Following on from the previous point, anyone who rides in a group should make the effort to learn the basics about how to do it. Riding in a group is great fun, but it requires everyone to be on the same page about how to do it if it’s going to be an enjoyable experience. Now we’ve been through this before but some of the points definitely deserve reiteration, so here we go:

Be predictable. Just like riding in traffic, riding in a group means you need to think about what other people expect you to do. The perfect group ride will be a seamless body of movement and this is, in part, due to the awareness of the riders. The natural extension of this is holding your line. If you have to take the hit and ride through that small pothole, you do it. Just don’t flick the bike around and weave all over the place – nobody can predict that and you’ll eventually cause a crash.

Don’t overlap wheels. This is like sitting in someone’s blind spot when driving. You know you’re there, but they might not. And if they move out slightly and hit wheels with you, one or both of you are coming down. The best places to be are behind, beside or in front of someone else, never overlapping wheels.

No gaps. The group is most effective when everyone’s riding close together. The larger the gaps that open, the more effort it’ll take to close them.

Don’t push the pace or half-wheel. The intention of the ride should be clear at the start, and if it’s a steady ride then don’t be the person who goes through hard when their turn comes up and lifts the pace. If the point of the ride is to be out for a couple of hours at 30km/h and you power through doing 36 when your turn arrives you won’t make any friends. On the other hand, if the point of the ride is to be a bit of a smashfest then it’s your solemn duty to try and bring as much pain as you can.