Group Cycling Skills Clinics August 11, 13, 14

[Lister Farrar]

This course is aimed at people looking for the skills to enjoy group rides, but is a good primer for racing as well.

Though I emphasize safety and cooperative aspects, racing uses all of these skills, and it's good to know them before learning more aggressive tactics.

It's three sessions of 90 minutes. They're early in the morning because traffic is better.

1. Riding Close: emergency braking, bike weighting and bike-body separation, how to handle possible contact, looking back in a group, touching wheels (wear an extra layer if it's cool; more exercise in the next two sessions)
2. Drafting: where to look, looking out for riders behind, signals we use, formations, working with others
3. Cornering: Line, weighting, speed adjustment, alone, in 2's, in a paceline, and two abreast, three abreast.

The sessions are progressive, and should be attended in order.

Thursday Aug 11 Beacon Hill Petting zoo parking lot 6:00 am-7:30
Saturday August 13 Beacon Hill petting zoo parking lot 6:00 am-7:30
Sunday August 14, Windsor park, 6:00 am-7:30

Another course next week, similar dates maybe instead Monday am. And also week of August 29.

$60. Book by sending me an email listerfarrar(at) telus.net.

[jeremy]

I would like to highly recommend this for anyone who is new to group riding, I went to a few of these the last time Lister did them, and I found them very informative, and it helped my bike skills. I don't want to mention any names but I have noticed on some of the group rides that some riding has been a bit dangerous to both the group and to the individual, so if you're new to road riding/group riding this is a great help.

[Lister Farrar]

Thanks Jeremy. Need one more to make it fly this week. After all, hard to do group skills without a group!

L

[Lister Farrar]

We're on. 7 registered, one no-show this am, but more than the 5 minimum to have 3 pairs (including me) to do a double paceline.

Participants ranged from ages 15 to 60's. 3 boys 3 girls. Experience ranged from 0 group rides to several TS or Tristars rides.

We worked on bike-body separation, emergency braking, contact drills (shoulders, hips, wheels), looking back.

All set now for drafting and pace lines Saturday. Then cornering Sunday am.

If you're interested in a future course, post here with dates you're available. I can do Monday Thursday, Sunday next week. The 6:00 -7:30 am time slot may be the only one we can do in summer. By 7:30 the parking lot was filling up, landscape equipment arriving. After work hours the park is full, and not suitable.

If anyone knows another location (UVic was ok on a Sunday afternoon for TTT sessions), I'm open to other time slots, but until I find that, I think it's safest to stay with early times.
L