Group rides are losing their magic, and Anthony's spotted the exact reasons why. From half-wheeling to freewheeling on the front, we're breaking down the one mistake that's destroying group ride culture—and how to fix it. If you ride with a club or want to understand what makes a proper group ride tick, this is essential listening.
Key Takeaways
- Half-wheeling (riding slightly ahead to show dominance) kills group rides. The fix: ride at the group's pace and do longer turns on the front if you're stronger, shorter turns if you're weaker.
- Never freewheel, eat, or chat casually on the front in winter—you're not pushing hard enough and you'll literally freeze the riders behind you. Zone 3 minimum intensity on your turn.
- Group rides need a strong leader who isn't afraid to call out bad behaviour and set clear expectations, otherwise riders stop showing up entirely.
- Gaps in the group create dangerous surges. Close the gap when the pace picks up—save catch-ups with mates for the coffee stop.
- The real purpose of group riding is earning membership and respect by being teachable and willing to teach others, not by proving you're the fastest rider.
- Avoid having conversations with other riders when the group is moving; it breaks focus and creates gaps that ripple through the entire group.
Expert Quotes
"It's not about proving you're fast it's about proving you're teachable proving you're committed and that you're willing to grow and then teach to other members as they come into the group. — Anthony"
"Half Wheeling is like an insecurity that people have to show that they're strong enough they're fast enough it's to exert their dominance and it just ends up driving the pace up and up and up from the group. — Anthony"
"The crooks of the whole thing and the reason that these incidents happen is because there's no strong group leader in the group who's calling things out or isn't afraid to kind of say look half wheeling is not cool so stop doing it. — Sarah"