The Group Ride and the Blind Crest
You are the second rider in a group of five on a 100 km/h two-lane rural road. The lead rider is inexperienced and is riding 10 km/h under the limit, braking late into corners and then accelerating hard out. The road has a blind crest 150 m ahead followed by a tightening left-hand bend. A solid white centre line runs through the crest. You can see a slow-moving farm vehicle ahead of the lead rider, but the lead rider has not signalled or slowed. A car is 60 m behind you, closing.
1. Identify the road-rule and hazard issues created by the lead rider's behaviour and the group formation.
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Road rule: The solid white centre line means no overtaking through the crest - it is there because visibility is restricted. If the lead rider overtakes the farm vehicle over the solid line, that is an offence and dangerous.
Hazard: The lead rider is braking late and accelerating hard, so their speed is unpredictable. Following at a fixed close gap means you inherit their mistakes with no time to react. The blind crest hides oncoming traffic and the road beyond, so the tightening left bend will arrive with little warning.
Group formation: Five riders in a loose group with a closing car 60 m behind is a trap. If you slow for the farm vehicle, the car behind may not expect it. If you follow the lead rider's late braking, you may run wide into the oncoming lane at the crest.
Key point: You are responsible for your own ride, not the group's. Do not follow a rider whose judgement you cannot predict.
2. State your plan for the next 150 m, covering speed, position, gap and communication.
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- Create your own gap. Drop back to at least 3 seconds behind the lead rider - more if possible - so you can see past them and react independently. Do not mirror their braking points.
- Set speed for the crest, not the straight. Ease off before the crest so you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear. You cannot see beyond the crest, so treat it as blocked.
- Position: Stay left of the lane centre on approach for the best view past the lead rider, but be ready to move right for the left bend once you can see through it.
- Do not overtake the farm vehicle over the solid line or through the crest. Wait until the line is broken and you have clear view.
- Signal early and clearly to the car behind - a brake light plus indicator - so it knows you are slowing. Do not rely on the lead rider's signals.
- If the lead rider overtakes dangerously, do not follow. Let them go. Rejoin at the next safe point.
3. The lead rider pulls out to overtake the farm vehicle on the solid line. What do you do, and why?
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Do not follow. Hold your speed down and stay behind the farm vehicle. The lead rider is now in the oncoming lane approaching a blind crest - you cannot help them by joining, and two bikes in the wrong lane is twice the risk.
Instead: Reduce speed, increase your gap to the farm vehicle, and watch for oncoming traffic appearing over the crest. Be ready to stop if the lead rider has to abort and swerve back. Flash your brake light or use a hand signal to warn the car behind that something is happening.
Why: Group riding does not transfer responsibility. Following a bad decision multiplies the hazard. Your job is to stay in a safe, legal position and be predictable. If the lead rider completes the pass, rejoin at a safe gap later; if they abort, you have room to absorb it.