NASCAR makes me glad I left the South.

Now that's harsh.

Formula 1, on the other hand, is excellent. I'm quite upset there isn't a race this weekend.

I can't understand professional wrestling, or nascar.

Shouldn't that be in the confessions thread?

NASCAR car is simple. Draft someone for 499 miles, on the last corner put your foot to the floor and go by him.

Well if you're crashing someone else's party I guess you have two choices: kill it, have fun, make everyone suffer/blow yourself up and laugh about it with your mates at the pub after; or play nice, roll with the group, and maybe get invited back/make new friends.

Depends on the mood you're in I guess!

More like ten to fifteen seconds in a fast pace line.

Almost like a bike race

I wondered when somebody would speak up

Gracias.

so... like... you move the gas pedal with your foot, and people go crazy over it? wow that's so interesting!

I think I get nascar now, but I still don't get pro wrestling.

Depends on the type of rotation you are in. If it's a continuous rotation, you just pull off once you are clear of the guy dropping back (to be clear, this is usually for a very fast paceline - usually faster than 25mph). If its not, you pull as long as your ability allows. A time trial specialist might be on the front for a minute or two or maybe longer. A sprinter like me might be on the front for 15 seconds or shorter. The objective is to move the line as a whole at a continuous which is faster than a single rider alone can manage.

To be clear on some things. It is about a continuous effort at the front. If the lead guy is pulling at 5W/kg, when you hit the front, you pull at 5W/kg (or W/CdA if flat terrain, though "constant speed" suffices for this case).

No offense, but most rec riders have no idea what "no gaps" means in a fast paceline. If guys were rotating off and rejoining the line in front of you, then there were gaps. Rec riders tend to measure "gaps" in terms of feet; racers tend to measure in terms of inches. The "communication" in a paceline is done less with words and more by positioning. If you are leaving a couple feet between you and the guy in front, then you are communicating that you are either not in the pace line or you are about to be dropped; either way, the guy dropping back will join in front of you. If you are tight to the guy in front, then the guy dropping back will not attempt to join the line in front of you (unless it's a race and he really wants the spot, of course).

Rotating pacelines with strangers and yelling over maintaining speed and keeping the watts....
Sound booooooooooooooooooring.
Change the channel Marge!

Why are you here? Go drink a Pabst why doncha?

You're going to tell me it's fun?
And I'm drinking "Kirkland Signature" CostCo German Lager. It's quite decent.
Handcrafted in San Jose!
Pabst? Ohhh, ha ha, Hipster. Ouch.
Anyway, Han Solo pulls the fastest.

Yes it's a ton o' fun.

Beer good.

You mean I got the Hipster slam right? Jeebus I'm so out of the loop on this stuff I must have got lucky. I'm off to by a lotto ticket!

Never got into the freight train style. Too much traffic slasher in me. And anyway, I'm terrible at pulling. Terrible. I just peeked in here and was turned off by the power wattage inchy footy rotating wheelsucking comet of speed talk.
Imma goan try the Pale Ale now, get my hipster cred and listen to Von Haze. Happy Father's day, y'all.

And I can imagine what the Nascar fans say about bike races... grass growing... paint drying... stick insects on wheels...

Although I think the drivers would get it.

Hi Brian,
No offense taken and thanks for your comments. Makes sense that racers are more precise as you correctly write. Part of gapping as you know of recreational riders like me and similar riders is..due to lack of consistent effort as you say. If we all rode together a lot, there would be much better synergy and similar expectations. Inconsistent effort partly born from lack of experience creates too high a risk to ride wheel to wheel as no rider can really trust the surge of the line. Racers of course are generally better riders, and the whole paceline will be more precise and riders can ride closer together with less risk.

Well then you don't have a vote..lol. Riding pacelines is one of cycling's joys. Riding long distances in organized rides is a common activity, not only because it is fun to work with others by 'cooperation' but derive the efficiency of drafting and thrill of riding at a much higher speed than you could sustain by yourself.
Be sure to stick to the sidewalk pokey.

Here you go: http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...nal-amp-Family

I have absolutely no problems with someone joining our/my paceline given 2 things:

1. You can ride safely in the paceline and know to signal, not overlap, etc. etc. etc.
2. If you take a turn at the front you maintain the same effort.

Given those 2 rules, if you are getting to the front and slowing the group down because you feel that is how you can contribute you are actually breaking both. IMO you are far better off taking a short pull at the appropriate effort level OR staying at the very back. A trick I've used in the past on days where I don't have the legs is to swap onto the wheel of the person falling back (from the back of the paceline) so when they check to see where the back of the line is to fall back in, they don't see me in line and naturally fall in line ahead of me. I just move back with them and repeat with the next guy.

Here is something else to consider, and something that is actually quite valuable: Even if you just rotate to the front, spend 3 seconds there, then pull off, you are still helping the pace line.

Each rider is providing a draft, and the more riders you have, the better the draft for those in the back. If you can't pull, you are still at intermediate points of the pace line, providing a draft to those behind you.

I would rather have five other guys in the pace line, with one taking a 2-3 second pull, than have just four other guys.

Then ride with people you know and who know how you ride.

Sort of like every bike racer who is good at sprinting.

Try doing that for four hours. Pulling, oh, three times your body weight. And not killing yourself.

I know a few guys that race cars for a living. Trust me. They are in better shape than you. I know a couple that, on off weekends will race a bike or do a triathlon. When not racing a car, they go out and kick the butts of the weekend warriors engaging in multiple pages of paceline discussion.

Michael Waltrip, NASCAr driver (who is 6'5") runs marathons in under four hours. He's doing triathlons to get ready for the 24 Hours of LeMans.

This reminds me of a guy I knew who said drag racing was easy. All you have to do is drive in a straight line. I am still laughing.

Well said.

Go and look at the length of time anyone pulls in a team time trial in, say, the Tour or Giro. It's not much more than that.

Completely agree. The ignorant 'purists' who snub NASCAR. They don't have a clue. All the idiots who pan NASCAR would crash and burn in the first turn in traffic and couldn't do a single lap in qualifying at even 70% of qualifying speed. Even 'semi-pro' open wheel guys couldn't do it. People have no idea of the talent of those that are the best at what they do. A side note. There is an analogy between NASCAR and bike racing. Hard to win without some help aka a team or other drivers that will push you. This is why you will never see Danica win. She has talent. But male drivers won't push her to the front at the end of the race. You didn't see her race Indy this year either. I have seen her race open wheel and she had talent at that as well. I believe she quit because of the danger after watching the incredible Wellman die.

Which reminds me RW of the comparison to WWE. Remember Andy Koffman who used to wrestle women as a spectacle? Then he made the mistake of taunting a heavy weight in the WWE. That basically killed Koffman...broke his neck. The pro wrestler picked up Koffman like he was a twig and pile drove his head into the canvas. Broke his neck. For all that think the WWE is fake, you would be an absolute fool to get in the ring with any of those guys. The standard joke in the WWE is dumb guys...from the 41?....wait for the pro wrestlers when the leave the stadium and try and pick a fight because they think its staged and the pros really can't fight. Its staged without question, but the guys that rise in the WWE can fight as all the wannabees find out...lol.