Our SKCC Ride leaders and coaches get to see the good, bad, and (hopefully not too) ugly out on the road, so over the next few newsletters they will be offering some tips to help keep us “Safe, smooth and stylish”.

We all love our bunch rides, and there is nothing like being part of a group that is zipping along really smoothly with everyone sharing the workload! Together we can achieve a much better pace than solo.

Whether we’re doing constant rolling turns, or recovery paced social turns, the technique to roll well is the same:

Make transitions from one line to another as smooth as possible!  

• Ease speed off slightly as you move across at the front – if you don’t you’ll mess it up for everyone. There should only be a couple of kph difference between the two lanes, but if you don’t drop them off as you come across, the whole group will be forced to increase pace and you will throw the rhythm out… or you may just be left to hang out to dry on the front by yourself.
• Glance under your arm (between your arm and body) as you pull forward at the front.  This allows you to spot the front wheel of the bike beside you.  When your rear wheel is roughly level with their front wheel, it is time to start gliding across to that column.
• When on the front, your most important job is to protect the riders behind you. Any surge will causes gaps and unnecessary energy use, while slowing too much or moving position too quickly disrupts the rhythm and may end badly by the time that movement is amplified to the back of the bunch.
• Don’t stop pedaling at the front of the bunch…drop down one gear, or learn to use pedal pressure and body position to make those micro speed adjustments.