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@BringMeMyFix
Some random anecdotal stuff for you all:
On group rides (club runs, TNRC, etc.), cars approaching from the rear can often lead to some less than ideal riding:
typically the rider acting as backstop at that point will shout 'car back!', to alert the peloton, particularly if they see members of the group riding wide/erratically ahead of them.
they might also add 'single up!' if the road is narrow, the driver is acting very twitchily, or if there is an unbroken 'no overtaking' white line (where they feel that the driver is going to overtake anyway, and forcing them any wider than necessary could have more dramatic implications)
I think both of those are good things. Now for the bad:
the backstop or riders near to the back become uncomfortable with the presence of the car behind them, even if the driver is sat well back and being unthreatening, and start gesticulating that the driver should come through (I think the decision should be 100% that of the driver, with no coercion from riders)
on hearing 'car back!' some riders immediately slow down, often abruptly - WTF? Dangerous, concertinaing effect, with riders weaving to avoid each others' wheels.
as a driver overtakes the group, some riders accelerate - again WTF? I remember how some car drivers would also do this when being overtaken. Not sure if it's psychological, belligerent, or something to do with perception of speed/motion. Anyway, it gets on my tits.
Thankfully these situations are more often the exception than the norm, and designated ride leaders/responsible
adultsriders try to remedy the situation vocally or through their own riding/positioning. It's very enlightening to backstop a ride and watch the behaviour of individuals (or the headless peloton) in front of you; even moreso if you drift off the back and watch the interaction with cars that slot in behind the group.I think with the increase in cyclist numbers on the roads, especially during rush hour, the finer points of group riding are becoming an important cycle training topic; including organized group vs one that forms organically and temporarily en route.