So, you ride a bike, at some stage you are going to find yourself in the middle of a paceline might be you planned it, might be by chance, but whizzing along sitting a few cm from someone’s wheel with someone doing the same behind you can be an unnerving experience. Makes no difference your ability, leisure cyclist, racer, club cyclist, even a pro, you will at some stage screw it up….so here are some tips to help you do a better job….
1. THE SURGE……The whole idea is to go from A to B as a group using the least amount of energy to go the fastest speed over a given distance. The surge comes from you sitting second wheel and knowing that when “Fred” leaves the front its down to you. The general thing that happens is that you are now exposed, its your glory moment to show how strong you are and how big your balls are so you push the pace….NO….. When the rider pulls off keep the same speed that they were, so the speed is kept fluid, keep an eye on the pace before they move off and follow the same. Focus on about 2 mins or so then pull off and the next rider follows.
2. THE ELBOW…. Everything you do needs to be liquid motion. We don’t need the big pull, the flick of the elbow, sharp exit off the front and then we go again with what I mentioned above. Check over your shoulder, when safe to do so gently flick of the elbow and move across. If someone is overlapping your wheel, then a sharp flick out from the line can cause a pile up as you take them out. A look over your shoulder gives them a “ok he is about to move off” notice.
3. EASE OFF THE PEDALS….. You need to join the back of the line so ease off the gas let the guys come past you and join the group…you don’t need to ride hard here. You are already in energy saving mode. Stay seated too…you might need that little out the saddle effort to get back on at the back if the pace is high but save your effort.
4. CALL OUT…..Last man in the line needs to shout “last man” as the group is circling its not always a given that “Jonny” is always your last man, if someone has missed a turn then who you dropped back behind may have changed….likewise you have a lot to think about, are you really always going to remember who you were sitting behind in a bigger group and everyone is in club kit ….i think not !!
5. TAP THE BRAKES…..You will brake in a pace line to hold the position you are comfortable with but remember ANYTHING you do has a consequence its all about EASY riding…hard on the brakes and someone is going to go straight into the back of you. Think of when you drop a stone into a pool of water…. the rings are biggest further out….same here….use the front brake to just keep you in check. Any big effort will have HUGE consequences further back in the line.
6. RIDE SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER…. Yes, yes, yes, I know its all about sitting cm’s from someone wheel and we are not talking about half wheeling here, but most accidents are caused by riders always looking down. Riding slightly off the side means you can see where you are going, gives you an exit strategy AND if something goes wrong up ahead then you can correct it with no major incident.
7. MISSING A TURN….. In a paceline you will have riders of different strengths and abilities, so be mindful of that…Remember my first point going A to B fast and as easy as possible. Its not about you trying to prove how hard you are…think of others and even if you need a break then no issue or keep your turn really short.
8. HEAD WIND/TAIL WIND….. Easy one, tail wind longer efforts at the front…..head wind shorter…simple as that.
9. TALK TO EACH OTHER….If you get left behind then words like “OFF” or “EASY” tells the person in front what is happening behind…. Likewise “LAST MAN” remember from point 4.
10. BE SAFE…..Every time you get to a point where you can get in a group then do it…the more you practice the better you will be become. There will also be people that you are happy sitting behind and those that you don’t like…..Avoid getting into a pace line when there are lots of traffic lights, roundabouts and street furniture too as it means more braking and an increased risk of pile ups….and likewise talk to people tell them whats coming and pass it down the line too !!!
Happy pace line….now go out and practice with your friends/team mates !!!