Be predictable with all your actions. Maintain a steady, straight line and avoid braking or changing direction suddenly, especially if contesting a sprint. Remember that there are riders following close behind.

It is the lead riders responsibility to point out and call out any road hazards ahead. These include potholes, sticks, stones or loose gravel, road narrowing, kangaroos (very unpredictable) etc. Relay these calls back through the bunch.

Call out cars or pedestrians, especially on narrow or winding roads. Use “CAR UP”, “CAR BACK” etc. Call out "SLOWING" if you are coming to a stop or slowing down for any reason.

Be smooth when you take your turns at the front of the group. Check your speed and maintain a steady bunch speed. Avoid surges unless trying to break from the bunch. Surging tires the whole group, and doesn’t allow following riders to rest before taking their next turn. A group will travel quicker when turns are completed smoothly.

When racing, and you have finished your turn at the front, indicate to the following rider. Often a flick of the elbow is used, or sometimes a verbal queue. Then move aside and SLOW DOWN, so that the next rider doesn’t have to accelerate to ride over you. This keeps the bunch moving at a steady speed without surging.

When racing in a bunch with a side wind, the lead rider always peels off the front on the windward side. This is because following riders will be sheltering on their leeward side, and most likely will have some wheel overlap. If you suddenly veer off to the leeward side, you could cause the following rider to hit your back wheel, and possibly bring down the whole bunch.

Pedal down hill when you are at the front of the bunch. The following riders dislike having to ride under brakes.

To slow down, instead of using the brakes, you can often gradually move a small amount sideways out from behind the rider in front, to catch more wind, until you have slowed, then slot back into your position in the bunch.

Avoid leaving gaps when following wheels. Cyclists save about 30% of their energy at high speed by following a wheel. Each time you leave a gap you are forcing yourself to ride alone to bridge it. Also, riders behind you will become annoyed and ride around you, especially if the bunch is working together to break away or catch a break in a race. This type of behaviour also causes surging, which is disruptive to the whole bunch.

When climbing hills, avoid following a wheel too closely. Many riders often lose their momentum when rising out of the saddle on a hill which can cause a sudden deceleration, resulting in their back wheel suddenly coming back at you. This can often catch a rider who is following too closely, off guard, resulting in a fall from a wheel touch. This also applies along a flat, riding in a closely knit bunch. Save your stretch until you are at the back of the bunch.

Do not panic if you brush shoulders, hands or bars with another rider. Try to stay relaxed in your upper body to absorb any bumps. This is a part of cycle racing in close bunches and is quite safe provided riders do not panic, brake or change direction.

In club handicap races, do your share of the work if you are going to contest the finish, otherwise sit up at the end. Don’t sit on the back to save energy and let others do all the work then sprint past at the finish. Also don't sit on someone's wheel for 5km or more in a breakaway all the time claiming that you are about to blow-up and then try to out-sprint him or her at the finish. If you do … expect no sympathy from other racers and be assured that sooner or later, angry words or worse will come your way. This is a BIG no no! Your reputation will never recover.

If you are tired and do not want to take a turn, learn how to sit on the back of the bunch. When the lead rider comes back after doing his/her turn, TELL him or her to cut in, dropping back yourself to allow room. Be sure to tell them while they still have an overlap on the rider in front of you, so they can cut in easily and smoothly without having dropped back too far, then having to put in a burst to get back on.