Paceline Etiquette
06-10-09, 07:33 AM
#26
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The do nots...
Most importantly do not overlap wheels.
Accelerate the pace when taking the lead.
No coasting unless going down hill fast. Many riders do a pedal pedal coast, pedal pedal coast. This comes up due to changing wind and slope conditions and the general accordion effect of pace lines. It is much better to pedal constantly and touch your brake if you need to shed a little speed or move slightly into the wind. The problem is the rider directly behind sees the coast and reacts further exacerbating the accordion effect.
The dos...
Protect your front wheel at all times. If at any point, you do not think it is possible to do this, get out of the pace line.
If the wind is coming from an angle, rotate into the wind shielding the rider taking over the lead momentarily. Echelon the line if possible in cross winds. Generally there is not enough room on the road so the lead rider should ride as far in the direction of the wind as possible while being safe and not impeding car traffic allowing other riders to angle off his wheel. My experience in practice is that most pace lines do not work well in crosswinds since the roads are not closed to traffic. In the pro and some amateur races, if the entire road is available then use the echelon technique.
Flick your elbow when you are on lead to signal that you are going to rotate. In fast lines, it is hard to hear.
Limit your pulls to 45 seconds. Unless it is not safe to do so. Longer pulls slow up the line. If the pace is efficient for all the riders, 45 seconds is enough. Shorter can be better.
Get to the back as fast as possible to get your recovery. If the rotation is going at 30 to 45 second intervals, you will be up soon. The corollary to this is if the rotation period is long, then the pace will be slower. It is not possible to hold optimum power for pace line work for minutes at end. If there are a couple of really strong riders they can stay up for a minute or two but longer times in the front defeat the idea of a pace line.
If you decide to stand, loudly announce that you are going to stand. The reason is the when you stand initially, the bike falls back 6 inches to a foot depending on how steep the hill is. If the rider behind is 6 inches from your wheel, you will hit his front wheel and he may go down.
If you are slower or unsure of yourself stay in the back. As the riders rotate back, tell them you are staying back and open a gap.
If this is an ad hoc group that you join and do not know, if anything does not look right or there is weird behavior, overlapping wheels and etc, get out. Do not assume everything is going to be alright. It generally is not.
Since I have been riding at the track, my pace line skills have improved dramatically. Riding fixed gear with no brakes heightens your awareness and the track offers geometry that makes changing pace line leaders logical. Once we are going 25 mph, a one lap pull on a 330 meter track is a lot. Generally, we do 1/2 lap pulls which puts one in the lead for 12 to 15 seconds depending on speed. In a 4 man pace line the rotations come around quickly.
When I am in a pace line on the road, I am very attentive to where would I go if there were a crash. Where is the safest place to be with respect to the rider in front - toward the traffic or toward the shoulder.
Most importantly do not overlap wheels.
Accelerate the pace when taking the lead.
No coasting unless going down hill fast. Many riders do a pedal pedal coast, pedal pedal coast. This comes up due to changing wind and slope conditions and the general accordion effect of pace lines. It is much better to pedal constantly and touch your brake if you need to shed a little speed or move slightly into the wind. The problem is the rider directly behind sees the coast and reacts further exacerbating the accordion effect.
The dos...
Protect your front wheel at all times. If at any point, you do not think it is possible to do this, get out of the pace line.
If the wind is coming from an angle, rotate into the wind shielding the rider taking over the lead momentarily. Echelon the line if possible in cross winds. Generally there is not enough room on the road so the lead rider should ride as far in the direction of the wind as possible while being safe and not impeding car traffic allowing other riders to angle off his wheel. My experience in practice is that most pace lines do not work well in crosswinds since the roads are not closed to traffic. In the pro and some amateur races, if the entire road is available then use the echelon technique.
Flick your elbow when you are on lead to signal that you are going to rotate. In fast lines, it is hard to hear.
Limit your pulls to 45 seconds. Unless it is not safe to do so. Longer pulls slow up the line. If the pace is efficient for all the riders, 45 seconds is enough. Shorter can be better.
Get to the back as fast as possible to get your recovery. If the rotation is going at 30 to 45 second intervals, you will be up soon. The corollary to this is if the rotation period is long, then the pace will be slower. It is not possible to hold optimum power for pace line work for minutes at end. If there are a couple of really strong riders they can stay up for a minute or two but longer times in the front defeat the idea of a pace line.
