RecceDG

...because it's a slow night with not much going on...

Imagine, if you will, the following scene, set sometime in the future, roughly 6 months from now:

I have been steadily putting km on the Cervelo, building up my base. I'm decidely less Clyde than ever, and am capable of pulling hard for reasonable stretches. Not the next Lance by any means, nor will I be dropping Lance-alikes in Central Park - but a base fitness threshold has been passed.

So I'm out in the county, Just Riding Along, when I hear the buzzy-whooshy hum of the local group ride peleton coming up behind me (I have seen these guys before; I know they exist) The road being open, I ease off to the left to let them by, and as they pass, one of them yells "Slot in if you like!"

The time has come to join in a group ride....

So, now what? What are the rules here?

DG

botto 

I didn't realize that there were so many cyclists in Afghanistan.

roy5000x2

I remember my first pace line...

Busta Quad

The rules here? Use "search" before you ask a question that has surely been asked a thousand times.

caloso

Hop on the back, watch the others, be smooth, DO NOT STARE at the back wheel of the rider ahead of you. Instead, keep your head up and scan past the rider in front of you. You can judge the distance by his jersey pockets. If you can put something in them, you're too close.

peterot

a common occurance given most of your responses and how they hell else do you think they get around besides on foot

Good old US of A mentality

nycphotography

Ideally you should do some two man drafting practice w/ ONE buddy. Go out for fairly long ride, and take turns drafting and pulling, focusing on being smooth in every movement. Smooth accelerations, smooth decelerations, smooth moves off the line, etc. Gradually getting closer until you are drafting each other comfortably at under 12".

Then go work w/ two buddies on a 3 man paceline. With 3 riders, when you're in the back you start to really appreciate the smoothness.


THEN you are ready to try w/ a larger group.

Too many people think they can just jump in a line and magically get it right if you read the right book. There are many small bike handling skills you should develop first, and you don't develop skills just by reading.

Before trying the large group, you should have at least been working on these in a small group of 2 or 3:

When closing a gap, ease up gently, gradually matching the speed of the bike in front. Don't charge up quickly then stop pedalling (or worse brake!). You don't want to drag the guy(s) behind you up into a brake check.

When slowing because the line slowed, try to keep pedalling and gently use a little brake while still pedalling through. This makes you smoother.

When drafting, try to find a steady power and cadence that will hold you even. Don't speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down... This sends resonant waves whiplashing back down the line.

If the rider in front of you is inconsistent in the speed / effort, try to smooth it out for the guy behind you.

Then you have to work on learning to signal each other. Nothing fancy, just the basics. Move left, Move right, slowing/stopping, pointing out crap in the road, and pulling off the front (elbow flicks to indicate where you want the OTHER rider to advance into, NOT to indicate where you are pulling off to).

RacerOne

If it's a big group hang at the back, if its a small group, take your turn on point.

tomatl411

Cut the OP some slack...that said, the search function will give you in long detail what I will give you in short summary.

Jump on the back of the group, the speed and the efficiency of a group are the benefits, the downside is greater danger so 1)keep your line (don't weave or take turns really wide), 2)close the gap (keep the distance from the front of your tire to the rear of his to within a a tire length or two depending on your comfort level and the speed of the group), 3)don't get to close to the guy in front and overlap wheels, 4)in a tight group you can't see much and don't have much time to react so don't jam on your brakes and 5) do call out hazards to others behind you. 6) If people are taking pulls, when it comes to your turn don't feel obligated to pull the same amount of time the others are, you will blow up prematurely and get dropped unless you are a very strong newb.

Be prepared to be humbled by some guy in his 50s or 60s who looks like he's somebody's grandpa. Endurance is one of the last things to go and years in the saddle counts for alot in cycling so be prepared to get owned by a gray beard on italian steel. Work to be that guy someday.

botto 

looky here, an ignorant troll.

sogood

IEDs or pot holes would soon put a stop to those fast moving pacelines.

youcoming

Just tag along for awhile to see how the group manages the rotation, length at front, do not let gaps open up, use wind resistance to slow, try and stay off the brakes, watch this.
https://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/...eoPref=vfastwm

DScott

This is a fun little collection of tips, yours free, just for subscribing to a free, informative weekly newsletter. Can't lose, really: https://www.roadbikerider.com/29toc.htm

Hida Yanra

All good points up till now - my first group ride happened to be about the scariest one in the area... and it took me nine months to screw up the courage to show up and get schooled. You will be fine, just don't try to be a hero in the paceline. If possible, find someone who is willing to show you how it goes, ask lots of questions. Better to know the answers than cause an accident.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned, this is sort of a big deal... learn how to corner well - if you hit your brakes while cornering in a group things can tend to get messy in a hurry. (besides which, knowing how to corner well is super important anyway)

peterot

I am pretty sure nobody rides a bike in China either.

DevDel

Nice attitude, and consistant with most of your posts. If case you haven't noticed, most questions have been asked a thousand times. Shall we close the forum so you don't get all cranky?


To the OP, It's nerves that cause the most problems, remember to stay loose. Otherwise hitting little rocks and stuff that are now blocked from your view can make it a tense experience.

haningp

The only things I can add are when you do get up front and it's your time to pull, don't speed up. Maintain the speed you were at when you were in the rear or middle of the pace line. Also you'll want to keep pedaling even when you are getting the benefit of the draft and being pulled along. Shift to a higher gear and pedal slowly just to keep moving and to let those following you know that you are still moving and not coasting or slowing down.

Flatballer

Honestly, you're telling me the idea of a bunch of guys in lycra riding around in pacelines on race bikes in Afghanistan doesn't seem strange to you?

I did some research, here's one of the pics I found. These are two of their national team members training (I'm not kidding). Looks like they could use some funding, but I'm just amazed that there are recreational cyclists in a poor, war torn country like Afghanistan. I think it's awesome. to them.

**brian**

OP, you have some good replies above.

I'm new to the paceline, too - so I'm doing a series of rides organized by a local club specifically to teach paceline skills.
I've spent the last two Saturdays riding with a bunch of other paceline noobs, and I think the most annoying thing is that some riders have not been very good at resisting the temptation to grab the brakes every time they go over a pothole or debris on the road. I'm sure I'm guilty of this as well, to a degree - it's really a new skill to learn.

When you get home from Kandahar you might want to check out your local clubs and see if any offer a similar program.

timmyquest

Who are you? You've been here less than 4 weeks...STFU. As far as i'm concerned, any fellow cyclist stationed in Afghanistan can ask any related question they want if it helps them pass the time.

timmyquest

Try again fool (and please, learn how to spell).

RecceDG

Thanks for the responses so far.

Is it considered bad for to wheelsuck at the end of the line (while trying to get a feel for it) or are you expected to take a turn at the front?

Is a paceline sort of formal (ride at the front for a while, then pull off and the next guy in line pulls, then he drops back etc) or more ad hoc? (whoever wants to pull moves up and pulls)

DG

timmyquest

Depends on who you're riding with and why you're riding with them. I would just try to find a group at your LBS when you get back and hook up w/ them.

Jim from Boston

Check out this website of the Diablo Cyclists:

https://www.diablocyclists.org/DCtraining.html

see also on that page the tab, "Riding in a group."

botto 

i'm pretty sure you're an idiot.