph can avoid catastrophe without constant and clear communication. There is no such thing as too much information—knowing how to clearly and precisely transmit knowledge and information to others is a real skill that cannot be overstated. At times I find it is the more
experienced racers and riders who do not always communicate since they just assume you know and will do what is expected. Which leads to the next….
2. BE PREDICTABLE A corollary to the communication among the pack is the assumption that your actions and others in the group are predictable. Hold a straight line when you peddle, avoid rapid accelerations or (worse) decelerations, pull out to the left when you want to drop back—the list is long of actions that you need to make very deliberately and predictably. “No surprises” is really the motto here. There is a general protocol as well as rules-of-the-road that need to be learned. Don’t be afraid to ask and learn from others in the pack. The more you ride with a group, the more you will learn and the easier it is to avoid the unexpected.
