100 Revs Blog

From the November 2002 issue of Bicycling, p. 76 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

From Jens Heppner on cornering:

1. Scoot your butt back - hips slightly to the rear of saddle; back flat & parallel to top tube as possible.
   
2. Use hands - hands in drops, gently pull up with outside hand; removes weight from the bar and lightens steering & improves control.
   
3. Keep inside knee in - begin turn by pushing inside knee against top tube, then use pressure from knee to adjust line through curve. Press against tupe to tighten turn. Let off to widen arc.
   
4. Weight outside pedal - The more weight shifted to outside pedal, the more traction. Drive 80% of body wieght into the pedal.
   
5. Stay centered - bike, torso, and head should be at same angle.
   
6. Scan 30 feet ahead - keep head up and follow corner with eyes.

Major Don't: Don't grab your brakes. About 10 feet before you enter a corner, you should be done braking and at the speed you can take the whole turn. Be prepared for hidden obstacles. Keep one finger over each lever - helps to lightly brake if necessary instead of making a hard & hazardous brake.

OK, Riding Against the Wind!

From the August 2002 issue of Bicycling, p. 70 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

Align head and back, keeping side-to-side motion of your head at a minimum. Aerodynamic testing shows that keeping head and back aligned so that your back is flat is most important, more so than getting your head down as far as possible. Keep head 4-6 inches above bar. (or if too windy - in a bar - 100revs addition).

Training for the wind:

• Get in a gear that you can maintain 80-100 rpm.
  
• Pedal 2-3 cogs harder for 10-20 minutes.
  
• Recover 10-20 minutes in a lighter gear.
  
• Start with 1 rep and work up to 3.
  

From a handout in the SPBRC beginner's class

Be predictable and safe by riding a straight line. Practice this skill by yourself by riding with your wheels on the white line along the edge of the road [ I recommend just next to the white line as they can sometimes be slippery ]. You'll find that it's easier if you look ahead 30 feet rather than directly in front of your wheel. Try looking behind you without swerving. This takes a little practice. Put one hand near the stem, the other on your hip or grab the back of the saddle and look over the other shoulder. Don't be surprised if someone puts their hand on your shoulder and looks behind. This is a common and effective practice.

Never make an abrupt or abnormal move in a paceline. Smooth, steady and predictable are the bywords. This makes you a pleasure to ride behind. Ride relaxed, especially in arms and shoulders. Elbows may get bumped. If they're relaxed, they'll absorb nudges without affecting bike control.

Ride only as close as you are comfortable with. Two to three feet is OK for starters, Look ahead, not just at the wheel in front of you and ride with your hands near the brakes. If you get too close, soft pedal or move out into the wind a bit to slow down. Soft pedaling is better than coasting. It causes less reaction behind you. If you must brake do it smoothly and with the rear brake so the person behind notices you using the brake.

When you're leading, remember that you're the eyes and ears of the whole group. It's your responsibility to point out junk in the road as well as turns and stops that others may not be able to see because you obstruct their view. People behind you will relay this info to the back of the pack. [ From personal experience, I learned that audible signals should accompany hand signals - "hole", "turning right". ]

Beware of a common mistake: accelerating as you pull through to the front. Check your cyclecomputer while you're in second place. As you take the front, maintain that speed. The former leader will signal by raising a finger or hand off the bars or by sitting up and moving over. He'll slow down, so you don't have to accelerate. Just pull through smoothly. If you want to speed the pack up, wait a few seconds for the former leader to catch on the back and then ramp it up slowly. You should see your cyclecomputer go up a mile an hour at a time. If you see it jump two at a time you're accelerating too fast. Take your turn at the front and then pull off and let someone else share the work. If you are tired take a short pull. When dropping back, stay close to the line. This enhances the group's draft. Don't wander dangerously into the middle of the lane. Accelerate smoothly as the last rider in line comes alongside so you can move behind his wheel without a gap opening. The last rider in the line may say "last" indicating she is the last in line so it's time to pull back in. Sometimes it's hard to know where the last rider is as you drift back. However if you say "last" make sure you are correct and that no one else has hooked on.

Call out "car back!" when there's an overtaking vehicle. This is especially important on narrow roads when the group is in a double paceline (2 abreast). Riders need time to move over or ease up to let the car pass. In general, since we ride on roads with traffic it's never a good idea to ride more than 2 abreast [ in Minnesota, it is illegal ]. There's not enough room on the road and it makes drivers mad if we take too much of the road.

Riding with headphones is bad form.

Wear a helmet. [ Don't take this one lightly -- I read 2 stories in 1 day about how a helmet saved someone's life. ]

Don't let your front wheel over-lap a rear wheel. If that bike swerves, the contact will usually knock you down. If you do overlap make sure you're at least a foot or two to the side.

Drop back a bit more on climbs. The rider just ahead might stand and decelerate slightly; in effect, moving backward towards your wheel. Also when you stand up make a conscious effort to stand on a downward power stroke and push your bike forward so you don't drop back into the person behind you.

If you have aero bars on your bike, remember that they aren't to be used in pacelines. It's bad form to use aero bars in a pack. You may use them at the front, but not in the middle of the pack. You may want to consider not using them at all when in a group unless your in the front heading into a big wind trying to get the group home.

Have fun and if you don't understand what's going on or why, don't be afraid to ask. Many times there are a lot of unspoken subtle things happening especially with a group that's ridden together for a long time.

From City of Minneapolis Biking Site

How to Avoid Six Potential Accident Situations

Listed below are the six most common bicycle-related accidents and ways to avoid them. The types of accidents are listed in order from most common to least common.

