Chapters
End
Group Riding · Rider guide
How to ride safely and efficiently in a group, how to communicate, and how to rotate through the three formations we use as a club.
Time
About 10 minutes
Audience
All members
Format
Etiquette · Safety · Formations
Why ride in a peloton
01
Sheltering in the group cuts wind resistance significantly compared to riding solo.
02
Same speed, less effort. Up to thirty percent less work for riders behind the front.
03
Sitting near the front lets you see and react to changes in pace before they reach the back.
04
More eyes on the road. Hazards get spotted, signalled and avoided as a group.
05
The group covers more ground for less fatigue. Everyone finishes stronger.
Smooth is fast. Predictable is safe. When you wear London Dynamo kit you represent the club to every road user you meet. Ride within the Highway Code, communicate clearly, and hold your line.
What you’ll cover
Chapter 01
How you ride in club kit shapes the public’s view of London Dynamo and of cyclists in general. Hold yourself to a higher standard.
01
Highway Code
This is true even more so when wearing London Dynamo kit. Illegal or anti-social cycling damages our reputation and the reputation of cyclists in general.
02
Red lights
Especially in club kit. This is a sanctionable offence under London Dynamo’s rules.
03
Conditions
Wet roads, traffic, ice, fog, low light. The group’s pace is not fixed. Read the conditions and ride accordingly.
04
Respect
Try not to rise to provocations. The club is judged by the rider who responds badly, not by the ten who let it go.
05
Maintenance
Brakes, tyres, drivetrain. A mechanical at speed in a group puts other riders down with you. Carry sufficient water, food and spares.
06
Helmet
Non-negotiable on every London Dynamo ride.
07
Lights
Front and rear. Once there is enough daylight, turn rear lights off in tight formations such as Park Ride groups, to avoid blinding the riders behind you.
08
Manners
Not ahead, not upwind, not anywhere near other riders or members of the public. This applies to the entire ride, not just the moment.
Chapter 02
Five safety patterns that prevent the most common group-riding crashes. Internalise these before worrying about formations.
01
Group size
Larger groups are harder to control, more likely to suffer communication breakdowns, and more likely to crash if something unexpected happens at the front. Gravel rides may need smaller groups.
02
Half-wheeling
Half-wheeling is one of the most dangerous things you can do in a group. A small touch of wheels almost always puts the rider behind on the floor. Stay fully behind the wheel in front. The only rider alongside you is your Two-Up partner, level with you and never overlapping.
03
Horses
Slow right down whether overtaking them or passing on the other side of the road. Give a very wide berth and try not to shout. Horses are easily startled and a spooked horse is a serious hazard for everyone.
04
Overtaking
If you are at the front you are making the overtake decision for everyone behind you. They follow your wheel. Only call it when you know the entire group can get past safely. Allow at least 1.5m for cyclists, more for horses.
05
Staying out
Do not cut back left as soon as you personally clear the rider being overtaken. Think of the group as a long-wheelbase vehicle towing a trailer. Stay out for the trailer too.
Chapter 03
The five C’s. Concentration, consistency, communication, collective responsibility, constructive feedback. Get these right and the formations look after themselves.
01
Concentration
Pay attention to what is happening ahead and around you. Bicycles do not have brake lights. You will learn far more from a rider’s body language than from staring at their spinning rear tyre. Anticipate, do not react.
02
Consistency
Do not veer left or right. Stay in line with the rider next to you. When at the front, keep a steady pace. Accelerating into your pull, or decelerating at the end of it, both ruin group dynamics.
03
Smoothness
Soft-pedal rather than freewheeling unless you need to brake. Smooth is fast. On a downhill, riders at the front should keep pedalling so those behind do not have to brake.
04
Braking
Doing so almost guarantees the rider behind will collide with you. If you must brake, ease and shout ‘slowing’ or ‘stopping’.
05
Out of the saddle
When you stand on the pedals your bike can move backwards and clip the rider behind. Move your body weight forward and keep pressure on the downstroke as you stand.
06
Overcompensation
When a rider ahead moves or brakes, the instinct is to repeat the action with interest. A small movement at the front becomes a dramatic movement at the back. Damp the response, do not amplify it.
07
Communication
Use both hand and verbal signals for hazards. If you see or hear one, repeat it so it reaches the riders behind or ahead of you. A separate module covers the specific signals in detail.
08
Collective responsibility
You may notice things before the ride leader. A rider falling off the back, an unsafe move, a hazard the front cannot see. Act on it.
09
Feedback
Be ready to point out when a club member is not following this guidance. Be equally ready to receive that feedback yourself. The club only holds these standards if every member focuses on them.
Chapter 04
Two parallel lines, riders rotating on the call CHANGE ONE. The default starting formation for Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday rides.
