A dangerous habit you may be doing on group rides

Group rides are a fun way to go farther, faster, and with friends—but it’s also key that everyone makes it home safely. There are lots of things to keep in mind when riding with others—signaling, pointing out potholes or other potential dangers, and generally paying attention to your surroundings.

Obviously, you need to pay attention to the wheel ahead of you. Depending on the speed and your fitness, if you fall too far behind or get gapped, your ride may very well be over quickly, especially if it’s a drop ride.

The wheel ahead

But you also have to pay attention to what’s coming up—uphills, downhills, corners, and other cyclists you may be passing. So that means you have to be aware of the wheel ahead of you, as well as everything else.

Obviously, you don’t want to ride too close to the wheel or overlap it (unless you were in an echelon in crosswinds), because that might end with you hitting the deck. But that doesn’t mean you should stare at the wheel ahead of you. Rather, you should be looking ahead, while having a sense of where the rider is. Sure, you can glance down every now and then—but always keep your eyes on what’s coming up.

Spotting the sketchy rider

I was on a group ride recently and saw a rider who kept moving side to side, and back and forth. It was not a wheel I wanted to ride behind as it looked quite unsafe. However, I couldn’t quite figure out how they were doing what they were doing. It was erratic and unpredictable—the worst combination in a group ride.

I rode beside them and saw the problem. The rider was staring at the wheel ahead of them, as opposed to up the road. So, they would constantly focus on that and modulate their speed based on the space between the wheels. But that meant they weren’t paying attention to the ebb and flow of the group.

When you are riding in a group, it’s key to see what’s coming up or what’s going on when you’re on a wheel. You shouldn’t be braking hard every few seconds. If you can get a feel for the speed changes from up front—and follow that rhythm back to you—you can simply ease off the pedals and keep your speed constant.

Group rides are great, and the best way to learn how to ride properly in them is to start small and gradually move to bigger ones. Knowing how to stay on the wheel is crucial—especially if you graduate to a spicy group ride.