Drafting – A
rider should always be in the draft of the rider directly in front,
at a safe distance, but close enough to be receiving a significant
advantage from drafting. Riders who are not comfortable with drafting
at close proximity can be a danger to the other cyclists and should
develop their drafting skills first, before attempting to join high
speed double pace-lines which require a high level of skill.
Short
turns – The only time
a rider is on the front is the few seconds it takes to
pass the rider who was previously in front and who has
now moved over and joined the decelerating line. In other
words a rider only pulls on the front until his/her back
wheel has safely cleared the front wheel of the rider
on the front of the decelerating line.
Smooth – The
pace should be smooth with no
sudden accelerations or braking. This is achieved
when riders keep the speed steady and all riders
are drafting at similar distances.
Wind – If
there is a wind blowing across
the road, the decelerating line
always shields the accelerating
line from the wind. So riders
who have finished their turn
on the very front of the double
pace-line move into the wind
and shield the upcoming accelerating
line of riders. The only time
pulling out of the wind is a
good tactic is when you are
a part of a single pace-line
or on the front of the pack and
are at your limit. In this case
you will need every bit of shielding
from the wind to be able to
stay
in
contact with the group,
so pulling out of
the wind – even
if not technically
correct – is
the smart thing to
do.
Communication – The
rider on the
very front of
the double pace-line
should communicate
clearly to other
cyclists all
upcoming turns
or road hazards.
A rider who
has finished
his/her turn
on the front
and moves over
can communicate “clear” to
the next rider
passing once
it is safe
to move over
to the decelerating
line. At the
back of the
line a rider
can communicate “last
wheel” to
signal to
the last rider
on the decelerating
line that
once you pass,
he or she
must move
into your
draft and
join the accelerating
line.
Cornering – Riders
should hold their position
while cornering, going single
file if necessary. Then it
is the responsibility of
the
rider
on
the
front
to
first
make
sure
everyone
is
together
after
the
corner,
and
then
resume
the
pace-line
once
again.
The
front
rider
should
observe
the
wind
direction
and
change
the
direction
of
the
rotation
if
necessary.
Attentive – Take
note of who
is in front
of
you
and
who
is
behind
you
in
the
pace-line.
Then
when
you
are
falling
to
the
back
of
the
pace-line,
you
will
know
ahead
of
time
when
to
move
across
to
the
accelerating
line.
Skipping
a
turn – When
a
rider
needs
a
break
from
rotating
in
the
pace-line,
he
or
she
can
sit-on
the
back,
and
at
the
same
time
open
up
a
small
gap
when
each
rider
descends
to
the
back
to
indicate
that
they
should
rejoin
the
accelerating
