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In the world of cycling, Triathletes and Multisport
athletes are not always held in high regard. While some criticism can sometimes
be justified, in many cases it is a case of “I did not know”. Here I will
try to relay some information I have learnt after a few years of cycle racing.
Bunch riding is a part of many triathlete, multisport
athletes, duathletes racing and/or training. Coping with riding in a bunch is an
important skill to master, as there are many advantages to be gained. There are
also many things to be aware of. I intend to cover a number of areas relating to
riding in packs in the nest two articles.
Getting the advantage
Drafting behind someone else, particularly in a bunch can
reduce your required effort considerably. In the middle of a peleton you may be
exerting 60% less effort than if you were riding at the same speed alone. A
group of riders working well together should be able to travel faster than an
individual of greater ability, or a group not working together. The closer you
can get to whoever you are drafting behind, the greater the advantage. However,
there is also still an advantage to be gained eight bike lengths behind someone
when travelling at 40kph. The faster you go – the greater the advantage.
On the counter side, there are some disadvantages to riding
very close to someone else. Obviously the closer you get, the more dangerous it
becomes, as a slight error by yourself or anyone around you can instigate a
serious dose of road rash for all concerned. You also have very little view of
what is coming up - whilst staring intently at the wheel you are following!
Again this is potentially dangerous situation, and you need to rely somewhat on
your fellow riders to tell you about up coming parked cars and pot holes in the
road.
Safety
Having been involved in, and seen, a few large
‘stack-ups’ – I know cycling in a bunch is dangerous. Remember, you are
not only responsible for your own safety, but everyone else in the bunch! Your
actions in the bunch need to be predictable to all other riders in the bunch –
and communication is the key. If you wish to work well together, you need to
talk to each other. Generally this task ‘should’ go to the most experienced
rider in the group (unfortunately it often goes to the person with the loudest
voice!).
While you get a better draft advantage the closer you ride
to the person in front of you, there are the inherent risks associated with
riding close together. You are very reliant on the person in front not making
any unexpected moves (like stopping or swerving), and you often cannot see much
of the road ahead (or obstacles that may pose a risk!).
To try and make life in a bunch a little safer, try to
follow these guidelines:
Maintain
your line. Remember that the person behind you may have there front wheel
VERY close to you back wheel. A sudden swerve may knock them off their bike,
and cause a domino effect through the group.
Don’t
slow down suddenly. Jamming on you brakes in the middle of a bunch is
probably the best way to bring a bunch down – if an unexpected obstacle
appears, try to ride around it. Attempt to maintain a nearly constant speed
– even after you have just done you lap. In a group working well, there is
very little difference in speed between those moving forward and those going
back.
Getting good shelter.
When riding in a group, particularly in a race situation,
you want to get the best advantage you can. Where you ride in relation to the
other riders largely depends on the wind direction and your ability. Determining
exactly where the best place to position yourself can be quite tricky, and some
times trial and error is the best bet. As a rough guide, you want the person you
are drafting behind to be between you and where the wind is coming from. If you
are riding directly into a head wind, then you should be directly behind the
person you are drafting. If the wind is coming from the right, you need to be on
the left side of the person you are drafting. There maybe minor adjustments,
depending on how fast you are going. If there is a very strong cross wind, the
best drafting position my in fact, be almost beside the other rider(s). Tail
winds can also be tricky, with many riders finding this situation more difficult
than in a head wind. Again you want to be between the rider you are drafting and
where the wind is coming from.
Looking at Figure 1, rider ‘A’ is “doing the work”
at the front. Rider ‘B’ is getting a good draft, as he is sheltered from the
wind coming from the right by the two riders in front of him. Rider ‘C’ is
getting some draft, being directly behind ‘B’, but is still exposed to more
wind than he needs to be. ‘C’ needs to be further to the left. However, if
he is very close to the edge of the road, he may not be able to ride further to
the left – and must just take what draft he can get! This is sometimes
referred to as “gutter riding”. Rider ‘D’ is not getting much draft
effect at all. He maybe quite close to rider ‘C’, but because the wind is
coming from the right, he is actually exposed to the full force of the wind!
Guidelines to lapping
There are many subtleties in effective lapping in a bunch
situation. I will try to cover a few of the main points here. When a group is
working well together, you should not be changing pace much – whether you are
moving toward the front, or returning to the rear. Two of the biggest mistakes
is increasing your speed when you hit the front, then just stopping pedaling after completing your hard lap. When you increase your speed upon hitting the
front, you either end up riding off the front (and not helping those behind
you), or everyone else must speed up (expending more energy) to catch up.
If you just stop pedaling after doing your lap, you can
end up making life difficult for yourself, or for others. Your speed will begin
to drop quite rapidly, and you will head toward the back of the group quickly.
In fact so quickly that you may not be able to get on the back of the pack
again! If you continue to pedal and just reduce your speed a little, then your
will not have to ‘sprint’ to get back on the back, as you will not be going
much slower than the riders moving forward. In a ‘well oiled group’, you
will still be providing draft to others (ie the person who ‘lapped’ in front
of you) as you move toward the back of the pack. If you slow down more than
expected, those behind you may have to take evasive action!
 If we look at figure 2, rider ‘A’ is currently ‘doing
the work’. After he has finished his lap, he will move gradually to the right
and slow down a little – to be in position ‘B’. Rider ‘B’ is still
putting in a bit of effort (not wanting to slow down too fast), and is providing
shelter for rider ‘C’. If rider ‘B’ slows down too fast he will collide
with the front of rider ‘C’. Rider ‘C’ is finally getting some shelter,
and is continuing to move gradually toward the back. Rider ‘D’ is at the
back and must perform the tricky move of getting on the left side of rider
‘E’, while maintaining almost the same speed as rider ‘E’. Rider ‘E’
is now moving forward in the group, and is getting great shelter! He needs to
relax and recover before getting to the front again!
That is a brief introduction to riding in groups. In the
Next article I will cover a few tactical issues. Look after yourselves out
there.
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