Paceline Tips

[AlW]

Good pacelining tips.

I like the little cycling guys they use to illustrate their points.

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2010/11 ... more-15662

[Lister Farrar]

That's great Al; haven't seen that site before. Should be required reading.

Here's another earlier one they did that describes rolling turns, echelons, pacelines that's a good pre-requisite.

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/02/ ... cheloning/

One thing I notice that we tend to neglect is swinging off the front into the wind. As we come around Ross Bay to Clover point, sometimes the wind is left, then right, then left again, but the rider swinging off doesn't swing off the different side.

[sylvan]

Here's another earlier one they did that describes rolling turns, echelons, pacelines that's a good pre-requisite. http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/02/ ... cheloning/

I like this one, especially how they highlight that it's a formation for easy rides:

5. Sociable Turns. I don’t know what these are called, but they’re a great way to get a chat in during a recovery or social ride. Nice and easy. Etiquette: Do not make this into a hammer session. No half-wheeling.

Our Tuesday and Friday rides can get sketchy when we're going hard in this formation. When you get two not-exactly-evenly-matched riders up front it's a problem if it's a hard pace being set by the faster rider. If it's a paceline a weaker rider can take a rolling turn instead of a long pull. This is not easy when it's two-up in a group that only does synchronous rotation.

[Lister Farrar]

I would add a suggestion that one should ride at the pace of the slower rider on the front. And maybe that it's ok for a weaker rider to swing off while the stronger rider stays for a a bit longer, and the weaker rider line moves up one place to fill the gap. Kind of a combo for both diff. strengths and sociobility. Sorta like square dancing too.

But really the only suitable formations I can see for going hard (but still trying to keep it a group ride), are:

• the single pace line with turns according to your strength, varying from through and off, to I'm-gonna-drag-you-all-the-way-to-coffee
  and double/rotating pace line, (all turns the same) but with weaker riders sitting on the back behind a doorman who can keep it steady as the stronger riders rotate in front of him her.