Appalling Club Run

[Globalti]

I blame the clubs for failing to teach inexperienced riders the rules of group riding.

 

[mjr]

It's not about blaming idiot drivers or blaming idot cyclists. It's simply about being aware of other road users. It works both ways.

I suggest rereading the opening post without the exhaust-clouded glasses on. The very little criticism of the motorists was itself excused by "however if this lot had thinned out to 2 abreast, it would have given the following cars a chance to clear" which seems illogical and absurd, but there's plenty of blaming cyclists who seem to have little nothing wrong other than offend some motorists' misconception that they should obey the bad advice in the Highway Code to ride two-abreast to enable motorists to close-pass them - or maybe offended a Road Clubber's sense of style and form?

 

[User269]

 

[derrick]

View attachment 428533

That does not apply to all roads. you have to be aware of what the road can handle, It's all about common sense. This is where the problem begins. A lot of people do not have any.

 

[Leodis]

Riding parallel the rider beside you starts to fall, you have no visual cues, you will almost inevitably go down with him. Watch any pro race pile up on tv to see this in action.

Safest compact formation is for the outside rider to half wheel the inside. They are close enough to communicate verbally with ease - good comms is great for a chat, but also good for passing info about hazards etc.

If the outside rider goes over it will not affect the inside rider as they will have moved past.

If the inside rider goes the outside rider has a better view and will pick up more/earlier visual cues and will have a much greater chance of avoiding going down with them.

When formation needs to be broken, narrow street, overtaking a line of parked cars, whatever, the outside rider is better placed to drop back into file AND they present much less hazard to the inside rider while doing so.

This has been experimented and tested at great length in the good old US of A by IPMBA for EMS patrolling - riding parallel is unsafe in any environment, particularly the road.

I mean, what do I know anyway? After all, I only have my own business teaching road and off road skills (the clue is in the Sig.) Old pilots, bold pilots, and club riders.

I just hope I am not at the back of your group rides full of half wheelers

 

[Racing roadkill]

That does not apply to all roads. you have to be aware of what the road can handle, It's all about common sense. This is where the problem begins. A lot of people do not have any.

Common sense is such a rare attribute it should be classified as a super power.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I blame the clubs for failing to teach inexperienced riders the rules of group riding.

Having tried to instil this into many a club group I decided that stabbing myself in the eye was a better use of my energy...

 

[Fab Foodie]

I just hope I am not at the back of your group rides full of half wheelers

Explain.

 

[400bhp]

I'm not giving fools in cars a get out or offering any excuse for stupid or dangerous driving but the antagonism between other road users and cyclists has grown markedly in the past few years.

Not in my experience. The roads are safer. Anecdotally I put this down to car drivers getting used to cyclists and also more people cycling who are themselves car drivers.

FYI I ride 8k miles a year and half of those are commutes.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Not in my experience. The roads are safer. Anecdotally I put this down to car drivers getting used to cyclists and also more people cycling who are themselves cyclists.

FYI I ride 8k miles a year and half of those are commutes.

Indeed! Cycle-commuting in London in the early 80s was like riding in a war zone compared to today!

 

[400bhp]

It looks like you are. Even with the widest standard single carriagway lane width of about 5m, motorists still need to use the oncoming lane to overtake safely and so the cyclists' formation is basically irrelevant, so the main thing 5 abreast does is make the group shorter and quicker and easier to pass. Maybe they should have broken into tens or dozens but that's about all and it would have coalesced temporarily at the junction metioned anyway.

Motorists were doing 50 in a 30 to overtake, according to the OP. Where's the condemnation and calls for penalties?

I generally agree however, as with most things it's not black and white. What needs to be considered is the sight lines for traffic behind. As a simple example, riding in a tight bunch taking up one side of a carriageway is probably safest and most helpful.convenient on straight roads. On a road which has bends then riding slightly narrower but longer, may be better as traffic behind has the opportunty to see further along the road and provide more opportunities to pass safetly.

Anyway, people need to chill.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I generally agree however, as with most things it's not black and white. What needs to be considered is the sight lines for traffic behind. As a simple example, riding in a tight bunch taking up one side of a carriageway is probably safest and most helpful.convenient on straight roads. On a road which has bends then riding slightly narrower but longer, may be better as traffic behind has the opportunty to see further along the road and provide more opportunities to pass safetly.

Anyway, people need to chill.

Again... cars have no automatic right to overtake other road users. They can bloody-well wait until it’s safe to pass without endangering anybody.

 

[400bhp]

Yes I agree. And the Rulez:

My safety
Your safety
My convenience
Your convenience

 

[Fab Foodie]

My pet hate on group rides revolves around those people at the back who shout 'CAR UP!' at the first hint of a vehicle approaching, then even in sight of a blind bend they single out and cower in the gutter, letting the car through to intimidate those of us taking the lane at the front to stop a dangerous overtake.

Absolutely.

 

[alicat]

My pet hate on group rides revolves around those people at the back who shout 'CAR UP!' at the first hint of a vehicle approaching, then even in sight of a blind bend they single out and cower in the gutter, letting the car through to intimidate those of us taking the lane at the front to stop a dangerous overtake.

Oh dear, that's me told....

Not sure the people at the front of my club rides are applying that much thought to the situation.