Here’s the recipe for what I call “Peloton Surfing”. You don’t have to be a racer for this to apply; pretty much every cyclist has been dropped from a group at one time or another.
Knowledge is Power. In cycling terms, there is no statement more true than that. We all search for the holy grail of finding more speed, when in fact the greatest gains can be found not from your hips down but from what is between your ears. The Orange County Bike Club has been spending winter weekends combining the Double A group with the A group. I have come to a realization that I would like to share with the A riders.
The difference between “A” cyclists and “Double A” cyclists is that AA’s know the secret formula, the ingredients to the special sauce. They are privy to knowledge that has been passed down from generations of ancestors that have been dropped by their peers as far back as the days of chariot racing. A little known fact is that Dropsedies was the first Roman racer to be shot out the back of a paceline because he stuck his head out too long into the wind trying to impress his buddies by taking an extra strong pull at the front. His eyes were writing checks that his horses’ legs couldn’t cash. History was made; Dropsedies was the first fool to be flipped off of a paceline trying to impress his friends.
I believe it has been long enough and it is time to release the secrets that have been kept so close to the chest of so many AA’s. I might be ostracized from the AA group for sharing this information, but I was expecting to be dropped by the group anyway, as soon as interval training begins.
By following the tips below you can guarantee staying with the AA’s longer than you have ever been before and most likely stay with the group until the final sprint, where more often than not only two or three riders actually have any chance of winning the local weekend world championships.
The responsibility and goal of every cyclist in a group should be to ride predictably, safely, and consistently. Do not make any sudden moves in any direction, ride quietly, and be a wheel that other cyclists like to be around. If you notice that no one wants to be on your wheel it is time to think of your riding habits and how they are effecting others in the group.
Feel the wind on your face and determine where you need to be in the paceline to protect yourself from the direct wind. If the wind is hitting you on your left side tuck yourself to the right of the rider in front of you. The largest resistance that we have to overcome as cyclist is wind drag. Minimize it and save energy that you will need later when the pace picks up.
Don’t be a hero and bury yourself at the front of a paceline to impress the group. Take short pulls at the same intensity of the rider that is pulling off in front of you. Save enough energy to get back on the rear of the paceline. You will work harder grabbing the rear wheel of a line than taking a pull. Plan to relax once you are back on the line, not right after your pull.
You don’t have to take a pull in a large group. Stay in the middle of the group and slide to the relief line as the pulling line moves you up towards the front. You should pull off with no less than three riders in front of you. If you get stuck on the second wheel in the line you should take your pull, so not to screw over the guy behind you who his timing his energy expenditure anticipating that you will be pulling. Take a pull, but make it short. Real short, five seconds, no longer. Tell the rider behind you that you will be taking a short pull. No one likes surprises in a paceline.
If you choose to participate in sharing the work by pulling through every paceline rotation, it is critical to place yourself in the line based on the strengths and weaknesses of the other cyclists.
Never put your self directly in front or behind the strongest cyclist in the group. If you are in front of Mr. Testosterone you will pay the price after you take your pull and try to get back on the line. He will most likely pick up the pace and make it that much more difficult for you to grab the last wheel as the line goes supersonic by you. If you are directly behind the local champion, you will exert too much energy just staying on his wheel and be spent by the time your pull is due. There will be no chance for you to grab the last wheel as you are bleeding from your eyes and your tongue is on your top tube.
Weaker riders or those who like to leave gaps in the line should never be in front of you. There will come a time when that rider will get dropped and you will be collateral damage. Misery loves company so choose your company carefully. If you want to stay connected to the AA group, stay around those who have the best chance of being there at the end.
If you are not pulling through and trying to conserve energy, never stay on the very back. Keep yourself towards the middle, in the womb of the paceline. This allows you to slide back through the group on the climbs while still keeping you attached to the group at the top. Done properly, this slide-back technique will allow you to climb at a slower speed than the group and not cause you to gap the last wheel and watch the group roll away.
Think three hills ahead. We rarely get dropped because the hill that we are on is doing all the damage. It is the hills before it that causes residual wear and tear on your ability to hang on. Set yourself up for the best success before your nemesis hill is in front of you. Arrive with your legs as fresh as possible. Stay in the womb for three hills before the moment of truth is upon you.
Push over the top of every hill. Too often cyclists rest as they get to the top of a climb and get dropped as the group pulls away. Push over the top and stay connected to the group, you can rest on the downhill. The downhill is a good time to evaluate who you should be around and who you should avoid.
Trying the above tips will give you the power to stay with the group without exerting one more watt. Knowledge is Power and knowing how to use your God given power is the key to riding faster with less effort. Don’t let the AA group intimidate you, most of these guys have more power than knowledge. Looking forward to seeing you all in the womb. It is a peaceful place to spend many hours looking like you are working hard without even trying.