Rules of the Road

[trekin']

Well, hurleygirl, if I have to say "on your left" 5000 times during a ride to be considerate to others, and avoid a possibly unpleasant incident, so be it!! Common courtesy is not always convenient.

By the way, there were plenty of people on that ride who were courteous and communicated with those ahead of them...but it only takes one who is tired of saying "car back" or "on your left" to cause a major accident.

[hurleygirl]

Well, hurleygirl, if I have to say "on your left" 5000 times during a ride to be considerate to others, and avoid a possibly unpleasant incident, so be it!! Common courtesy is not always convenient.

By the way, there were plenty of people on that ride who were courteous and communicated with those ahead of them...but it only takes one who is tired of saying "car back" or "on your left" to cause a major accident.

Sorry, just trying to help. My group rides must be very different from the one you experienced. We call "car back", "car left/right", we point out obstacles, we signal turns, we stop and regroup if necesssary, but we don't say "on your left". I expect them to be on my left. I expect them to be on my right. They expect me to ride smoothly so I don't endanger everyone by being squirrelly - I expect the same of them.

I still suggest you call ride leaders in advance so you know what kind of group to expect. I always do this before showing up to an unfamiliar group ride - I've learned the hard way that not every group ride, and not every club, is right for me.

[quint41]

I agree with everything that's said here. And, no, I am not shy in situations like this, particularly when I'm the one leading the ride. I hand out road rules to anyone who's interested, and I tend to ride either out in front or hanging back and yelling "car back" to everyone in front. And I don't hesitate to holler ahead of me for people to "ride single file please!"

I ride in social groups with all levels of riders, so we all must expect the unexpected. Some are learning, others are experienced. When someone announces that they are passing me, I say thank you. It sort of reinforces that the announcement is important and appreciated.

Sounds to me like Hurley is riding in a class of really good, longtime riders who expect the rest of the group to be as experienced as they are. I won't ride in groups like that because I know I'm not good enough and wouldn't want to jeopardize anyone's safety, mine or theirs!

[spokewench]

If you have learned to ride in a pack situation, or paceline situation, the paceline will be forever moving. If you are aware of the etiquete and movement of this, you do not have to tell people where you are, as long as you are where they expect you to be. I've been riding for years and I usually do not say when I am drafting someone. For goodness sakes, if I hit their wheel, I'm the one that may go down not them! You can blast into my rear wheel and i'm not going down! If I come up on someone in the road and I'm drafting them for a distance, I usually am courteous and say hi, but I really don't see that I am hurting any one by being there for a while. Of course, if it makes them nervous I will leave, but really folks, its the bike in front of you and you hitting their rear wheel that you have to worry about.

With inexperienced riders who are not aware that you are even then say you came up on them unawares, sometimes it is best not to say anything cause the minute you do, they jerk, look and swerve. So that is the reason that a lot of cyclist will not say anything to you. In those situations, I try to say something, but I leave lots of room since I don't know how experienced the rider is, ie. can they hold their line!

spoke

[Jolt]

One thing that is much appreciated when on a group ride: calling out obstacles for the people behind you! I was on a ride last month where the people in front of me didn't mention the significant pothole that they were maneuvering around; I had no way of seeing it because the riders in front of me blocked the view, so I held my line and ended up hitting that hole. No harm done, since I didn't crash or have a flat, but it was still rather jarring and not so pleasant. I think at that point I made a comment to the effect of "way to warn the people behind you!". After that, I made sure to announce any potholes or other obstacles as I approached them, so the people behind me had fair warning!