geoffs wrote:Hi Steve,
all the cyclists were riding in the right hand lane as the left hand lane has parked cars. The ride has quiet a few beginner riders who have zero bunch skills. I do agree the bunch has to be tighter however it only takes a moment for gaps to appear. There will be a discussion regarding this before the next rider and the instructions will be firmer. The ride goes hough there at 6:50 am when there isn't much traffic around.We do try to let any vehicles that were behind us on edgeware rd go through before we move into the right hand lane
As Geoff knows, I have some thoughts about what I viewed.
1. There is no excuse for what that driver did.
2. However, the riders in that group were insufficiently skilled, fit and/or experienced enough to ride in a group of that size. If you are going to take such riders out, then the group size needs to be 8 maximum, with at least one but preferably two of those being very experienced and able to provide sound instruction (preferably with appropriate coaching/instruction experience). It's a challenge as such people are not as common as one might imagine, or they would prefer to be off doing their own harder ride (fair enough). But it also needs to be the right people in the role. I have witnessed some self appointed "ride captains" give very poor, and at times dangerous instruction on some clubs rides even though they've been round the block plenty of times.
3. I would consider that video as an example of how
not to run a group ride, and how to antagonise other road users, especially if it was meant to be a way for newer riders to learn good bunch technique, ride etiquette as well as get some good training.
It is difficult to tell from the video whether there was sufficient room for a single file in the left lane to safely pass the parked cars
on that section of road. If not then you need to take the lane, ride tight and keep up the pace. If you can't then the bunch is too large or an alternative route should be considered.
In my squad, there are occasions where we could take the right lane as a group to pass a parked car on the left but instead we chose to "go single" and quite safely negotiate while not taking up the right lane. We still flow fast, the automobiles keep moving nicely and everyone is happy.
4. Racing aside, anything more than about 10 riders in a group is not a training ride, it's a social occasion, and creates many unnecessary problems. However the sheep in our clubs keep insisting on large bunches, where effective communication is not really possible, safety is compromised, there is little regard for other road users and the quality of the ride from a training perspective is very low.
Occasionally you'll see me in a larger group. That's because I'm picking a part of route where it doesn't compromise the safety (e.g. we have a wide shoulder or lane to ourselves) or training effort so much (e.g. going up), or I'm on the front, or I just want a cruise and have a more social ride.