If you decide to stand, loudly announce that you are going to stand. The reason is the when you stand initially, the bike falls back 6 inches to a foot depending on how steep the hill is. If the rider behind is 6 inches from your wheel, you will hit his front wheel and he may go down.
If you are slower or unsure of yourself stay in the back. As the riders rotate back, tell them you are staying back and open a gap.
If this is an ad hoc group that you join and do not know, if anything does not look right or there is weird behavior, overlapping wheels and etc, get out. Do not assume everything is going to be alright. It generally is not.
Since I have been riding at the track, my pace line skills have improved dramatically. Riding fixed gear with no brakes heightens your awareness and the track offers geometry that makes changing pace line leaders logical. Once we are going 25 mph, a one lap pull on a 330 meter track is a lot. Generally, we do 1/2 lap pulls which puts one in the lead for 12 to 15 seconds depending on speed. In a 4 man pace line the rotations come around quickly.
When I am in a pace line on the road, I am very attentive to where would I go if there were a crash. Where is the safest place to be with respect to the rider in front - toward the traffic or toward the shoulder.
06-10-09, 09:43 AM
#27
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That describes our club rides perfectly. Maybe we have groups that ride 18-20, and maybe are a wee bit closer than 4 feet between riders. But 6 inches apart? We don't do that. We have enough trouble avoiding crashes as it is. I don't know how we'd get any better... if in fact, riding closer really is "better" and not just "more stylish"?
06-10-09, 05:58 PM
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If you don't, riders behind may be forced to brake.
Worse, if you're riding up and down small rollers, and you're not going as fast as you can on the downhill bits, you risk the "Slinky" effect on the uphill sections - where riders towards the back start closing in fast on slowing riders in front of them. This is a common cause of paceline accidents.
06-10-09, 10:53 PM
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I read an article on paceline etiquette recently (all has been covered here). I always thought that those in back worked 25-30% less. According to this article, 6" from the wheel = 44%. 12" = 40%.
18" = 38% 24" = 34%
18" = 38% 24" = 34%
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06-11-09, 06:42 AM
#30
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I was always taught the guy pulling should hold a steady *effort* not a steady speed. If you try to hold a steady speed up even short hills, you will eventually start shelling the weaker riders off the back. They, after all, are already at their limit riding at the current effort level; they don't need someone making the pace 20% harder.
One point I haven't read yet, your pull isn't finished until you're on the back and rested. As you're dropping to the back, when you get alongside the last guy, start speeding up a little to slow his overtake. That way you can smoothly pull behind him once he's ahead of you. The last thing you need at that point is to have to sprint to get back on the line!
Being on a lowracer, nobody gets a draft off from me, not even other lowracers; so I use the group mostly as a pace indicator. I hang off the back, making sure there's room for the guys coming off the front. Call cars back. Warn the others (if it's a group that cares) if someone is dropping or has a mechanical. Kill the stragglers? Interesting concept! I like!
One point I haven't read yet, your pull isn't finished until you're on the back and rested. As you're dropping to the back, when you get alongside the last guy, start speeding up a little to slow his overtake. That way you can smoothly pull behind him once he's ahead of you. The last thing you need at that point is to have to sprint to get back on the line!
Being on a lowracer, nobody gets a draft off from me, not even other lowracers; so I use the group mostly as a pace indicator. I hang off the back, making sure there's room for the guys coming off the front. Call cars back. Warn the others (if it's a group that cares) if someone is dropping or has a mechanical. Kill the stragglers? Interesting concept! I like!
06-11-09, 10:30 AM
#31
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Thank You
As a returning cyclist, I learn so much here every day.
To you old-timers who take the time to post for us newbies, thanks.
To you old-timers who take the time to post for us newbies, thanks.
06-11-09, 06:20 PM
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Decided to not ride with pace lines
HI,
I ve only been riding about a year, I tried to ride with the C group and they were to slow, the B group where I ride try to catch the A group and I usally drop after a few miles of 20 + MPH when they are supposed to be around 18. I don't like to mash on the first 2 miles.
So I now ride alone and can pull all the time its really helped my endurance, I have a heart rate monitor to see if I am slacking and I try and spin a little each ride over 90 cad, for me that usally spins up the heart rate into the 130-140 range. at 59 thats fast enough.
Most groups have to many mixed riders who only ride 2 days a week and can't keep a steady cadance for 30 miles.
I now start slow love to go into the wind at first cause the homeward ride is always fast.