1. Motorist's Failure To Yield
   (approximately 30 percent of bicycle-related accidents)
   
   Causes:
   
   
   • Motorist pulls out from a stop sign and fails to yield to cyclist or,
     
   • turns left in front of oncoming bike.
   
   How to avoid: As you approach an intersection, don't hug the curb. If you are going straight, ride approximately where the right wheel of a car would be if it was going straight. Put your hands on the brake levers and watch closely. Be prepared for an emergency maneuver.
   
   
2. Cyclist's Failure To Yield
   (approximately 30 percent of bicycle-related accidents)
   
   Causes: Cyclists who don't yield, who ride out of driveways without stopping, or run red lights and stop signs, or turn left in front of oncoming cars.
   
   How to avoid: Easy! Wait for traffic to clear. Stop for red lights and stop signs. Don't turn left unless you have checked for traffic and it is clear.
   
   
3. No Lights At Night
   (approximately 18 percent of bicycle-related accidents)
   
   Causes: Bicyclists who ride without lights are hit in many different situations - by turning cars, by overtaking cars, by cars pulling out from stop signs.
   
   How to avoid: Easy, again. Use proper lights.
   
   
4. Wrong-Way Riding
   (approximately 10 percent of bicycle-related accidents)
   
   Causes: These typically involve a cyclist being hit by a car turning or emerging from a side street. The motorist doesn't look in the wrong direction for oncoming traffic and POW!
   
   How to avoid: Ride with traffic, as required by law.
   
   
5. Being Hit From Behind
   (approximately 7 percent of bicycle-related accidents)
   
   Causes: Overtaking car, unlit cyclist at night. Some involve drunk drivers.
   
   How to avoid: Become proficient at looking over your shoulder without swerving. Get a rear view mirror. Occasionally checking traffic to the rear can help you blend better with the flow of cars, buses, trucks and other bikes.
   
   
6. Opening Car Doors
   (approximately 5 percent of bicycle-related accidents)
   
   Causes: Someone opens a parked car door in front of an overtaking bike. Typically, the motorist fails to check for traffic before emerging. This is, by the way, illegal and the collision is the motorists' fault.
   
   How to avoid: Never ride closer than three feet to a parked car.
   

From the October 2002 issue of Bicycling, p. 86 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

1. Change breating pattern - force aire from lungs, let it flow in; boosts oxygen intake, gives lower & faster riding position because back flattens.
   
2. Don't stare at wheel in front of you in pacelines - watch 2 or 3 riders up, or road ahead if in 1st or 2nd position; gain reaction time.
   
3. Stay in front 1/2 of groups - riders in back brake harder, swerve more, expend more energy.
   
4. Begin long climbs 2-3 gears easier than necessary - shift up as you ascend to gain power without blowing legs out; prevents fast & fade.
   
5. Concentrate on pedal form in tough headwinds - don't fight to maintain speed.
   
6. Drink 12-16 ounces of water 30 minutes before next ride - postpones dehydrations.
   
7. Pedal instead of coasting during descents to increase stability.
   
8. When standing to climb, rise out of saddle as dominant leg begins downstroke and apply extra pressure to maintain momentum.
   
9. Think up and forward, not just up, when needing to bunnyhop.
   
10. Legs tired - spin more; lungs tired - push harder gears.
    
11. Delay fatigue and relieve saddle pressure by standing for 15 seconds every 20 minutes
    
12. Keep elbows relaxes for control - flap them periodically.
    
13. Cross railroad tracks near the side, where the road is usualy less worn.
    
14. Delay fatigue during hard, sustained pedaling by letting one foot fall without pushing down every 3 or 4 strokes.
    
15. After standing, extend your arms to push your bike forward a few inches as you drop back to the saddle.
    
16. Prevent fatigue on mountain bike rides with hiking by packing food & tools on your body instead of the bike.
    
17. Scoot back on bike when tucking to descend - improves control; aero pushes body forward and reduces control; also lower torso to reduce air resistance.
    
18. Slide rear back and bend at hips when hammering in the drop bars - flattens your back; can also try to lower shoulders instead of head to get into this position.

From the August 2002 issue of Bicycling, p. 16 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

First, what not to do in a paceline:

1. Don't space out and stare at another rider's wheel or pedal stroke. Instead, look p at least every 3 seconds and focus about 20 feet ahead.
   
2. Don't let bike kick backwards when going to a stand. Do 2 progressively harder strokes right before you get out of saddle, then an even harder stroke as you stand.
   

Pacelines can save up to 40% of your energy.

Skills for riding in a paceline:

1. Keep a straight line. An easy way to stay steady is to ride an imaginary line six inches to the left of a road line.
   
2. Apply steady pedal pressure. Keep cadence at 100-110 rpm. This lets you change speeds quickly. Constant pedaling is more efficient and more stable.
   
3. Adjust speed with body position. Sit up to slow - crouch to get more speed/save energy. Don't touch the brakes!
   
4. Ride within 6 inches of wheel in front. You should feel an energy-type boost because of the drafting advantage. To work up to this, start with 3 feet distance and work way up. Then stay at that distance longer each time.
   
5. Pull your weight. Maintain pace at front - don't speed up. Pull off before you fatigue.
   
6. Fall back gracefully. Flutter fingers while in drops to show moving back. Peel off to your left & don't slow until you can see new lead rider to your right. As front wheel of last rider is in view, increase cadence 10-15 rpms to be able to latch on smoothly.