Group Riding

And in Particular, How to Relinquish the Lead

(See new "Attacking AND Relinquishing the Lead" at bottom of page.)

For the 20+ years I've been riding with the group in Idaho Falls, things have been sensible, intuitive, and safe. Suddenly, this year (2010), things have gone wonky. This wonkiness makes things dangerous and it makes the Idaho Falls group look amateurish — which it isn't. Hence a refresher is in order.
Now some of you may say "Who is this Jensen jackass who thinks he knows everything." Well, the truth is it's not what I "think" that counts. It's what I know. A synopsis of the authority of the information on this page is as follows.

My first sanctioned race was in 1979, which means I have some experience.
I have never been a particularly strong rider, so I have to ride and draft correctly, otherwise I get dropped.
As noted by my brother, who has been a competitive cyclist for nearly 30 years, the correct way of doing things has been presented in every serious cycling book published since World War I.

Right Way
The diagram below shows the correct way to do things, and in particular how to relinquish the lead. Historically, this is how things have been done in Idaho Falls. The diagram assumes a cross-wind, which is almost always present in the Idaho Falls area.

Wrong Way

(How to knock people over)

1) "Wrong Way" guidance is to signal with your right arm (or hand) and pull off to the left (always). As can be seen in the diagram, this is completely wrong. The number 2 rider will not see the signal and will be knocked over due to wheel overlap that he correctly maintains in the cross wind. (Note: Wrong Way guidance is substantially correct only if the wind is from the left.)

2) It has been suggested that this method is simpler than the Right Way. This is may or may not be true. However, when teaching your 15-year old daughter to drive a car, you do not say "to turn a corner, always signal with your right blinker and then turn the wheel to the left." Instead, you say "signal with your blinker and turn the wheel." If she can't figure out which signal to use and which direction to turn the wheel, then she should not drive a car EVER in her life.

3) It has been suggested that the Wrong Way should be taught to beginners because it is simpler. This is incorrect. Teaching the Wrong Way is absolutely counter-productive. The whole idea is to bring beginners up to speed so they can join the experienced riders. Teaching the Wrong Way is like teaching your daughter to drive a car incorrectly, then suddently expecting her to do things right when she gets her driver's licence. What?

4) As can be seen in the Right Way diagram, there is no substantial "pulling off." Pulling off across the group is dangerous and nothing else. There is a slight shift away from the group, but that's it.

5) I'm pretty darn certain some people will say, "but you're not supposed to overlap wheels." Yes, this guidance is often given, and sometimes it makes sense. But if you spread it over everything, then you can't drive a car because gasoline is explosive. Look at a professional peleton that is 5 riders wide and 30 riders long. There is wheel overlap everywhere. If they absolutely didn't overlap wheels, then they could only ride single file. More importantly than wheel overlap, everyone should "hold their line" and show respect for those behind (don't pull across them), and then wheel overlap isn't a problem.

6) The Wrong Way is wrong because it asserts that you must do everything one way all the time regardless of wind direction or speed. This is absolutely incorrect. Wind and riding conditions change, and the group MUST bend to these changes. Those who can't figure this out really shouldn't ride with a group. My personal experience is that many newbies figure out how to ride correctly in two rides without any instruction. Yes, instruction sometimes helps, but the instruction should be right, not wrong.

Attacking AND Relinquishing the Lead

In some rides it is common to "attack" as per a race. There is nothing wrong with this so long as everyone is "on board" regarding attacking.
It has been stated elsewhere that one should always relinquish the lead by pulling off to the left. This is all fine and dandy, but if someone is attacking, on which side will the attack come (assuming no wind)? It will come on the left. (When riding in the US.) It is my observation that eventually, an attacker and a relinquisher will collide. This is inevitable, and it will recur.
If instead, when there is no wind, if the relinquisher falls off to the right (as has been customary with the groups I've ridden with during the past 20 years), then the attacker and relinquisher will never collide. This is inevitable. They will NEVER collide. Let me repeat. They will NEVER collide. Never ever.
Now some will argue that in races relinquishers pull off to the left, and hence blah blah blah. True, some will, though some won't. In a race you have to be prepared for most anything simply because any sort of foolishness can happen. But this doesn't mean we can't ride "better" in our group rides.