Doug
I ve only been riding about a year, I tried to ride with the C group and they were to slow, the B group where I ride try to catch the A group and I usally drop after a few miles of 20 + MPH when they are supposed to be around 18. I don't like to mash on the first 2 miles.
So I now ride alone and can pull all the time its really helped my endurance, I have a heart rate monitor to see if I am slacking and I try and spin a little each ride over 90 cad, for me that usally spins up the heart rate into the 130-140 range. at 59 thats fast enough.
Most groups have to many mixed riders who only ride 2 days a week and can't keep a steady cadance for 30 miles.
I now start slow love to go into the wind at first cause the homeward ride is always fast.
Doug
07-25-09, 02:19 PM
#34
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Bump
Thought I would revive this one with an experience from my club ride today. A colleage from work (whom I heard was a very strong/good rider) was behind me in the pace line, we got to a rapid desent and the line broke apart. I was well clear of the other riders going down the hill at around 35 mph - not letting the bike hit max speed (recent discussions on taking it easy on the down hills has me rethinking 50mph desents
). I am close to the right side of the road and this guy comes in on my right and passes me, If I had moved a little to the right we both would have been road kill. Later in the ride I'm drafting another rider at nice speed - we had a good line going and this same guy does it again - squeezes in on me from behind on the shoulder to my right. I can see things behind me in my mirror on my left but my right is blind. At that point I politely asked him to just let me know he was there and coming up on me if passing on my right. I felt this guy was a dangerous rider to be near. At the end of the ride he did apologize and I did not make a point of it. I noticed quite a few near miss wheel touches on this ride...
Thought I would revive this one with an experience from my club ride today. A colleage from work (whom I heard was a very strong/good rider) was behind me in the pace line, we got to a rapid desent and the line broke apart. I was well clear of the other riders going down the hill at around 35 mph - not letting the bike hit max speed (recent discussions on taking it easy on the down hills has me rethinking 50mph desents
). I am close to the right side of the road and this guy comes in on my right and passes me, If I had moved a little to the right we both would have been road kill. Later in the ride I'm drafting another rider at nice speed - we had a good line going and this same guy does it again - squeezes in on me from behind on the shoulder to my right. I can see things behind me in my mirror on my left but my right is blind. At that point I politely asked him to just let me know he was there and coming up on me if passing on my right. I felt this guy was a dangerous rider to be near. At the end of the ride he did apologize and I did not make a point of it. I noticed quite a few near miss wheel touches on this ride...
07-25-09, 07:34 PM
#35
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I have done my share of Pace-line biking on two America Fast CC tours. We all know the benefit of drafting.
I have developed a dislike for Pace-lines because of the horrendous accidents I have observed and suffered.
I still do small group Pace-lines but only reluctantly. It takes only one bad accident to ruin your life which is too short as it is.
My latest pace-line accident was caused by a big fat cat jumping around and in front of my bike. I slammed on the brake and of course caused a Pace-line pileup. The cat survived. I hurt like hell for months and so did others in that line.
We had packs of wild dogs running into our pace-line going at over 20 MPH.
We had pileups caused by debris on the road. Concussions and broken pelvis.
----------------------
A Pace-line may go great 99% of the time and the 1% can kill you.
Pace-line biking requires full attention to the bike ahead AND LOTS OF LUCK.
I have developed a dislike for Pace-lines because of the horrendous accidents I have observed and suffered.
I still do small group Pace-lines but only reluctantly. It takes only one bad accident to ruin your life which is too short as it is.
My latest pace-line accident was caused by a big fat cat jumping around and in front of my bike. I slammed on the brake and of course caused a Pace-line pileup. The cat survived. I hurt like hell for months and so did others in that line.
We had packs of wild dogs running into our pace-line going at over 20 MPH.
We had pileups caused by debris on the road. Concussions and broken pelvis.
----------------------
A Pace-line may go great 99% of the time and the 1% can kill you.
Pace-line biking requires full attention to the bike ahead AND LOTS OF LUCK.
07-26-09, 12:08 AM
#36
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I have done my share of Pace-line biking on two America Fast CC tours. We all know the benefit of drafting.
I have developed a dislike for Pace-lines because of the horrendous accidents I have observed and suffered.
I still do small group Pace-lines but only reluctantly. It takes only one bad accident to ruin your life which is too short as it is.
My latest pace-line accident was caused by a big fat cat jumping around and in front of my bike. I slammed on the brake and of course caused a Pace-line pileup. The cat survived. I hurt like hell for months and so did others in that line.
