I have already covered this topic a few months ago, but with the southern hemisphere in full swing and bunch rides all over the place getting 70+ riders i think a few people need a refresher on what to do and what not to do.
- Hold your line.
- Don’t go racing up the inside of the pace line. If you want to move up, do so on the road side when its safe to do so
- Don’t half wheel the guy in front of you
- Don’t Swarm cars at traffic lights. There is no point cause 20 meters up the road the car will need to find a way round you
- When you are mid pack and the light changes make sure you call out your intentions. either “rolling through” or “stopping”
- When leading pedal the downhills and maintain a nice steady pace on the flats
- Call out the Hazards
- If your ride has a hard paced single file section make sure you roll around the correct way. Roll off into the wind
- Leave your aero bars at home, in fact if you bring a TT bike on the bunch ride you should be sent home to the naughty corner that your kids sit when they put crayon on the walls
if you want to read the original bunch skills post then head here
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cycle Krazy, Ryan Genero. Ryan Genero said: RT @cyclekrazy: #cycling New Topic: Bunch Riding Skills – http://tinyurl.com/ye5bqxl [...]
#6 is often overlooked in group rides. Pacelines work best — smooth, steady, fast — when the rider at the front pedals downhill. And, they should be pedaling very hard, much harder than on the flats, as everyone behind has the dual advantage of going downhill and drafting.
Along these lines, the rider at the front should ease up a bit when going uphill. Just as everyone behind has an extra advantage going downhill, they have an extra disadvantage in hitting the hill at different times when going uphill. The lead rider charging up the hill too hard will just open up gaps and works against the smooth, steady, and fast goals (the idea isn’t to prove you’re strong, it’s to work together for group efficiency — that’s when its most fun, IMHO).
thanks for the comments tom
you hit the nail on the head with them