The key to riding safely as a group is in the formation you use. If you ride side-by-side, you can’t swerve to the side where the other rider is. If you need to avoid a pothole, you might not be able to do that without tangling with another rider.
Instead, ride in a staggered formation. The first rider uses the left third of the lane. The second rider is about a second behind him in the right third of the lane. Rider three is again in the left third of the lane, one second behind the second rider and two seconds behind the first. On roads with lots of curves, on poor road surfaces, in poor visibility, when entering or leaving highways, or in other cases where more maneuvering room is required, keep a greater distance between riders.
Every once in a while, use your rear view mirrors to check on those who follow you. If someone is falling behind, slow down and let them catch up.
Have a plan to regroup in case someone does fall behind. And if you’re the one who’s separated from the group, don’t speed or ride faster than your skill level to catch up. You’ll see the rest of the group at the place that was designated.
If a rider drops out, don’t succumb to the temptation to just pull up the row that rider was in. Instead, criss-cross to fill the gap. Passing another rider in the same lane can be risky!
Yet, there’s no denying it: Unless you plan to ride exclusively around the Southern United States, you’ll face some chilly winters. And even before it...
