Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
Interesting. I didn't know that, outside of competition, that people rode in true peloton style on group rides. Sounds scary. I've managed to ride for a bunch of years and have never drafted nor been drafted by anybody. So how do you know when your turn at the front is done? Is there an ettiquete? What if you are strong enough to stay at the chosen pace indefinitely? Especially if you are riding with a slower group? For that matter, how short is too short for a pull?
How do you think racers learn how to draft? In my mind, if riders aren't working together, it's not a group ride. It's just a bunch of individual riders who just happen to be going the same direction. It's not scary if you know what you're doing, which takes practice, of course.
There is an etiquette. Don't surge, pull off into the wind, better to skip a turn rather than disrupt the flow. Groups can do single, double, or continuously rotating, in which case you'll only be on the front for 15 or 20 seconds. If you're strong enough to stay at the front indefinitely, then you probably need to find a stronger group. Or you could just stay up there and pull all day, but you might as well ride by yourself then.
Oh, and then there's echeloning in a crosswind...