Sportives and Group Riding.

LeicesterLad

Hi all,

Planning on doing my first Sportive in September, currently i lead a sad cycling life, solo training and not a member of a club. How important is it to be familiar with group riding / chain ganging on a sportive?

cheers

HebdenBiker

Not that important. You can choose to ride on your own if you wish.

However, observe some common sense when you find yourself in a bunch:

1. Hold your line when going round a bend or corner
2. Point out obstacles (such as potholes) to the rider behind
3. Check behind you before moving left or right
4. Ride either on someone's wheel, or beside them. Don't sit with half your front wheel overlapping with half their rear wheel.
5. Take a turn on the front

Pigtail

I did a huge sportive earlier this year - despite doing practically all my riding solo and it was fine. The first three quarters of the event was spent overtaking others, but then towards the end I found a group of people roughly comparable with me and we worked together a bit.

One thing I found a bit scary was just how closely people will ride - presumably people used to group riding. A strange one was a group of people who boxed me in. I was working my way up through lots of people then came to a quiet bit with only one rider up ahead. I caught up with him and was just about to overtake when a group of about 8 people arrived and completely boxed us in. They appeared to be together, were comfortable riding only 6 inches or so apart but having made the effort to catch us they appeared to slow down. So I found myself close to the verge going slower than I wanted to, with riders to the front, right and behind. We reached a hill and the gaps opened up a bit and I managed to get through.
I wasn't clear what they were doing. There was some wind and in some ways I think they may have intended providing some assistance for the two of us cycling on our own - without appreciating I never have people that close on bikes!

Zoomer37

Depends on how you want to ride around the sportive. If your happy with riding in a slow group and chatting and taking in the scenery then you'll be fine. If you looking to go a bit and get invloved with random gangs of cyclists who dont really know what their doing then you will need to be careful. Personally id not bother and just find one or two people along the way who can ride a bike and just help eachother out.

Philip Whiteman

You don't have to be familiar with riding in a 'group' but you must always be mindful of other riders.

Pretty much as Hebden Rider suggests, plus:

Signal by shouting, pointing at hazards, LH/RH turns:
- "Pothole" - shout and point
- "Easy" - shout with raising and lowering of arm
- "Stopping" - shout
- "Car to the left" - shout plus use your left arm behind your back, pointing right
- left/right turn - signal.
- "Clear" if no cars in view when entering a junction.
- "Behind You", audibly at the rear of a horse rider.

Plus other stuff:
- NEVER undertake another cyclist.
- Keep a straight line.

Redhill CC have published typical guidance for group cycling:

http://www.redhillcc.co.uk/page/hand-signals-and-shouts
-

fluff.

HebdenBiker wrote:

3. Check behind you before moving left or right

Please do this. You get loads of people on sportives who don't check over the shoulder before overtaking/ pulling in, can be worrying to dangerous.

secretsqizz

fluff. wrote:

HebdenBiker wrote:

3. Check behind you before moving left or right

Please do this. You get loads of people on sportives who don't check over the shoulder before overtaking/ pulling in, can be worrying to dangerous.

Bet he doesnt :twisted:

marlin151

Sitting in a bunch close to a wheel means you use @30% less energy than when on the front. Don't mistake this for going slow. Use it to recover until it's your turn on front. Keep your pace, don't make the rookie error of speeding up when you're in the wind.

You should ave. 1-2mph quicker for the same effort vs going solo.

On longer Sportives, try slowing a bit if you're solo on the flats - wait for a slightly quicker group and join the back, riding wheels as others have suggested. Conserve energy for the climbs. Don't push yourself if the group is quicker than you feel comfortable when it ramps up. Tail off the back, climb at your own pace and then repeat for the next flat section.

LeicesterLad

Cheers everyone who has replied, feel a lot more confident about riding it now!

I deffinately shouldnt have a problem riding on others wheels, and vice versa, as long as its not a pro-style chaingang taking 30 second turns and flitting in and out of the line!

Herbsman

Pigtail wrote:

I did a huge sportive earlier this year - despite doing practically all my riding solo and it was fine. The first three quarters of the event was spent overtaking others, but then towards the end I found a group of people roughly comparable with me and we worked together a bit.

One thing I found a bit scary was just how closely people will ride - presumably people used to group riding. A strange one was a group of people who boxed me in. I was working my way up through lots of people then came to a quiet bit with only one rider up ahead. I caught up with him and was just about to overtake when a group of about 8 people arrived and completely boxed us in. They appeared to be together, were comfortable riding only 6 inches or so apart but having made the effort to catch us they appeared to slow down. So I found myself close to the verge going slower than I wanted to, with riders to the front, right and behind. We reached a hill and the gaps opened up a bit and I managed to get through.
I wasn't clear what they were doing. There was some wind and in some ways I think they may have intended providing some assistance for the two of us cycling on our own - without appreciating I never have people that close on bikes!

Quite simply, all you had to do was ask, 'can I come through?'. Alternatively, slow right down until a gap appeared or someone overtook. Don't be scared, unless they have guns and/or knives.

Pigtail

Herbsman wrote:

Quite simply, all you had to do was ask, 'can I come through?'. Alternatively, slow right down until a gap appeared or someone overtook. Don't be scared, unless they have guns and/or knives.

I think I probably was scared - not of violence, but of not being able to make it stick. As they had already caught me I thought they may be taking a breather and I wouldn't have wanted to ask through just as they wound it up again. However I passed them on a hill and never saw them again - at least not in a group.

The whole experience was absolutely fantastic, one of my best days on a bike. That one strange episode didn't put me off, or spoil it in anyway. I was curious about why they did it though, and eventually concluded that they were trying to help.

Herbsman

Pigtail wrote:

Herbsman wrote:

Quite simply, all you had to do was ask, 'can I come through?'. Alternatively, slow right down until a gap appeared or someone overtook. Don't be scared, unless they have guns and/or knives.

I think I probably was scared - not of violence, but of not being able to make it stick. As they had already caught me I thought they may be taking a breather and I wouldn't have wanted to ask through just as they wound it up again. However I passed them on a hill and never saw them again - at least not in a group.

The whole experience was absolutely fantastic, one of my best days on a bike. That one strange episode didn't put me off, or spoil it in anyway. I was curious about why they did it though, and eventually concluded that they were trying to help.

I have probably done it a couple of times - I never considered that not everyone will realise why though.

Monty Dog

There was nothing stopping you from slowing down to the back of the group and over-taking them - whatever you do, don't barge through the middle. The fact that they caught you indicates their average speed was higher - they probably just thought you'd benefit from being tucked-in on their group rather than your nervousness of being 'boxed in'.