With autumn and winter approaching fast, most cyclists are winding down for the season and club runs take on a more social feel.

One of the main benefits of riding with a cycling club is there is a wealth of knowledge to tap into for those either new or, as I was myself, returning to the sport after a few years away.

Two of the biggest fears or barriers to joining clubs are riders think they will not be fit enough or they don’t know how to ride in a group.

The first point is easy to address. Contact someone in the club if you are unsure of your fitness level. Most people who can ride 20 miles and average 12 to 15mph are fit enough.

The advantages of riding in a group is it is easier, due to the periods when you are riding behind other cyclists. This time of year, the rides tend to be a little steadier than summer when riders are, or are trying to get, race fit.

The second point is something that needs to be practised to get confident riding in close proximity to other riders, as well as understanding and using verbal and non-verbal communication needed to avoid hazards on the road.

The first things to consider are courtesy for other riders. In groups during the autumn and winter months, full-length mudguards are required or the riders following during inclement weather get covered in what is known as ‘Belgian Toothpaste’.

Also, courtesy to other road users, such as horse riders. Horses are prey animals and do not always see cyclists as human, so as you would in a car, keep slow and wide. It also helps to say hello to the rider to give a vocal signal, especially when approaching from behind.

Car drivers also appreciate good group riding. Typically, it is protocol for groups to ride two abreast. This ensures groups are compact enough to overtake. However, not all roads are suitable, so in areas where the road narrows or solid white lines are in the centre, groups will ‘single out’.

Usual verbal shouts from the riders are ‘car up’ or ‘car behind’. For overtaking either parked vehicles or other road users, the shout is usually ‘out' accompanied by the leading rider swinging his left arm around his back.

Potholes and manhole covers, which create significant danger to cyclists, are pointed at to indicate where they are by the following rider.

Finally, probably the most important thing is to take your turn at the front. When each pair in a group has ‘done a turn’, usually about three or four miles, they will ‘swing off’ and the next pair will take their place as they ride to the back of the group for a rest out of the wind.

E-mail Bronte Wheelers at info@brontewheelers.org for further information.

l Well done to the Bronte Wheelers/Neophix Engineering riders Kevin Hickie, Ian McParland, Stephen Grange and Garry Cockroft, who completed the Three Peaks Cyclo Cross Race.