I have developed a dislike for Pace-lines because of the horrendous accidents I have observed and suffered.
I still do small group Pace-lines but only reluctantly. It takes only one bad accident to ruin your life which is too short as it is.
My latest pace-line accident was caused by a big fat cat jumping around and in front of my bike. I slammed on the brake and of course caused a Pace-line pileup. The cat survived. I hurt like hell for months and so did others in that line.
You simply never, never, never "slam on the brake" when you're in a group.
Did you ever think about trying to bunnhyop the cat? Or, just hit it? Either would have been preferable for your group mates.
07-26-09, 12:15 AM
#37
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Bump
Thought I would revive this one with an experience from my club ride today. A colleage from work (whom I heard was a very strong/good rider) was behind me in the pace line, we got to a rapid desent and the line broke apart. I was well clear of the other riders going down the hill at around 35 mph - not letting the bike hit max speed (recent discussions on taking it easy on the down hills has me rethinking 50mph desents). I am close to the right side of the road and this guy comes in on my right and passes me, If I had moved a little to the right we both would have been road kill. Later in the ride I'm drafting another rider at nice speed - we had a good line going and this same guy does it again - squeezes in on me from behind on the shoulder to my right. I can see things behind me in my mirror on my left but my right is blind. At that point I politely asked him to just let me know he was there and coming up on me if passing on my right. I felt this guy was a dangerous rider to be near. At the end of the ride he did apologize and I did not make a point of it. I noticed quite a few near miss wheel touches on this ride...
Thought I would revive this one with an experience from my club ride today. A colleage from work (whom I heard was a very strong/good rider) was behind me in the pace line, we got to a rapid desent and the line broke apart. I was well clear of the other riders going down the hill at around 35 mph - not letting the bike hit max speed (recent discussions on taking it easy on the down hills has me rethinking 50mph desents
). I am close to the right side of the road and this guy comes in on my right and passes me, If I had moved a little to the right we both would have been road kill. Later in the ride I'm drafting another rider at nice speed - we had a good line going and this same guy does it again - squeezes in on me from behind on the shoulder to my right. I can see things behind me in my mirror on my left but my right is blind. At that point I politely asked him to just let me know he was there and coming up on me if passing on my right. I felt this guy was a dangerous rider to be near. At the end of the ride he did apologize and I did not make a point of it. I noticed quite a few near miss wheel touches on this ride...Communication in a paceline is critical. The pro move is to reach over and touch the hip of the rider you're moving up on, but saying "on your left" or "on your right" works just as well.
When all else fails, and you don't feel safe around another rider, just do your best to avoid them (dropping them is the best revenge
).
07-26-09, 06:13 AM
#38
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At the point the last offense took place would have been where I applied the gas and sprinted the last few miles of the ride but yesterday I was perfectly happy to ride about 3 back from the lead, my revenge came when I had a big burst of energy on the second big climb of the ride and was able to pass most of the other riders like they were standing still - I don't know where that burst came from. It must have been the Guu I ingested 30 minutes prior.
08-06-10, 11:28 AM
#41
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Back when I first got into the sport, in Berkeley, CA in the early 70's, the normal procedure for those who were serious about riding a bicycle was to get directed to a club. A rank beginner would see the colorful jerseys and spindly bikes flash by, would find out where to buy such a bike, would be directed by the shop to where the rides were, would go there on a Sunday morning with his new PX-10 or Cinelli and start meeting riders, both racers and recreational, and would start the long apprenticeship from becoming a newbie bike rider to becoming someone who would be most deserving of the term "cyclist."
Today, it's mostly racers who do the apprenticeship. American culture being what it is, with some disdain for European traditions (in some ways a good thing), casual cyclists have little regard for the intricacies of dealing with pace lines. A lot of riders think they know what's going on, but it's just ignorance mixed with arrogance.
Cycling is almost like an eastern religion. If you want to learn anything, you have to start at the bottom and adopt a humble attitude; you actually will learn more much faster this way. You must learn about the nature of the wind, how you can find the "sweet spot" behind the rider in front (and it's very seldom directly behind that rider), how to gauge speed and how to detect speed changes unconsciously. How to slow down without braking or ceasing pedaling, but merely by reducing pedal pressure and moving the bike slightly into the wind. How to focus on leg speed rather than pedal pressure when you get to the front, so that the pack speed doesn't change with the change of leaders (roadies have a real problem with this; trackies can do this flawlessly), how to quickly tell which riders to avoid, or which riders to leave a bigger gap behind.
