23 Unwritten Rules for Cycling in a Group [Beginners]

As a novice road cyclist you can learn a lot from riding in a group. Tactics, climbing technique, how to brake- or how not to; all things that you’ll learn soon enough in a bunch. There are some rules to consider though. Some are pretty obvious, others less so. Koen has listed the 23 most important unwritten rules of riding in a group. This way, you can hit the ground running and take part in your first group ride knowing all the basics.

1. What route?

Agree on what route you’ll be taking beforehand. This could be a set course everyone knows already, or a newly plotted lap for instance on a cycling holiday. Whichever it is, make sure everyone is on the same page and listen to what your fellow riders want or like.

Particularly the desired distance and number of hills along the way can make or break the fun of a ride.

2. Ride two abreast

Always obey traffic laws. For your safety, ride two abreast.

Riding three abreast can make it extremely difficult for other traffic to pass you safely.

3. Warn each other

It’s good manners to warn your fellow riders for any obstacles you may be approaching. There are two ways to do it.

Firstly you can use hand signals. Point out on which side an obstacle is approaching. Alternatively, you can give a shout out to the rest of the group, for instance if you have opposing traffic approaching you. If you’re riding in a large group, then pass on the signals coming off the front to the rest.

4. Don’t grab your brakes without absolutely having to

It’s dangerous to grab a handful of brakes if you don’t have to. Your friends will only have a split second to react. The chance of a rider behind you going down because of it is substantial. The larger the group, the bigger the danger, since the individual riders will come together in one big bunch.

5. Always yield where you have to

Obey the rules of the road. Yield where you have no right of way.

6. Stop as a group when arriving at an intersection

Don’t be the only one to cross at an intersection while the rest of the group has to stop for traffic. This creates a difficult situation for the rest of the group. Some might want to jump across with you, taking unnecessary risks in the process.

Rijd niet als enige door bij een kruispunt als de rest van de groep moet stoppen voor ander verkeer. Dat maakt het voor de rest van de groep lastig. Sommigen zullen willen meespringen en lopen onnodig risico.

Others might stop and wait, only to have to close the gap afterwards. So stop, and cross as a group.

7. Keep your line

While you might be chatting away furiously, having a great time, always keep your line. If you deviate too much, then your cycling friends will have to adjust their line accordingly. This can endanger your fellow riders behind you or other road users.

If the riders around you aren’t paying attention, you run the risk of bumping into each other, creating potentially hazardous situations.

8. Look ahead

Always look ahead. You can take in the view every now and then, but the road ahead should be your primary focus at all times.

9. Anticipate what comes ahead of you

Are you more experienced and one of the stronger riders in the group? Then shift your gaze a little further up the road to see what’s coming up. Let lesser riders know that there are obstacles coming up for instance, and give them fair warning.

It’s also helpful to call out in advance on any turns or warn riders for a potentially dangerous crossing.

10. Keep the lesser riders shielded from the wind

Always take care of the lesser riders in a group. Are you an experienced and stronger rider? Then take some longer turns on the front and keep your friends shielded from the wind. This way, everyone can enjoy the ride and have a good time.

11. Warn your fellow road users

It might be nice for slower fellow road users to let them know you’re about to pass them. You can alert them to your presence by ringing your bell, or by either calling out or asking to pass.

You might be called out on your warning sometimes by other road users. So long as you stay civilised, you’re entirely within your rights to warn them though

12. Always stay civilised

Even though someone thinks you’re wrong, but you know you’re right, stay civilised towards other road users. Shouting expletives simply won’t help. If other road users can’t get out of your way quickly enough, don’t get mad but simply wait.

13. Show up to the start of a ride on time

Nothing is quite as annoying as having your cycling friends wait on you at the start of a ride. Nobody wants to wait for 15 minutes on someone who’s late. Don’t be the one to show up 15 minutes after you’d agreed to start your ride.

Most cycling groups leave right on time, which means you’ve now got to ride on your own, or try to catch back on alone. Which we’ll admit is a great workout…

14. Blowing your nose is ok, just don’t do it on your fellow riders

A lot of cyclists blow their nose or spit. Take care you don’t accidentally hit a rider behind you. Steer off to the side a little or drop to the back so you don’t hit anyone on their clothes or in their face.

15. Ride at a reasonable pace

Don’t push your speed up unnecessarily if the rest can’t keep up. Agree on a speed and stick to it.

There’s no need to flaunt your strength. True, you can have a good sprint up a hill and race each other there, but wait for the rest at the top.

16. Don’t half-wheel the rest

Don’t half-wheel your fellow riders, putting yourself half a wheel length ahead. This causes the pace to gradually rise since the guy or girl half a wheel down will naturally try to move up alongside you. There’s a chance you’ll drop your lesser companions in doing so.

17. Wait at the top of a hill

If you reach the top of a climb before the rest, simply wait until everyone’s back on again. By wait I do really mean wait, and not “set off when you see your last rider coming up.”

It could very well be that he or she will want a moment to catch their breath. If you don’t feel like waiting, simply ride back down and up the same hill again. Don’t ride right in front of others unless you’re asked to however, since you might just blow up their legs by setting a pace they can’t keep.

18. Don’t accelerate in our just after a turn

One rider might dare to take corners a little faster than others. Take this into consideration. Don’t accelerate right out of a turn, as it makes it unnecessarily hard on your fellow cyclists.

19. Indicate when you want to hand off the front

If you’ve taken your turn and want to hand off, indicate your intention to the riders behind. You can do this using hand gestures or by flicking out an elbow. Move over so the rest can come by.

Do this at a proper time. Don’t hand off just before a corner or obstacle. Hold on to the front just a little longer and chose a more appropriate spot to drop back.

20. Keep your hands on the handlebars

Always keep your hands on the bars. You’ll be able to brake or avoid an obstacle if you need to. Doing so can prevent a lot of trouble. The only exception is when you’ve just won a race of course...

21. Give a heads up before you stand up

Most riders stand up if they want to stretch their legs. If you plan on doing so, give fellow riders a heads up or pull off to the side. Make sure there’s nobody behind you.

When you stand up, your bike moves back a fair bit. There’s a chance of the rider behind hitting your back wheel if he isn’t paying attention.

22. Coffee and cake

There’s always time for a cafe stop. Coffee and cake are a great break from your otherwise healthy sports nutrition. Taking a break is a great social occasion as well, and it gives you the chance to really talk to your fellow riders.

Great chance to brag about newly bought gear, or gear you’ll soon be buying…

23. Ride as a group

Perhaps the most important of all. You ride as a group. So if one of you suffers a mechanical, wait up.

Not only is this the more social choice, you also make sure that everyone’s getting home safe.

Has Koen forgotten any important unwritten rules that first-time group riders should know about? Let us know in the comments below.