Originally Posted by EventServices
At the USOTC in Colorado Springs, we used to play a game called "Chop".
You get 10 riders in a grassy area the size of a tennis court, and you slowly ride around in it playing a sort of slow-motion demolition derby. This gets you used to bumping into other riders.
We also did a couple of different drills (on the lawn) where we'd ride along side each other bumping elbows, leaning on each other, and purposely overlapping wheels.
Then we did something called the Rickets. Two lines of riders ride side by side leaving a small gap between elbows. The guy at the back rides up between the lines.
It always amazes me that most riders will do Criteriums all summer but will never hone their cornering skills.
Good advice
My club has a beginner race program where we bring everyone out in a field and do similar stuff. Intentionally rubbing/scrubbing the rear tire of the rider in front of you in the grass at 5-6 mph hurts a lot less when you go down the first few times than it does on asphalt. Leaning drills are great also. Anything to help prepare beginners for what they may come across in a race is good so they don't have to learn some of the stuff the hard way.