Group Riding Etiquette
Alton Cycling Club encourages good group cycling etiquette, focusing on safety, good communication and smooth, predictable riding to create a positive and efficient experience for the whole group and other road users.
Key practices include obeying all traffic laws, staying alert and communicating hazards, maintaining a safe distance to avoid overlapping wheels, and riding smoothly without sudden braking or swerving. We also do much of our riding on rural country lanes and so extra consideration should be taken around horses and their riders on the road and also walkers with their dogs especially where there are no pavements.
Being prepared, being on time, and respecting the ride leader and your fellow group riders are also fundamental as is ensuring your bike is road worthy and you have the spares and supplies you may need to ensure you and the rest of the group have an enjoyable and safe ride..
All riders are asked to follow our guidelines and take into consideration the following key points.
Safety and preparedness
- Be prepared: Arrive on time with a well-maintained bike, sufficient food and water, wet weather clothing and necessary spares.
- Obey traffic laws: Follow all traffic rules, including stopping at red lights and stop signs.
- Other road users: Be aware that you could come across walkers with their dogs off the lead or horse riders around any bend, especially on country lanes. Warn them from behind that you and the group are there and going to pass and then pass them slowly giving them plenty of room.
- Ride two-abreast: Ride in two parallel lines where the road is suitable and where safer than single file, but move to single file when necessary for traffic or safety, such as on a blind corner.
- Stay alert: Stay focused on the road ahead and the riders around you. Avoid fixation on the wheel in front of you.
- Keep a safe distance: Maintain enough space between you and the rider in front to react, and never overlap your front wheel with their rear wheel.
- Fit Mudguards: In wet conditions, please fit mudguards to your bike when group riding.
- Use hand signals: Use clear hand signals to indicate turns, stops, and hazards.
- Announce hazards: Verbally announce road defects and hazards clearly and loudly for the whole group to hear (eg. “hole”, “car back”, “horse ahead”).
- Call out changes: Alert others when you are slowing down or stopping. A flat hand held vertically upwards can be used to signal slowing.
- Pass information: If the rider at the front calls out a hazard, pass that information down the line to the riders behind you.
- Ride smoothly: Avoid sudden acceleration, deceleration, or swerving. Maintain a consistent speed and line.
- Avoid “half-wheeling”: This is when a rider rides slightly ahead, trying to match the pace of the person in front but a half-wheel ahead, which can disrupt the group’s rhythm.
- Don’t surge: When taking your turn at the front, maintain the group’s pace instead of increasing it significantly. Pull longer, not harder.
- Let the leader lead: Respect the ride leader’s authority and instructions. If you’re new, let them know so they can keep an eye on you. If you don’t know the route for the ride then don’t go ahead of the leader, it is not their job to chase you down if you take a wrong turn off the front of the group.
- Do not use aero bars: Avoid using aero bars, as they can compromise your ability to control the bike and react quickly.
British Cycling have created a number of excellent short videos that demonstrate good cycling technique that ACC recommend for all cyclists.
