Group Rides Through Junctions, Roundabouts and Town Traffic: A Leader's Method

Fourteen riders leave town on a Sunday. At the second junction the lights change with ten riders across and four behind the line. The front ten roll on at 30 km/h, and two of the four go through on red to catch up. Nobody is hurt; everyone has learned the wrong lesson.

The short answer: a group gets through a junction by treating it as several small crossings, not one big one. Call the junction early, hold short of it, cross in sub-groups where every rider judges the gap for themselves, and have the front wait beyond the exit, off the road, until the last rider is through. Only Spain gives a group priority, once its first rider has started across a junction or entered a roundabout.

Why junctions split groups, and why that's not a failure

All four road codes have the same rule: don't enter a junction you can't clear. The Highway Code, rule 176 (page updated 22 Oct 2025): "Only go forward when the traffic lights are green if there is room for you to clear the junction safely…". Spain's version applies "aun cuando goce de prioridad de paso": even when you have priority.

That rule is why a long group splits at lights, so the split is a plan, not a failure. The leader's question is how much clear road a group needs to cross in one piece. Our worked example: each rider takes 2.4 m of road (1.8 m of bike plus a 0.6 m gap, as in our two-abreast guide), so a line is rows × 2.4 m − 0.6 m long; the road crossed is an example 7 m two-lane road; riders roll through at 15 km/h. Clear road needed = (group length + 7 m) ÷ riding speed × car speed.

Twelve riders in single file take about 8.5 seconds to clear: about 117 m of empty road from a car at 50 km/h and 70 m at 30 km/h. Six riders two abreast clear in 3.3 seconds and need about 45 m. These are minimums. From a standing start at 10 km/h, six riders two abreast need about 68 m and six in single file about 104 m. A 117 m gap is rare on a busy road; 45 m is common. Small sub-groups cross; long lines don't.

The approach: calls, position and who decides

Junctions go wrong on the approach. The call and signal come about 15 seconds out. Cycling UK's Ride Leader Standards Handbook (v3, March 2026) says: "Call out turnings in good time, don't just turn off suddenly, or you may find yourself without a group to lead!"

Stay two up on the approach when the lane allows it: the line is half as long, and pairs fill a single approach lane instead of inviting a squeeze. Highway Code rule 72 puts cyclists in the centre of the lane "at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you".

Turning across traffic (right in Great Britain, left on the continent) is where the group is most exposed. The FFVélo safety commission's group-riding guide (October 2022) has a clean method: the first rider checks nobody is overtaking, signals and calls "à gauche", the others repeat, and "Après avoir regardé en arrière le dernier donne le top": the last rider looks back and gives the go. The group moves out in single file along the centre line, leaving a lane for cars. In Great Britain, mirror it.

Call the junction, not the gap. Chester Triathlon Club's group etiquette says "clear" means clear both ways, "BUT PLEASE CHECK yourself". Our recommendation: the leader calls the junction ("give way, traffic from the left"); each rider judges their own gap. The calls are in the hand signals and calls guide.

Single out, block or split: the decision at the line

Some groups "cork" junctions: a rider stops in the road to hold traffic. It isn't a right. Humberside Police's guidance for cycling events (file dated 7 Feb 2020) says marshals using flags to stop traffic "must cease as it is unsafe and done without lawful authority"; without a Traffic Regulation Order or the Accredited Marshal Scheme, marshals "warn and direct competitors only". A French school guide (CPD EPS Jura, May 2021) has an adult take position on the far side of the road for children, "mais bloquer la route n'est pas un droit". And Cycling UK's handbook (p. 22) lists, as not the ride leader's responsibility: "Make a decision on when to cross a road or junction on someone else's behalf".

So the leader doesn't block, wave drivers through or call "clear" for others. That leaves three tools:

• Hold short, off the road. CTC Peterborough's ride guidelines (updated 16 Feb 2020): "Do not stop on the road within 25m of a junction." No verge? Stop single file, tight to the kerb, over 25 m back, and move up one sub-group at a time. CTC Edinburgh's ride guidelines (updated 30 Dec 2025): "do not bunch up", and don't block other riders' line of sight.
• Cross in sub-groups of about six. That's CTC Peterborough's default group size; the chart above shows why.
• Every rider looks for themselves. A sub-group goes when its riders see a gap big enough for all of them, not when someone shouts.

The front waits beyond the exit

Once a group has split, the front doesn't ride on and hope. It stops at a planned spot beyond the exit, off the carriageway, and waits until the last rider is through.

Our house rule: 100 to 200 m past the junction, clear of the exit lane and drivers' sightlines, close enough for the back to see you. After five minutes, phone or text the sweep; nobody rides back alone.

At about 2 m of road per stopped rider (1.8 m of bike plus 0.2 m, our assumption), six riders need 12 m in single file, twelve need 24 m (12 m in pairs) and twenty need 40 m (20 m in pairs). Pick a lay-by or quiet side road at least that long, or the back stops in the junction you just cleared.

With no safe stopping place, the front soft-pedals until the back is on. The club ride playbook explains why the back accelerates hardest out of every junction; a no-drop ride lives or dies on this habit. When the group stops, Cycling UK's handbook suggests asking riders to "stop in front of you, so you can count everyone in".

The signpost rider and the sweep

CTC Edinburgh: "If you can't see the group behind, one cyclist should stay at the junction to check that they have seen the turn." That rider is the signpost.

