JayhawKen

I am planning on riding in my first group ride next weekend, and am wondering if I should not try to ride at the front of any pacelines I may end up in. I have only been riding for about 6 weeks now, and the hills still cause me to lose speed. Lot's of speed.

After searching through the forum threads on Paceline Etiquette, it seems like one of the cardinal rules is "Hold a steady pace when you reach the front". In all humility, that's just not going to happen if I'm in front.

So is it okay if I tag along toward the back for my first group ride?

my58vw

In a paceline, you are required to keep effect constant, not speed. Now if you are going to drop a huge amount of speed then pull to the left after your pull just before the hill.

If this is your first group ride I would worry more about just being part of the line then being in the front and taking pulls... and look for a group with a "no drop" policy.

ericgu

It depends entirely on the group ride.

Some groups don't want anybody who can't keep up. Other groups would be happy to have you along even if you don't pull at the front. Other groups have designated leaders and they pull for the bulk of the time (I ride on one of those).

Whether you can keep the pace steady depends on the pace. If you can't, it's usually easier for the paceline if you get to the front, pull for long enough for the person who was in front of you drift back a bit, and then pull off and get back on the back of the line. That is less disruptive than pulling out at some other time.

Other groups may prefer you hang off the back, and have them circulate in front of you, though riding in the back is harder than riding near the front.

The best thing to do is to ask the group members when you should up.

botto 

if this is your first time in a group, then do yourself, and the group a favor: sit in and DO NOT go up front.

at least not for the first 20-30 minutes until you get an idea how they ride.

Jacobi

I have a question to tack on to the OP's. How long do you pull for? Do you pull for a set amount of time (I'm sure this would vary) or do you pull until someone says something (Hey, get the "f" over!) or until you can't stay up front?

-Barry-

skydive69

You really need to hang on the back until you get the lay of the land. Tell them that you have never riden in a group before. Often times they will assign someone to mentor you during the ride.

botto 

depends on how large the group is, how fast it's going, and how strong/lazy the others are.

JayhawKen

Thanks all.

I was told there was something like 500+ bikes last year at this ride, so I'm hoping that within a few miles I'll find a pack that I can stay with and yet still learn some bike handling skills.

merlinextraligh

if your with a group, its best to pull through when you get your turn at the front. If your suffering to keep the pace up, make your pull very short but pull through. It's better to make your pull very short, than try to your share, and in the process drop the pace. If you can't pull at the pce of the group, find another group or sit on the back.

Bobby Lex

The number one rule of riding in a group is NOT to overlap wheels. If your front wheel overlaps someone's back wheel, then if he/she moves over for any reason and hits your front wheel, your wheel will pivot and you will crash. The rider in front won't crash because a rear wheel doesn't pivot like a front wheel does.

The number two rule of riding in a group is to maintain a steady pace. We ride groups because drafting allows us to go faster with less effort. Group riding becomes harder, though, when the pace keeps changing. This defeats the purpose of group riding because a constantly changing pace takes more effort, is tiring, and ultimately enormously aggravating to the riders in the group.

The number three rule of riding in a group is that the folks in the back are actually working harder than the folks near (not at) the front.

Lastly, regarding your comment about not being able to keep up the pace up front, here's news to you: The back moves at the same speed as the front.

If you don't think you have the fitness to take a pull then when it is your turn up front just move over smoothly and drift to the back. That will be much more appreciated by your fellow-riders than you taking a pull and slowing the whole group down by a couple of mph, just so you can say you took your turn at the front.

Bob

johnny99

What kind of a group is this? A racing team? A recreational club? A racing team may ride in a tight pace line with everyone rotating through. A recreational club, on the other hand, may have only a handful of strong riders pulling at the front (rotating or not) with everyone else wheelsucking them. A slow social club ride may not do any drafting at all (not much benefit below 15mph).

Leading a paceline is a complex job (signalling the route, signalling obsticles, watching for traffic, controlling the pace at intersections, etc.). You should watch avoid taking the lead for a while and just watch the signals and body language. If the leader makes a mistake, they can take the whole group down (and possibly get run over by the whole group).