Group Cycling: The Benefits of Cycling in Groups

As we mentioned up top, there are plenty of reasons to ride in a group rather than going out by yourself; performance, motivation and friendship to name but three. And, of course, there’s nothing to say that you can’t also ride by yourself when you feel like it. 

The first benefit of road cycling in a group is the potential to improve your performance as well as your bike riding skills.

Riding in a group means that you’ll have to learn how to keep pace with other cyclists as well as maintaining the pace of the group when you take your turn on the front.

Depending on what type of cycling group you join, you may also find that your group ride involves sprints or other types of competition with other cyclists, which will improve your performance over time.

Another good reason to ride in a group is the accountability and motivation that riding with other cyclists gives you.

While it can be hard to stay motivated when you’re riding by yourself (and much easier to find excuses to skip your morning ride and stay in bed), riding with a group gives you the motivation to get out and ride, no matter how tempting sleeping late can be.

Because of this, joining a group ride will also help to improve your consistency, which will go a long way towards improving your cycling performance. So take your hand off that snooze button!

One of the big benefits of cycling in a group is that you’ll meet other like-minded people who share a passion for cycling.

If you’re new to road cycling, this is invaluable for finding the best road cycling routes in your area, as well as finding other cyclists to ride with.

Joining a local cycling group will introduce you to your local cycling community and the cyclists that you meet will likely have insights on good local bike shops as well as any other events or groups in the area that are worth checking out.

Even if you aren’t cycling to improve your performance, you can still get great benefits from cycling with a group.

Finally, riding in a group of cyclists can improve your safety when you’re out on the roads. Larger groups of cyclists are more visible to cars and other road users than a solitary cyclist, no matter how good your lights are.

Additionally, riding in a group means that if anything does go wrong on the road, you’ll have support with you already. 

And at least one person is your group is guaranteed to have a spare tube to help you change your tyre or a multitool if you forget yours. Just remember to buy them a coffee at the cake stop to say thanks.

Now that you know the benefits of riding with a group, how can you go about finding a local road cycling group in your area? For this task, the internet will be your best friend. Many local cycling groups will have a Facebook page with group ride details, so start by searching for any groups in your area.

British Cycling has a useful community group finder which allows you to search for group rides and socially-minded clubs organisations based on your post code. There’s also a club finder, which is more about finding a cycling club to join – typically, although not always, this is a bit more of a performance-oriented vibe.

Your local bike shop can also be helpful, as they’ll likely know of any road cycling groups in the area and may even run group rides from the shop. Check out the websites for any bike shops in your area to see if they support or host any road cycling group rides, or stop by and ask in person.

If you’ve never ridden in a group before, there are a few tips and tricks that you should know before heading out on your first group ride.

First, be aware of the pace and style of the ride before you show up. Most cycling groups will have this listed on their Facebook page or website and it's always best practice to check this before signing up. Ensure that you are comfortable riding the distance and pace that they have listed.

Many cycling groups will ride in a paceline, where one rider at a time takes turns setting the pace at the front of the group. This can seem daunting to new cyclists but will come easily to you after a few rides.

Before taking your turn, keep an eye on the average amount of time that each rider spends on the front, as well as the average pace of the group. Try to maintain that same speed for your time at the front of the line and don’t significantly increase or decrease the pace unless discussed first.

And, of course, be sure to show up on time and prepared with all of your kit as well as any hydration and energy supplements that you’ll need during the ride. 

So, what do you need to be prepared for a road group ride?

Before we get into the kit, tools and accessories that you’ll want to have to make sure your group ride goes as smoothly as possible. This is arguably the most important thing that you can bring on a group cycling ride.

Be sure to stock your top tube bag or jersey pockets with more snacks than you think you’ll need for the distance you’re doing and fill up your water bottles.  

Having a capable road bike is crucial to joining any road cycling group! A high-performance and lightweight road bike will help you to keep up with any faster riders in your group as well as flattening out any climbs along your route.

If you don’t own a road bike already, or if you’re ready for an upgrade, selection of road bikes to find the perfect fit for you.

For road cyclists who are looking to go faster and keep the weight of their set-up down, having a good set of aerodynamic and lightweight cycling kit is invaluable. However, no matter what your cycling goals are, good cycling clothing will help to keep you comfortable over long hours in the saddle.

For new cyclists, the most important element of your kit will be a good pair of bib shorts, though a lightweight and breathable jersey will also make your rides much more enjoyable. Don’t forget a set of cycling gloves for additional padding on your palms.

Whether you want to closely monitor your performance, know the basics of how fast you’re going or you simply want to be able to know where you are, a cycling computer is an essential addition to your group ride set-up.

This will measure your performance and give you a concrete way to track your performance. If your bike comes stocked with a power meter, you can connect it to your cycling computer to give you all the information you’ll need on your speed, cadence and power output.

If your bike doesn’t have a power meter, you can add one or use speed and cadence sensors to monitor your performance. A heart rate monitor is an excellent addition to any cyclist’s set-up, as this will give you a better idea of your overall fitness.

The last thing that you want on a group ride is to suffer a mechanical and have to ask one of your fellow cyclists for tools or a spare tube because you don’t have any with you.

Your roadside repair kit should consist of a spare inner tube, a set of tyre levers, a multitool, a pump or CO2 inflator and a patch kit, just in case.

Lastly, having a good set of road cycling shoes and pedals will increase your cycling efficiency by allowing you to use your whole pedal stroke rather than just pressing down on your pedals.