[NCNCA] Early Bird Crits - Week #4

[Shawn Mehaffey]

Below is what we will practice on Sunday.  

Keep in mind that the threaded paceline is strictly a bike-handling drill and not meant as a race tactic.  Aggressively moving up inside the pack during a race is not recommended.

*****

Week #4 – Working with Other Riders
 
Discussion Items: A brief review of the topics already covered stressing steady, predictable riding and safe bike handling and conservation of energy plus being cooperative with your competitors. New Topics - Moving up in the pack and organizing a chase group to rejoin the field after getting dropped. 
 
Warm-up: Warm up in groups of 15 w/ 3 mentors each, ride double pace line for 2 laps w/exchanges every 20 seconds.  Review the best line through the corners, riding over bots dots, and pulling off on the outside vs. the inside of a turn.
 
Practice: Execute the threaded (three) paceline drill - the two outside lines slide back and the center row moves forward.  Riders should alternate moving over to the right or left side of the pack once they reach the front.  Emphasize the need to keep all three lines tight and close together to make this drill effective.  If this is confusing don't worry, we’ll demonstrate it before we do it.

For the second half of the mentoring session, select 3-6 riders to fall off the back of the group staggered 75-100 meters apart, have them group up quickly and chase back on (upon contact, chasing riders should split up and mix into the field and not sit up at the back). Send another group of riders off the back and repeat the drill. 


Here are the details involving the three pacelines - the two outside lines slide back and the center row moves forward.  A rider that starts in the right line rotates to the center line once he or she gets to the back.  The riders at the back alternate moving to the center line - one from the right, then one from the left.  When a rider reaches the front, he or she moves over to the OPPOSITE line than where they started from.  In other words, if he or she stared from the right line, then he or she would pull off to the left then begin drifting back. 
 
This drill brings together all the skills these riders have been working on:
holding a line, not overlapping wheels, staying together and in formation through a turn, and pulling through smoothly.  Most people get a kick out of it; I know I did the first time Larry Nolan showed it to me.  If this is confusing don't worry, I diagramed it below and we'll go over it on Sunday.
 
 Three Paceline Diagram:
 
 
 start -
 
  XX    XX
  XX    XX 
  XX    XX
  L2    R2
  L1    R1
 
 
 rotation begins -
 
  XX    XX
  XX    XX 
  XX    XX
  L2    R2
  L1 R1
 
 
  XX    XX
  XX    XX 
  XX    XX
  L2 R1 R2
     L1
 
 
  XX    XX
  XX R1 XX
  XX L1 XX
  L2 R2 
 
 
 R1 now completes cycle and pulls off to left line -
 
  R1   
  XX L1 XX
  XX R2 XX
  XX L2 XX
 
 
 And so on... -
   
  R1    L1
  XX R2 XX
  XX L2 XX
  XX XX
 
 
Note this formation remains intact around the entire course.  Clear as mud?  Then I'll see ya on Sunday.


 
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