Our method: the signpost is the second rider in line, so the leader stays at the front. They stop off the road just past the turn, visible and out of anyone's sightline, and point. Never in the road, never directing traffic. When the sweep comes through, the signpost rejoins in front of the sweep, so the sweep stays last. Finding riders for the job is covered in recruiting and keeping volunteer ride leaders.

The sweep stays with the back sub-group, even when it's stuck at the lights. If you lead from the back, Cycling UK's handbook adds: "Make sure riders in front know when to stop at junctions and turning". Tell them every waiting point at the start.

Roundabouts: mini, single-lane and multi-lane

In France, note the two words: a signed carrefour à sens giratoire gives priority to the ring (R415-10, quoted in the Transport Ministry's answer to question 35777, JO 3 Mar 2009), while an unsigned rond-point falls back on priority to the right. In Spain, art. 64.2.c (since 2004; over all vehicles since 1 October 2026) gives cyclists priority "Cuando circulando en grupo, el primero haya iniciado ya el cruce o haya entrado en una glorieta". Our reading of art. 56.2–56.3: agents and traffic lights still govern, so red is still red, and the group must stay compact enough to read as one unit. For stop signs and other edge cases, ask the RFEC.

Mini-roundabouts. Highway Code r188: "All vehicles MUST pass round the central markings…". Bikeability's instructor template for roundabouts (August 2023): "Avoid going over the middle of a mini-roundabout. Ride centrally in the lane instead." A group enters a mini as one compact block when there's room for all of it, or waits.

Single-lane roundabouts. Bikeability teaches the primary position on the approach and the ring, an exit signal where needed and a look behind before leaving. Swiss insurer Suva agrees ("les vélos prennent la voie du milieu"); the Jura school guide keeps children "à droite en file indienne", an adult leading and one at the back. For an adult club group, our judgement: take the lane and go round as a compact unit, two up or single file by lane width.

Multi-lane roundabouts. Highway Code r79 gives a cyclist turning right a choice of lanes, or walking round on the verge. For a group, Cycling UK's sample risk assessment (handbook p. 21) has the answer: hazard "Dangerous multi-lane roundabout on gyratory system", control "Find alternative route". Planning a club ride route covers how.

Traffic lights and getting out of town

When the light changes mid-group, every rider behind the line stops, the front waits beyond the exit, and nobody rides through to catch up. Chester Tri: "Red, amber and red/amber all mean stop." The exception is Highway Code r175: go on at amber if you have already crossed the stop line or are so close to it that pulling up might cause a collision. The rider who stops shouts "Stopping!" so the wheels behind brake progressively.

• The French "cédez-le-passage cycliste au feu". A small plate under some French lights lets cyclists pass the red in the directions it shows, but it's a give-way sign (a State fact sheet, September 2015, explains the scheme). It isn't a group pass: each rider gives way on their own, or the group waits for the green together.
• Advanced stop lines. The cycle box at British lights (r178) holds a few riders, not fourteen. Wait in formation behind it.

The better fix is to leave town in pieces: two or three sub-groups of six to eight with gaps between them (CTC Peterborough's default is no more than six, at least six car lengths apart), merging at the first regroup point outside town. If turnout regularly passes 15, Cycling UK's handbook recommends splitting into two groups, and A, B and C pace groups may solve it before the first light.

Brief it in 30 seconds, debrief the junction that split you

Add four lines to the pre-ride briefing:

1. "At junctions we hold short, off the road, and cross in small groups. Nobody calls a gap for you."
2. "If the lights split us, stop. The front waits past the exit, off the road. Don't chase."
3. "At any turn where the back can't see us, the second rider stops to point the way, then rejoins in front of the sweep."
4. "Today's regroup points are the lay-by after the bridge and the church square." In Spain add: "Once the first of us is on a roundabout we go as one unit, eyes on the drivers. Red is still red."

After the ride, note which junction split you. One that splits the group every week is a route problem.

FAQ

Do groups of cyclists have priority at roundabouts?

Only in Spain: art. 64.2.c gives a group priority once its first rider has started across a junction or entered a roundabout; red is still red. In Great Britain, France and Italy each rider gives way individually.

Should the whole group stop at a red light?

Every rider behind the line stops. All four road codes say not to enter a junction you can't clear, so a long group will split at lights; the front waits off the road beyond the exit.

Can a ride leader stop traffic so the group can cross?

No, it isn't a right. In Great Britain, police event guidance (for example Humberside Police's) ties stopping traffic to a Traffic Regulation Order or the Accredited Marshal Scheme. Hold the group short and cross in sub-groups.

Is it a good idea to call "clear" at junctions?

Only as information, never permission. Call what the junction is and let each rider judge the gap.

What is a signpost rider?

The rider who stops just past a turn, off the road, to show the riders behind which way to go. In our method it's the second rider, who rejoins in front of the sweep.

How we made this. Written by club ride leaders, with AI help for research, drafting and translation. We read the national texts and guidance linked above on 21 October 2026. The clear-road distances and waiting-space lengths are our own calculations with the inputs stated where they appear, not measurements, and the 100–200 m waiting point and the signpost-as-second-rider are our house practice, not a standard. This explains the rules and isn't legal advice: check the live text, your national federation (British Cycling, Cycling UK, FFC/FFVélo, RFEC, FCI) and your insurer.