All 6 of our regular Saturday clubruns are currently enjoying a great level of support and it's unusual to have less than 12 on any of the rides. However, this does produce the problem of the inconvenience that a large group of cyclists presents to other traffic, especially vehicles that need to overtake.
The various cycling bodies are constantly campaigning to preserve our right to use any road and have just succeeded in stopping the proposed change to the Highway Code that would have virtually forced us to use dedicated cycle facilities no matter how unsuitable they may be. Whilst we most certainly have the right to ride on any road, rights also involve responsibilities. Ours are to be considerate to other road users and not to give the anti-cycling lobby any ammunition to press for restrictions of our rights.
The committee have discussed the extent to which we can reduce the inconvenience that our large groups cause to overtaking traffic. They decided that that the most effective action is to create space(s) within a large group so that vehicles can overtake in stages and not have to wait behind for so long. This will also add to our safety by reducing the risk of a frustrated driver trying to overtake and having to cut into the group when meeting an oncoming vehicle.
To achieve this they require every runs leader to count the number of riders and divide them into groups no bigger than 10. Each group must maintain a gap of no less than 100 yards. The existing warning calls and singling out to apply within each group.
We hope that this will enable us to continue to enjoy riding with a large number of club members of equal ability in added safety and with minimum inconvenience to other road users.