Friday morning pacelines on Blenkinsop

[David Hill]

I'm looking for thoughts on whether we should be pace-lining along Blenkinsop during the winter mornings in the dark.

This morning I initiated a pace line, which was quickly quashed through a passive resistance revolution, in which no one followed, and we got completely strung out until regrouping into a 2-by-2 parade.

Seems that many people don't like doing the pace line, at least that's how I interpreted the actions and comments like "pace lines are stupid", and "is that your gut?" (okay, that wasn't related to the pace line)

My opinion - and here's where I'm actually looking for input - is that on a dark and wet morning along a narrow winding road with a moderate amount of vehicle traffic, a pace line is actually SAFER than riding 2 abreast. When the lead riders drop back, the right side of the road gets very tight, and Blenkinsop has some nasty edges, some leading right into ditches, thorn bushes, parked cars, etc.

In a pace line, we stay in a more narrow alignment, and have more room to be passed by vehicles, and less likelihood of bike touches.

I would suggest that we continue with the pace line on Blenkinsop, and if we want to take it a bit easier, we just slow the pace.

But being a good sheep, I'll go along with the herd...

Bleats, anyone?

[Rolf]

Baaa! I was part of the nonviolently, civilly disobedient lot this morning who stuck a spanner in the works of the pace line. To my mind, pace lines are fun, but they're often more dangerous than steady, two-up riding. Given conditions on B'sop (dark, big ditches, no shoulders, nowhere to go) I (and others) think we should give it a miss on a B2 ride in the winter.

If you're on the outside of a pace line, you usually have to work to stay on the wheel in front, and that makes you less stable. On the inside, it's very often choppy as the speed goes up and down, depending on who's on the front and how they interpret the directive to pull over and ride steady so the rider formerly behind them can also pull right—some riders hit the brakes when they come to the inside line, others stay the same pace and demand the outside to accelerate to past them. All this instability of pace, combined with the darkness, means a touch of wheels or other lapse of concentration is more likely. And those ditches suck to lie in. Ask Dave Spiers.

I think if a paceline is done correctly by a group of pretty evenly matched riders, it doesn't necessarily add any risk. Some TS rides are like that (and that whirring, clocklike precision is a beautiful thing to be part of!) But most winter B2 pacelines are a little rough. I think the greater variation in fitness and speed and the significantly reduced information we have about where other riders are in our peripheral vision, due to darkness, outweigh the temporary risk of being wider as the front duo drop back, once or twice down the stretch.

Just my two (or twenty ) bleats.

[barton bourassa]

I have a thought or two on this! I like the pace line, any time of year but with modifications during the dark damp months. It should be gentle, smooth, just challenging enough that everyone can participate. I look at it two ways. One, the safety issue of not having us four across at anytime down Blenki.

The other is a learning and training aspect. It is easy to ride hard and bleed your brains thru your ears ride after ride. It is another thing altogether to practice discipline in your own riding to settle in and ride as a group. Finding that sweet spot where we roll along as a smooth and even group is not an easy thing to do but I think it is a good thing to learn to do especially at this time of year where maintenance and skill should be our focus.

This morning's B2 was a fine example of what not to do! There were so many gaps down the right side and the left. If we can endure and just practice, within no time we are going along smoothly and more quickly than we would be just hammering as individuals.

Is that worth a quarter or just 2 cents?!

Barton.

[katew]

B2 never really congealed today. In fact, like many things shaken a little too hard, it curdled instead and we lost a bunch of people out the back after things got frisky up front.

Honest, folks. You don't have to win the Friday ride. You don't have to hammer all the time. At least not before the park. Can we aim for a little more all-for-one, one-for-all?

As far as the Blenkinsop paceline goes: I find it hard work in the summer and terrifying in the winter. I'd really rather not, in the dark, anyway. I was very grateful to Team Refusnik for taking matters into hand.

[Paul C.]

I was in the B2 group Friday morning and there wasn't any "Hammering at the front" and nobody was dropped off the back. 5 riders choose to drop back at a slower pace. This was confirmed by some people in the front group and later by one of the 5. No need to start another long, drop-nodrop forum discussion.( but I have a feeling this may be the start of one.)

Re...What kind of paceline on Blenkinsop?? What would work for me, ( and probably also for the police officer that pulled our group over on Friday!).....is a single pace line. Just like we do right after Blenkinsop.

Isn't it great we have this forum!

[katew]

<icily>

I stand corrected.

</icily>

[sylvan]

Option 3, agreeing with Paul, I think Blenkinsop through to Ash should be single pulls at the speed of the group. If you're strong enough for a long pull, take a long pull, but don't jack the pace. If you're only strong enough to pull through and pull off, pull through and pull off. If you're feeling sketched out or not strong enough to pull through, hang at the back or drop back to the next group.

[John D]

I'm inclined to agree.

I would also suggest that the rider on the front pulls off to the RIGHT and that rest of the pack overtakes the rider on his/her left side. Far safer than leaving a solo rider hanging out there on their own as he/she drifts back along the pack with cars zooming past. Overtaking the lead rider on his/her left not only protects the rider but makes it harder for cars to ignore us.

J.