Originally Posted by
MinnMan
There are other variables. In some groups riding a double pace line, the two pullers end their pull synchronously, requiring some communication about when to be finished. There are other double pace line rides when people finish asychronously.
When I was in Germany, I went on a Berlin Rapha Clubhouse ride that was the most regimented ride imaginable. Double pace line, all pulls ended synchronously and the pulllers went all the way to the back. Consequently, the person next to you remained your partner throughout the ride. Actually, pulling in that scenario just felt like work. It didn't have the joy that motivated my OP.
I've never even seen a double pace line. That'd take the whole lane. The most fun paceline I've ever been in we were going really fast, pretty much lactate threshold pace. When one came to the front it was like being hit by a fire hose. One pulled over as soon as possible and joined the backwards moving paceline and just tried to hold on until another rider moved over and shielded one from the firehose. We did that for an hour, most sadistic fun I ever had.
We started doing this coming out of the last rest stop on a big ride. The riders we passed would get on the back. At one point we had maybe 30 riders behind us, but after an hour no one was there. We were just riders who'd never seen each other before, but we seemed compatible riding together and after a while that paceline just happened. I don't remember how, but probably the rider on the front really picked up the pace, pulled over, and we all thought that was fun, last 30 miles, no more hills, let's go! It was wonderful to be strong and celebrate it.