I’m mostly a mountain biker, but I do have a road bike for transport and commuting, when I am riding on the road I’m generally on my own.

Not a massive fan of main roads I tend to keep to country lanes, which are narrow, and of course you get cars behind you. Now I could just keep on my merry way, making progress and all that, but generally when there is a junction, layby, slight widening of the road I slow down, pull over and wave the car past, I don’t really want them behind me anyway.

So today, I’ve just dropped son off to play football and I’m driving along a narrow lane where you have to give way/be given way to pass cars coming the other way, and pootling along as I was in wife’s Panda I come up behind a group of seven riders.

There is no way I can safely pass, some are two abreast, so I just drive along patiently, at least 2 car lengths behind the last rider.

Cars coming the other way, cyclists move over to single file the resume riding abreast.

We pass two lane junctions on the left and at least one passing space.

This goes on for two miles.

They then, just after a junction, slow down and stop in the middle of the road, mill about a bit, I think they are pulling over to let me past at last so inch forwards, but no, they are turning around for the junction, they glare at me and then ride off.

Was this an on purpose f-you because I was in a car? Why didn’t they let me past? Should I have revved my engine angrily? Felt helpless and confused 🙁

Oooh hobnob anybody?

Why should they?

Roadies own the road “Fact”

Not sure what’s happened there. Usually roadies will spot me approaching some distance off and pick a sensible point to let me past without too much fuss.

I’ll get kettle on.

Why should they?

Because don’t be a dick?

you prob missed the elbow-flick

OP – oh no!! Don’t ever question Road cyclists methods or logic or reason on here. I did once (shudders down the spine) about using cycle paths when available. I am still having therapy to combat the abuse received.

Probably fir the same reason other cars don’t when you’re behind them either.

I came down a country road on Friday, while I didn’t pull in for cars I did got the gert artic lorry behind me… but I was on my own so couldn’t have been too much of a pain!?

I’ll get in early on the bingo card with:

Strava.

They have as much right to the road as a car driver.

I have certain points on my commute I’ll pull in, other places I’ll hold the traffic back as it’s either unsafe or at a point where I’ll be quicker than them/they’ll hold me up.

When I’m driving if i catch a group I’ll just sit a wait to go past, i don’t expect to be let by.

Not sure what’s happened there

I believe it’s just people. They can behave in a manner that does not correlate with ones own sensibilities be they pedestrians, motorists, cyclists, escalator users or people queuing etc.
Sometimes people like to discuss this matter on Internet forums in the hope of gaining insight into a phenomenon that is best filed in the “people are *****” box and put back in the cupboard.

Because they are all inconsiderate fat lycra clad lance armstrong wannabe pricks. FACT.

They have as much right to the road as a car driver.

Wrong. They have an inalienable right to cycle on the queens highway. Motorists are merely licensed, this can be revoked by the state at any time.
So they have the right, the motorist has permission.

I’m with you OP. Yesterday I pulled over 5 times to let cars past, they all gave me a beep or wave. If anyone is held up by me i always give them a thank you wave

“I just drive along patiently, at least 2 car lengths behind the last rider.”

Semi correct response. It does sound as if you might be one of those drivers who thinks closer is better. Like my wife! grrrr 2 car lengths is not acceptable in my book unless we are talking walking speed. . If a cyclist went down hard and fast I doubt you would stop without some very hard braking which shouldn’t be needed.
I won’t say that I won’t wave cars through but so often people won’t pass when you do that it becomes futile. The best thing is to wait patiently. It won’t be for long, a mile or two maybe . It might add a few minutes but that’s irrelevant really isn’t it? I also refuse to react to others encouragement. If some one waves me by I’ll wait until I make the decision and then I don’t need any help. Spend a bit more time on the road and you’ll see the other side. Above all, pat yourself on the back for knowing that you were not a dickhead.

Roadies will double up – ride side by side – when’s it’s safer for them & for you.

A long single file line is harder to overtake than a doubled up line.

If you couldn’t get past then there just wasn’t enough room .

There’s no legal compulsion, AFAIK, for cyclists to pull over & let cars pass..

they’re that doped up on performance enhancing drugs that they’re barely aware of the road never mind a car behind them.

Seems like miscommunication, you tried to do the right thing and feel like they didn’t reciprocate.

