Individual and Team Time Trials- Delaware

Pictures from a race I did with Mike Csuy. We got second place in both our individual races as well as our TTT, missing out first place by seconds.

Paceline Rules- Potholes

This is a rule that goes for any road damage that you come up on while riding in a group. While the leader is responsible for calling out any potholes, road kill or other things up the road, there still comes time when you find yourself riding straight at the object with only enough time for evasive action. However, because you are riding in a group there is really only one option. And that is to ride straight through the object. In the case of road kill, this can be pretty nasty. In the case of a pothole, you may ruin a wheel or pinch flat. But these are both better than swerving into riders beside or behind you. Which brings me to the subject of tomorrows post, halfwheeling.

Paceline Rules- Second Wheel

This post describes a position that doesn't get much details written about it out there. The second wheel is probably the most important position in the paceline, more so even than the leader. The Second Wheel calls the shots, dictates the pace, and determines the direction that the lead rider should pull off.
If the wind is coming from the right, Second Wheel should tell the Leader to pull off to the right, into the wind. All riders should be lined up at an angle to the left of the rider ahead of them, overlapping wheels. If someone were to pull of to the left, this could cause a crash. If the wind is coming from the left, then the Second Wheel rider tells the Leader to pull of to the left, into the wind.
If the leader accelerates too much on their turn, Second Wheel needs to communicate to them to keep it steady. If the pace is getting strung out the Second Wheel needs to communicate to bring the speed down. There is no "one" person who is Second Wheel, like there is no "one" person who is the leader. This position is constantly changing as the paceline rotates. So it is important that everyone on the ride is aware of the responsibilities of the Second Wheel position.
The Second Wheel rider should also communicate when "The Whip" has occurred. In this situation, the Second Wheel rider is actually the one who has just pulled off. They will be the first to see that there are no riders continuing to pull through. They need to communicate to the Leader that they will continue the paceline starting anew. This will keep the speed high and steady and eliminate surges that can cause crashes.

Paceline Rules- The Gatekeeper

Okay, so this is my favorite position in the paceline that goes completely misunderstood by most riders. Technically this person is the last wheel in a paceline, but not actually in it. You can do this in a large peloton or a small one. With the group rotating, the gatekeeper sits at the back, letting the group rotate in front. They can sit on the left or right, or slide back and forth with the rider coming out of the slow lane into the fast lane. The gatekeeper has two responsibilities: To let riders know when they are last wheel and can come back into the fast lane; To keep riders who are unable or unwilling to pull through in the fast lane from entering the paceline. This last one is tricky because the gatekeeper helps smooth out the surges and gives the riders behind a nice easy ride, which tricks them into thinking the ride is too easy, and they want to pull through. Sometimes, the gatekeeper keeps a gap open and the riders behind want to close the gap, thinking that they will get dropped. It is hard to keep these ruffians in check as they will always disrupt the smoothness and efficiency of the paceline. The gatekeepers job is tough and it's a thankless task. But if you want to join a large group ride and save your energy for another time, it's an important skill to know.

Looks worse one week later

Ahh, road rash. I think the first time I ever got a hipper like this was in 1988, riding my skateboard to the bus stop. I was late and rushing, started to fly down the one long hill and got the speed wobbles, which threw me off of the board and crashing to the pavement. I didn't have time to even think and I just kept running and skating to the bus. It wasn't until gym class in 3rd period where I could check out the bleeding. Basically I have had a scar or a bruise on my hip for most of my adult life. Sweet. Well, this one is taking its sweet time healing and is still bleeding through my clothes so I had to start wearing bandages during the day. So nasty. Thanks!

Paceline Rules- The Whip

This first one is a major pet peeve of mine, that I have experienced twice, both times while riding in South Jersey. A large group of riders, riding a paceline at 27mph, with almost 30 people rotating through. But when the pace increases, naturally many of these people will now be in over their heads and decide to not continue pulling through. What happens here I call the whip. As riders are coming up the fast lane, in this case on the right hand side, and pull off to the left, the Whip is when the chain breaks and a rider pulls off and there is no one behind them to pull through. So what happens now, when this rider is at the head of the peloton, going 30mph and flicking their elbow wondering where everyone is? Do they soft peddle and wait for another rider to finally come through? Do they hold 30mph and ride hard until someone pulls through? If they soft peddle, the group is going to bunch up, people are going to have to hit the brakes, and the chances of a crash increase. If they maintain their pace, no one is going to pull through, since the speed is still high, and eventually the rider is going to soft peddle and we're back at the first option.
What should happen is that as the rider pulls off and sees that no one is going to pull through, they should maintain their speed for a few peddle strokes, bring the field back over to the fast lane side of the road, and flick their elbow and pull off in the original direction. In this case it is important that the second wheel rider respect this change and pull through, continuing the paceline as if nothing happened. Sure, they didn't get as much rest as they hoped for, but in a big paceline, you are never pulling for more than 15 seconds or so. My experience is the second wheel rider no longer thinks they have to pull and would rather wait for people to attack up the side to bring the speed up and continue the paceline.
I know some people will never change, and cyclists tend to be pretty headstrong and selfish, but maybe this will help

Road Kill

I was going to post about my rules for a safe and efficient paceline, as well as etiquette, but instead, I'm just going to put up pictures of my sweet new road rash. It's been a couple months since my last crash, so here we go.
Four points of contact, knee, hip, elbow and shoulder. My front wheel dipped into a sink hole that I couldn't see and it just decided to stop. I flew over the bars at over 25 mph and hit the ground, dragging my bike after me. My water bottles went flying past my head and as I unclipped I slid onto my back and skidded for 27 seconds before coming to a stop. Sweet. I stood up and cussed, only to see a woman with her kids standing across the street asking if I was okay. Thankfully, I was, and am, and only have lost skin and shredded clothing to show for it. Well, we'll see whats wrong with my bike tomorrow.