Drafting is a key part of road bike riding. For many road bikers, pulling in that rear wheel of the rider in front of you can be a nerve racking task that gets the heart racing as you blow down the street at 25+ miles an hour. In the beginning, it almost seems unnatural to get that close to another rider’s bike.

Even the most experienced road bikers sometimes fall victim to multi-bike pileups due to a pace line gone wrong (just watch any local crit and you’ll see at least one). So…how can you pull in that rear wheel of another road biker and keep it there without irritating everyone around you or leaving your skin on the blacktop for the street cleaners?

Pace Lining Tips for Road Bikers

Drafting on a road bike will save you upwards of 35% of efficiency to help you ride faster and use less energy doing it. It is a necessary part of long distance cycling and group rides, so you need to get comfortable in the pack.

Getting comfortable in this position is not always an easy thing to do. Even now, there are certain riders who make me extremely nervous in a pace line and I do my best to just get the hell away from them whenever possible.

• Start With Riders You Trust – If you are just starting with pace lining and drafting on the road bike, practice with riders you trust and know their riding characteristics. Do not jump in with a bunch of road bikers that you hardly know and expect to predict their actions while you are trying to figure out your own. Go on several group rides with 6 or so close riding friends and get used to the rotation.
• Call Out Everything – Getting out of the line? Something in the road? Car up? You need to call out everything in the pace line to insure that riders in front and in back of you know what is going on. The majority of pace line accidents are caused by riders not giving other riders in the pack a heads up on what is happening. If you are about to slow down…let someone know…”SLOWING!”
• Do Not Sit Up In The Pace Line – I see it time and time again. One rider sits up and causes chaos behind them. If you need to sit up or slow down your speed, get out of the line first and then sit up. Even small speed changes in the pace line cause drastic affects down the line.
• Keep Calm and Collected – The riders that I want to stay away from the most are those that look nervous or can’t seem to keep a straight line. In one case, a rider actually swerved with every pedal stroke in a pack of 50…it was crazy! While in a group or pace line, keep your bike straight and your demeanor calm.
• Pull Your Own Weight – The natural progression of pace lining is to rotate the work around all of the riders for a maximum output at the minimum exertion. This means at some point in time, you are going to have to face the wind and pull. Now…this is not something to take on if you are not ready for it. If you are already maxing out in the line, it is probably not a good idea to pull out front and slow everyone down, or – even worse – blow up and have nothing left for the rest of the ride. Pull your own weight on the ride, but only if you are ready for that responsibility.

It is really that simple. By following some simple rules, you can prevent being “that guy” on the road. Even some really fast road bike riders end up being “that guy” a lot, so if you want to have good riding rapport with other riders, follow the rules and pull your own weight…and everything else will just fall in line.

Image by megabeth