Cycling "How To" from John Howard: 8 Group Ride Tips

John Howard at Bonneville: Setting the bicycle land speed record of 152.6 mph in the Bonneville Salt Flats. 20 July 1985.


Photo: John Howard

GROUP RIDES: This edition of Cycling "How To" from John Howard will give you some pointers for group rides. Group rides are a great way to safely train and improve your cycling.

John Howard, USA Elite Cyclist, Olympic Athlete, Decorated Ironman Triathlete, Pan-Am Games Gold Medalist, Bicycle Land Speed Record Holder, and founder of The FiTTE system, has joined forces with the San Diego Century Bicyle Tour to help you become the best endurance cyclist you can be. John has established a reputation as one of the country’s best cycling coaches and he has coached such cycling greats as Brad Huff, Denise Mueller, Scott Tinley, Scott Molina, and Mark Allen. With his training program in hand and access to John for FiTTE advice, you’ll have the tools you need to go farther faster and reach all new heights of performance.

8 Group Ride Tips: Among the principles of group riding, none is more important than safety. Each person in a particular group is responsible for the safety of the others members. The choice of which group to ride with is based on the experience level and progressive understanding of a few basics outlined below:

1. Avoid sudden moves. A group moves safely along a roadway because of predictable behavior on the part of all participants. Quick turns or slow downs disrupt the flow of the group. Be smooth and make all moves predictable.

2. Avoid wheel overlap. Overlapping a wheel is the number one cause of crashes in groups. Always pay attention and never allow your front wheel to drift into close proximity of a rider’s rear wheel.

3. Share the load. If the group is small and a pace line in which all member of the group participate in providing pace at the front share the work load and avoid quick accelerations at the front which opens gaps, and stresses others.

4. Pull off in the correct direction. Pay attention to wind direction and pull in the direction of the wind or the generally agreed upon direction based on the close proximity to traffic.

5. Signal intension and objects in the roadway. If the direction of the pull has not been established, let the others know which direction you are planning on taking. If you see an object in the roadway that might prove to be a danger to the group point it out with a hand wave.

6. Warn of vehicles. The same advice applies to cars coming up from behind. Be courteous and of motorists and the other riders, and inform them of vehicles trying to pass.

7. Use Brakes sparingly. Braking suddenly can cause wheel overlap. Braking excessively also wastes energy and causes other riders to label you as a dangerous rider.

8. Obey all traffic signals. Bikes are vehicles under the same legal jurisdiction as autos and therefore we have a responsibility to stop at all traffic signals as dictated by local laws.

warming up, a hill repeat workout can include 3 to 10 or more repetitions of a hill section, climbing in a seated or standing position.

If you are interested in contacting John visit his website at http://www.johnhowardsports.com/

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editor: Greg Hendrickson
Greg's Blog: WatchMyRace
Photo: John Howard