Group Riding Considerations

Before you start a group ride you should have a plan, not just a destination. Many of the people who will respond to a call to join a group ride will be newer to group riding. In fact, they may be new to riding. The first mistake that the organizer can make is to not factor in the lowest level of rider.

New riders likely don't do any pre-ride checks and probably haven't even looked at a video on how to fix a flat. As the organizer you will be looked at as the expert. You can mitigate this by being aware of the state of each bike and making sure your cellphone is charged.

So, you've done your pre-planning and are prepared to organize the ride itself. You need a route with stops. I recommend 20 - 30 minute legs for newer riders. If you are going to do a longer leg, try to make it the first leg. That way you talk to the group and gauge the pace and length of legs.

There are two parts to any ride; the ride itself and the destination. Try to make each stop of a longer ride a destination. As for the ride itself, consider scenery and winding roads. Stops can be bathroom breaks, photo opportunitys or meal/coffee breaks.

Any group ride should not just have a leader but a tail gunner, also called a sweeper or a drifter. This is a person that takes last position to keep an eye out for difficulties. Maybe someone dropped out for fuel. You dont want them racing alone trying to catch up. The tail should also be an experienced rider. Part way through our season of running group rides we added a second tail. This meant if something did happen we had an extra organizer to ride ahead to pass word while one organizer stays behind.

When considering your route you will have a start and an end. At the start you introduce and meet the others. This is a good time to cover basic safety and point out the organizers. Describe the entire route without detail providing greater detail for the first leg. 

Here's a list/script to plan a group ride:

   - Repairs, tools, cellphones 

   - The route with stops. How long? Scenery, meals, etc.

   - Starting briefing and safety

   - Talk to the group, get feedback 

Some other considerations are:

   - Give a "Kickstands up in 2-5 minutes" call

   - Plan on paved roads if you dont know who will show up

   - Cover proper group riding techniques in the initial briefing

   - When you make a call for a group ride, cover stops with expenses such as coffee stop or lunch stop.

   - This is a big one, because you likely have lesser skilled riders, state the speed. We liked "no more than 10kph over posted speed". This was a much desired approach.

There is no right way to organize a group ride as long as you as the organizer considers what you have to work with. I'll cover group riding techniques in an up coming post.