QUESTION: I enjoy cycling on club rides, but because I’m one of the slower riders, I often end up at the back of the pack. I don’t mind that, but when our route takes us on a busy road with lots of motor vehicle traffic, I end up shouting “car back” every few seconds, which is tiresome for me and must be annoying for my fellow riders. What’s the proper etiquette for calling “car back” when traffic is constantly streaming by. —Nick C.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: Basically, when traffic is continuously streaming by, start with the assumption that every rider in the group is aware of this. In theory, at least, that awareness should make the “car back” shouts less necessary than when motor vehicles are overtaking only occasionally. But you will sometimes see riders ahead seeming to forget about the traffic or be so involved talking to another rider that they appear not to be paying attention or are doubling up, and others may be passing other riders. On those occasions, your shout of “car back” will hopefully call them back to attention, especially if you haven’t been announcing the passing of every vehicle. So the matter of when and how often to shout a warning becomes a matter of judgment — such as when a driver or a cyclist is behaving erratically — rather than one of obligation.
I was recently riding with two friends on a country road that normally sustains only an occasional vehicle, but Jeff, who happened to be in the rear at that moment, saw a string of several cars coming from behind. He shouted to us, “Many cars coming” and left it at that. (We learned later that the parallel state route that most of those drivers would normally use was closed for repairs, and the usually quiet road we were on was being employed for a detour.)
It’s noteworthy that even rear mounted radars, like Trek’s CarBack Bike Radar and the Garmin Varia, are set to pause audio notifications when multiple vehicles are detected, though the visual images continue on screen. Presumably, the pausing is to avoid irritating the rider with repeated dings. Once the clump has passed, the devices emit an all-clear signal.
It’s a good bet that at least some of the club riders have radars, and more will be acquiring them. When this happens, shouting car back may become less necessary, though my experience with group rides is that there will still be a few riders who aren’t as attentive as they should be and can benefit from your occasional yell.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
I ride with a Garmin 1050 and a Varia Radar. My Garmin issues a sound alert when I am being approached from behind. That warning is audible to those within a few bike lengths. New riders will often ask what that noise is.
The bigger issue with all but the most disciplined groups I have ridden with is the reaction of the group. When a “car back” alert is given, that should command every rider to single up. Riders in the back have a responsibility to the group to provide an alert. The rider at the front of the group should amplify that announcement by visually signaling the group to single up. In my experience, what happens next is the issue. Assume we have 10 riders, double line, 5 deep. “Car back” is announced. Four riders single up, but one rider blissfully continues two abreast. I have never been able to determine whether they are not listening or just feel privileged.
What should have been a safety and a courtesy move now becomes annoying the vehicles behind us and a safety issue. We are now twice as difficult to pass because we are more stretched out and we have not provided less of an obstruction for them to pass.
Group riding requires additional skills above solo riding. The most important in my experience is the communication and an increased vigilance required. Going back to the rider that does not single up, did they not hear? If that is the case, they aren’t devoting the attention required for group riding. Group riding is significantly more demanding. If they are ignoring the announcement, maybe they shouldn’t ride in a group and ride solo.
I too have noticed that one or two riders ignore the car back call, especially if they are in conversation with an adjacent rider. You’ve explained the effect of this well.
If one person in the group has a Garmin Varia, the others can add it as a sensor on their gps unit. This allows everyone to hear/see cars back on their head units. One ride and they’ll be buying a rear radar themselves.
I have read that you can pair a varia radar to multiple head units in your group. I haven’t actually tried this, but maybe it would be effective in smaller groups. Everyone with a head unit could get alerts from one of the varia units in the group.,
Before our monthly group rides on Maui, when we often have new folks joining us, we spend some time reviewing rules of the road esp for people new to the group. This includes the usual call out and hand shake for obstacles from the leaders with the “pass along”, as well as the “car back” from the rear of the gang. As long as a series of cars are near each other, a single “car back” serves. “Car up” helps too, esp when being overtaken from behind, so the group can look for bail-outs. I use a mirror on my glasses so I don’t look down and away from the group. I also use the garmin radar chime for a Quick Look in the mirror to see what threat is coming rather than looking down at the garmin.
I totally agree that that guy/girl riding double needs encouragement to single-up asap with those in front and behind leaving a gap they can drop into.
How can a rider be aware of a car approaching from behind if he’s riding alone? I mean, with no one to yell car back? Know what I’m saying?
By acquiring one of the radar devices mentioned (or a rear view mirror) My Garmin even alerts me to cyclists/scooters approaching from the rear.
It obviously depends on the quality of your hearing, but it is rare that I can’t hear a vehicle approaching. Sometimes it is just a subtle difference in the sound pattern.
The introduction of the EV car now makes it more important to have a garmin radar device. These vehicles are Stealthy and catch you unaware!
When alerting other riders about traffic I provide as much info as possible … carS back or the number cars approaching when there are multiple vehicles, truck back when necessary, car or truck back with trailer (riders relax too soon after the rear wheel passes). Also, at the start of a ride , riders should be cautioned to check for cars back before reaching for the water bottle. Information and steering control are safety issues when being passed by motor vehicles.