Race car drivers always say that the most important trait of a good race car pilot is "smoothness." The same is true of a cyclist. Even when accelerating hard, a good cyclist is smooth. The smoother a rider, the closer you can get on his wheel.
Anyway, if you truly want to become good at riding in pacelines, join a good club. You don't need to race, you just need to ride with real cyclists.
Luis
Today, it's mostly racers who do the apprenticeship. American culture being what it is, with some disdain for European traditions (in some ways a good thing), casual cyclists have little regard for the intricacies of dealing with pace lines. A lot of riders think they know what's going on, but it's just ignorance mixed with arrogance.
Cycling is almost like an eastern religion. If you want to learn anything, you have to start at the bottom and adopt a humble attitude; you actually will learn more much faster this way. You must learn about the nature of the wind, how you can find the "sweet spot" behind the rider in front (and it's very seldom directly behind that rider), how to gauge speed and how to detect speed changes unconsciously. How to slow down without braking or ceasing pedaling, but merely by reducing pedal pressure and moving the bike slightly into the wind. How to focus on leg speed rather than pedal pressure when you get to the front, so that the pack speed doesn't change with the change of leaders (roadies have a real problem with this; trackies can do this flawlessly), how to quickly tell which riders to avoid, or which riders to leave a bigger gap behind.
Race car drivers always say that the most important trait of a good race car pilot is "smoothness." The same is true of a cyclist. Even when accelerating hard, a good cyclist is smooth. The smoother a rider, the closer you can get on his wheel.
Anyway, if you truly want to become good at riding in pacelines, join a good club. You don't need to race, you just need to ride with real cyclists.
Luis
08-06-10, 02:27 PM
#42
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Luis: That was a great post and it may be your best. I completely agree with the analogy to an eastern religion. IMO, riding in a pacline, pack or group takes a long time to master. Some aspects seem stupidly simple and obvious but in practice, perfect execution remains elusive. Our track culture is what you describe. We work together and the masters help the apprentices. Becoming one with the wind and learning its subtleties takes time. We spend countless hours and laps practicing pace lines and critiquing each other. We practice being a good wheel such that when the person ahead is not that good, one can smooth out the discrepancies such as not to pass it on to riders behind in the paceline. We practice looking ahead versus staring at the wheel in front so that we can read the pack several moves ahead. Since we have no brakes and cannot coast, we must be in complete harmony with the other riders on the track at all times. It is almost ballet. Most of this translates to the road and I find myself using the wind, position and the subtleties of cadence and pedal pressure to control speed with very little, if any, braking.
08-06-10, 08:41 PM
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Echelons/ side by side riding is not a good idea when shared by motorists. Point out objects, not everyone understands arm flicking. Pulling out of line is self explanatory. Hydrate at the rear.
08-07-10, 03:29 AM
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I agree that Luis's post was good.
Not one to have ridden in any pacelines(maybe once) reading these is very informative.
08-07-10, 07:41 AM
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When pulling off from the lead, should you go left or right? Above posts, most seem to favor left, but I noticed one that mentioned pulling off to the right. If it's not always left, what is the standard communication ("pulling off LEFT"?).
There was a video on here years ago that showed how, if your front wheel does touch the wheel in front of you, you can intentionally "bounce off." It looked very effective; essentially, if, for example, the right side of your wheel touches, you turn your handlebars to the right, as if trying to push the other wheel away. It looked like a great emergency, last ditch method of avoiding a fall, but I'm to chicken to try it intentionally. Anyone tried this?
There was a video on here years ago that showed how, if your front wheel does touch the wheel in front of you, you can intentionally "bounce off." It looked very effective; essentially, if, for example, the right side of your wheel touches, you turn your handlebars to the right, as if trying to push the other wheel away. It looked like a great emergency, last ditch method of avoiding a fall, but I'm to chicken to try it intentionally. Anyone tried this?
08-07-10, 09:47 AM
#46
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Luis got it right. Good job with that post.
The problem is, what if you don't ride with the same group of people all the time. If your groups are casual, or just group rides.
Riding on the track with a fixed gear is alot different than out on Sunday with a group. It still stays true that being smooth and not overlapping wheels are skills most groups don't understand.
Being able to point out road hazards and cars over taking the group, or passing walkers or slower riders is a skill that not many seem to know or understand.
Also hills always slinky the groups. The goats will climb faster than the fat, old guys like me. Thats just the way it is.