Cycling two abreast reduces the overtaking time, if you can’t get past without giving 1.5 metres room then don’t do it, regardless of them being single file or not. Traffic coming the other way is inevitable and doesn’t create a correlation that overtaking is ok on that road.

7 peoples on bikes 1 person in a car…

Probably fir the same reason other cars don’t when you’re behind them either.

thats just being stupid, of course it is different (assuming the roadies are not going close to the 60mph speed limit)

I wouldn’t pull over immediately but at the same time I would be aware there was someone patiently waiting behind me so would give them a chance to pass once I got to a safe place to do so.

Two car lengths behind group? That’s the issue right there IMO, you should have been ~two seconds behind them, you need time to react to anything that happens to any of the cyclists.

Two car lengths could be two seconds, depending on what speed they were going.

I don’t always pull over immediately if I’m riding on the road but I also hate when there are cars behind me so I do tent to make a bit of an effort to let them pass. Thing is, on a busier road this would mean stopping every couple of minutes and that’s just pants.

Two car lengths behind group? That’s the issue right there IMO, you should have been ~two seconds behind them, you need time to react to anything that happens to any of the cyclists.

So they didn’t let me pass because you think I was too close to them?

There was plenty of time for me to stop if one of them suddenly flung themselves to the ground for some reason.

Felt helpless and confused

Guys, you’ve been trolled.

No, really, this is a true story, happened at lunchtime today.

I’m not saying that they have to pull over, not even saying that they should have let me past, but kind of baffled as to why they didn’t, if only because I would have.

And the single-file / riding abreast thing just puzzled me even more, they went to single file so a car could come the other way, but not to let me past. I don’t get it.

So they didn’t let me pass because you think I was too close to them?

Can you explain why they had to let you pass? There’s no legal requirement for cyclists to do so..

Personally, I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.

(deputising for DTF)

If a group of 7 can’t maintain 30mph+ they shouldn’t be on the road

use your horn next time

They maybe didn’t know you were there?
I usually get really close & give a 5 second blast on the horn.
The **** know I’m there after that.

Personally, I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. you should make a mountain bike out of some roadkill.

Four pages I reckon, it’s a good attempt but it’s not going to measure up to The Thread About A Small Patch Of Grass.

Road riding safely and well in a group is a skill. It requires good shared understanding between riders so that they know and can anticipate what the others are going to do given the conditions, good communication (riders at the front warning the others of road hazards, those at the back letting those in front know about cars behind/overtaking), good group discipline, and a substantial degree of cooperation/common purpose.

It’s a skill which cyclists used to learn on club rides, where a new rider would quickly learn to copy what the other more experienced riders did.

The problem now is that there are a lot of cyclists riding as groups of friends on the road, who have never been on group rides with more experienced riders, and who lack those skills as a result. This includes a lot of mountainbikers who take up road riding.

From what you describe, the riders sound like just such a group of mates with poor group riding skills. In the situation you describe, I think they should have singled up to make it easier for you to overtake, but I would not have expected them to pull in and stop to allow you to pass (I’ve been in groups where we have done this if a vehicle has been behind us for a long time with no prospect of the road straightening/widening to allow an easier overtake, but that is usually the exception – it’s a lot less disruptive/easier/safer for an individual to decide to pull over than a group).

As for the missed turn and hesitating in the middle of the road, there was no excuse for that. Usually in any club group ride, one person is leader/navigator, and halting the group in the middle of the road like that would have earned him/her some withering remarks.

Sorry mate, slowster seems to have done a much better job of being DTF than you have.

😆

I thought everyone hated each other except when they are pretending/vested interests and tolerating.

I call customers adult babies, because that’s what they are.

Yup plebs is a fair enough term for the majority of UK citizens.

Why solve anything when you can fight over it.

Agreed, a lot of poor group riding about. Recently found myself in a near collision with a group on a narrow lane. The riders I was heading towards didn’t want to move to single file or use the correct side of the road.

They might not have been riding ideally for overtaking cars behind them.

They probably also get people overtake when done so dangerously.

Im trying to say, no harm done and that we really do just need to be a bit more tolerant/ patient of each other these days.

Makes the world so much more pleasant when you don’t let lifes niggles get at you so much. Whether the niggles are justified or not.

Drive safe. Ride safe. Its all good.