[dhgeyer]

I've done a lot of group rides, as a member of two clubs. A lot of how good your experience will be depends upon how well the ride is organized, and how well the ride leader communicates the rules and procedures to the group. There should be a stand-up meeting before mounting up.

A good ride is in the staggered formation. You are, say in the left side of your lane. You are two seconds behind the rider in front of you who is also in the left side of the lane. There is a rider 1 second in front of you in the right side of the lane, and a rider one second behind you and to your right. This is the standard operating procedure for group riding.

There should be a clearly understood set of hand signals that riders pass back from the leader to the back. For example, in my local club, the leader holds up one finger to indicate that we should all go from a staggered formation to single file. He will do this when there is a hazard on the roadside narrowing the lane, several pedestrians or bicyclists and so on. At this point everyone goes to single file 2 seconds apart. And everyone holds up the one finger signal to pass the word to the back. There are, or should be a number of such signals indicating a specific response.

Smaller groups are more relaxing, safer, and more fun than large ones. If there are over 15 or so bikes, it gets hard to get through intersections, and there is always the problem of a light going red in the middle of the group. If half the groups obeys the law and stops, the leader may or may not see this and pull the group over to wait. So, if you are toward the rear and the light changes you are faced with the decision of whether to run the red light as a group, or risk getting left behind with no idea where you are going. Due to this and other problems, I have come to the conclusion that there is no good way to handle a large group ride. There are always problems and rough spots. The only way it can really work is if it's a large charity run, and the police are controlling the intersections to let the group through legally and safely.

Then there is the issue of varying skill levels. Maintaining the 2 second interval is hard once you are back a ways in the group, as there is almost constant "crack the whip" speeding up and slowing down. Even if you have mastered the technique, others who have not, or who are poorly skilled riders, can threaten to invade your space. It can be nerve wracking.

Group riding is a special skill set, and generally not as relaxing as riding alone or with a very small group. Some people enjoy it, some to not. After struggling with the issue for about 5 years, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy being part of my local club, but don't enjoy large group rides. I have solved this by reaching an understanding with the club leadership that I will meet for breakfast (our custom), and meet the group at its various destinations to socialize and enjoy the group, but I ride solo to get there.

Your mileage may vary.