In answer to the question about pulling off to the right, Only in a double pace line. Or at least that is what I was taught so many years ago.
The problem is, what if you don't ride with the same group of people all the time. If your groups are casual, or just group rides.
Riding on the track with a fixed gear is alot different than out on Sunday with a group. It still stays true that being smooth and not overlapping wheels are skills most groups don't understand.
Being able to point out road hazards and cars over taking the group, or passing walkers or slower riders is a skill that not many seem to know or understand.
Also hills always slinky the groups. The goats will climb faster than the fat, old guys like me. Thats just the way it is.
In answer to the question about pulling off to the right, Only in a double pace line. Or at least that is what I was taught so many years ago.
08-07-10, 12:27 PM
#47
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Al - pull off to your left except in the UK then pull off to your right.
Luis reiterated some very good points but could have made the points with out some of the elitist tone. Is the guy who never rides in a pace line, never races but travels long distances not a "real" cyclist, I guess we just imagine he is on his bike for hours & miles on end. I don't mean to start a fight here but there are those who have different agendas and we really need to be inclusive. I understood and agreed with what was said, I just didn't appreciate the way it was said.
If you want to learn the skills of racing - learn from those who do it, but racers are not the only real cyclists.
Luis reiterated some very good points but could have made the points with out some of the elitist tone. Is the guy who never rides in a pace line, never races but travels long distances not a "real" cyclist, I guess we just imagine he is on his bike for hours & miles on end. I don't mean to start a fight here but there are those who have different agendas and we really need to be inclusive. I understood and agreed with what was said, I just didn't appreciate the way it was said.
If you want to learn the skills of racing - learn from those who do it, but racers are not the only real cyclists.
08-07-10, 10:34 PM
#48
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Here's a picture of the B group in the motorpaced burnout warm up paceline. I'm behind Shaun Wallace in the green Guiness kit. Shaun is a multiple world champion, British Olympian and one of the champions of our San Diego Velodrome. Definitely a great wheel to follow! He was sitting in with us giving pointers. We're doing about 30 mph at this point, the bike that is above the paceline has pulled off his pull and is drifting back to the end of the line which was 31 riders that night. Also the A group is 10 bike lengths behind our paceline.
Riding a paceline on the road, I rarely touch my brakes either moving over to caught wind to slow down or soft pedaling. I've been told I'm a great wheel to follow especially in the final sprint
.
The paceline is very basic to the track, the warmup is usually a group taking one lap pulls and then half pulls as the speed increases. We usually countdown the laps from 30 and sprint the last lap.
Riding a paceline on the road, I rarely touch my brakes either moving over to caught wind to slow down or soft pedaling. I've been told I'm a great wheel to follow especially in the final sprint
.The paceline is very basic to the track, the warmup is usually a group taking one lap pulls and then half pulls as the speed increases. We usually countdown the laps from 30 and sprint the last lap.
08-08-10, 03:40 PM
#49
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It's nice to know that since I do not ride in pacelines and have no desire to do so that I will never be a "real cyclist." Having said that, one of the more important factors in riding a paceline is the desire and ability to pay attention to the line. I'm one of those that like to look around at what is going on around me and at the scenery. This means I'm not able to pay sufficient attention to a bike that is less than 12 inches away from me.
08-08-10, 07:05 PM
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I posted previously that I could learn from this thread. I think The Big Thing I've learned is that not only am I not a real cyclist; I have no hope of ever becoming one. I'm too old, too slow, don't belong to the "right" club and most damning of all probably don't have the life expectancy and finances to remedy any of those. Oh, I probably will get a bit faster. My bike handling will undoubtedly improve. My endurance at high level speed (for me) will no doubt improve. But, none of these will get me to the place I'm a real cyclist.
You know what? At the risk of insulting anyone; I'm OK with all that. I will ride with anyone who is decently safe. I will do my best to see that I have fun and those around me have fun too. If they need to ride faster or further they go with my blessings. If they need to somehow feed that emotional part of themselves that can only respond to the nuances put out by a well practiced and ritualistic team I will not stand in the way of their path to the table.
All I ask in return is mutual respect.
You know what? At the risk of insulting anyone; I'm OK with all that. I will ride with anyone who is decently safe. I will do my best to see that I have fun and those around me have fun too. If they need to ride faster or further they go with my blessings. If they need to somehow feed that emotional part of themselves that can only respond to the nuances put out by a well practiced and ritualistic team I will not stand in the way of their path to the table.
All I ask in return is mutual respect.