01
Formation
Pairs ride next to each other, as close to the riders in front as both are comfortable with. Some groups stay in Two-Up the whole ride; others switch into Through and Off when the leader calls it.
Diagram · Two-Up rotation
Anti-clockwise. Front-right moves left, back-left moves right.
Left lane (inside · slows briefly)
Right lane (outside · shuffles up)
Direction of rotation on CHANGE ONE
02
The call
Either of the riders at the front calls CHANGE ONE when it is time to rotate. The whole group then shifts position anti-clockwise by one place.
03
Front rotation
On CHANGE ONE the front rider on the left lane (the inside, kerb-side lane) eases pace slightly. The front rider on the right lane (outside lane) moves left into the inside lane.
04
CLEAR call
The front-right rider only moves across once the easing front-left (inside) rider gives the verbal CLEAR. This avoids a wheel-touch on the change.
05
Right lane up
The rider behind the now-departed front-right rider moves forward to ride alongside the new front-left rider. The right lane shuffles up.
06
Back rotation
The rider at the back of the inside lane drops onto the back of the outside lane. The rotation is complete.
07
CHANGE TWO
Less common but useful when the leader wants to refresh the front quickly. The same rules apply, repeated.
Chapter 05
Also known as a Chain Gang. Constant fluid rotation, no shouting. The Saturday Park Ride formation.
01
Park Ride route
Leave the Pen Ponds car park in Two-Up. Descend the White Lodge hill, turn left at Sheen Gate roundabout and climb steadily up Sawyers Hill. At the Richmond exit roundabout at the top, switch into Through and Off for the laps of the park. The ride is about 3.5 laps, though riders often call it 4.
Diagram · Through and Off
Right lane 1-2 kph faster than left. Constant fluid rotation, no calls.
Left lane · slow · inside
Right lane · 1-2 kph faster · outside
Rotation, driven by lane-speed difference
02
No calls
Two parallel lanes, anti-clockwise rotation as in Two-Up, but the changes are constant and fluid. No CHANGE ONE shout. The pace difference between lanes drives the rotation by itself.
Diagram · Through and Off
Right lane 1-2 kph faster than left. Constant fluid rotation, no calls.
Left lane · slow · inside
Right lane · 1-2 kph faster · outside
Rotation, driven by lane-speed difference
03
Lane speeds
The outside (right hand) lane is the fast lane. The inside (left hand) lane is the slow lane. Riders on the right pass the left lane steadily.
04
Off the front
When you reach the front of the outside lane, move across into the front of the inside lane and ease pace slightly to match the inside-lane rhythm.
05
On the back
When you reach the back of the inside lane, accelerate slightly and move across into the back of the outside lane to begin your move forward again.
06
Accelerate low
When you join the outside lane, do your acceleration there, not when you are near the front. Rely on the inside lane being slower to carry you up. If you accelerate at the front the whole gang gets faster and faster until it breaks.
07
Pull through
Keep your pace until you are completely off the front. Another rider is moving up on the outside; do not make them swerve. Once back on the left, ease very slightly to settle into the slow lane.
08
Shallow lines
When moving left or right, keep the change of direction shallow. A sharp move puts you into the wheel of the rider ahead or behind, depending on which way you are going.
09
Look up
Anticipate, do not react. Try not to use your brakes. If you must, shout ‘slowing’ or ‘stopping’ so the riders behind expect it.
10
Smooth
Surges create gaps and break the rhythm. A steady, smooth rotation moves the group faster than a series of accelerations.
11
LAST RIDER
The last rider passing the last rider on the inside lane should say LAST RIDER, telling them it is time to join the outside lane. Also warn of hazards or stops.
Chapter 06
A single line. Used in fast training rides and races, and called by the leader when narrow or busy roads make Through and Off unsafe.
01
Single file
Length of the turn varies with speed, wind, conditions and fitness. Short turns when it is windy, longer when sheltered.
02
Elbow flick
Also known as the chicken wing. Flick the elbow on the side you want the group to come around you on, NOT the side you are swinging off to.
Diagram · Paceline elbow flick
Flick the elbow on the side you want the group to pass on.
Single line · each rider pulls
Front rider, signalling off
Elbow flick + path of group passing
03
Pass left
Riders pass you on the inside lane. Useful when there is wind from the right or no traffic concerns on the inside.
04
Pass right
Riders pass you on the outside lane. Make sure you have room to move left before flicking. The correct side depends on conditions: other riders, wind, road position.
05
Onto the back
Once off the front, ease slightly to let the line pass, then slot onto the back. Do not fall back too far; you will struggle to get back on.
Module summary
Group riding is a skill. Learn the etiquette, hold your wheel, signal hazards, and rotate cleanly. The group is faster and safer when every rider does these things well.
Chapters recap
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Recommended viewing
GCN publishes two strong tutorials on group riding. Watch both before your first Park Ride.
YouTube · GCN
YouTube · GCN
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