Cat 6 Corner- Pack Etiquette

New and Improved! Suz was able to get some in right before her flight! Thanks Suz!

K-Man went out and found some experienced cyclists to answer some questions for the beginners out there and to remind us about some skills that we might have forgotten. Comments are always welcome.

The second topic- Pack Etqiuette, Some of the Do's and Don'ts

What are some of the do's and don'ts of riding in a group/pack?

Suz Weldon: Alrighty then. Well, without going too much into tactics (maybe another day), here are a few race etiquette suggestions I can think of. (Training rides are somewhat different). In completely random order:

Hold your line! In corners, as well as while riding down the road, or sprinting. This is mostly for safety. Try to stay smooth, not wobbly or jerky. If you have problems with this, invest in a set of rollers this winter. Works wonders. Anyway, if you are in the middle of a pack going around a turn, you can't necessarily take the same line you would if you were alone, so just relax and go with the flow.

If you want to get by somebody in a race, it is not necessary to say "on your left", nor do you have to move if someone says that to you. In upper-cat races, (I don't know about cat-4/5's) a rider that wants to get through a tight space will sometimes put a hand on your hip. If this happens to you, don't freak out or think he/ she is trying to push you around. More than likely, s/he just wants you to know s/he is there, so you don't accidentally bump her. But I would not suggest this method to get by others until you are a cat-3 or above.

If you are in a rotating paceline (whether in a break, or a chase group) don't surge when you get to the front. Instead, keep your pace consistent until you have cleared the front wheel of the person at the front, next to you. Then, ease yourself over, and ease off the gas a little, but don't stop pedaling, and for god's sake, don't touch your brakes. If you need to rest, it is okay to back-door for a few rotations (sitting at the back w/o pulling through) but if you do this a lot, don't expect to make any friends, and your break-mates will likely do whatever they can to drop you. And they should.

Speaking of braking, I think I read on OBRAchat that the lower-cat Oregon boys like to yell "BRAKE!" at PIR when they are braking. Please tell me this isn't true... Okay, I guess if something very unexpected happens, like a dog running out in front of you, you can yell "slowing", or yes, I suppose "BRAKE", but I better not hear about that happening on a regular basis or I will have to come down there and kick some Oregon Booty. You shouldn't be braking THAT much, and I think yelling about it a lot would just serve to make others uneasy, and also cause even more accordion effect, as everybody reflexively grabs for their brakes. But anyway...braking before, say, a sharp downhill turn, is NOT considered to be unexpected, so need to yell there either. Braking IN the turn- well that's another DON'T.

Let's see...pointing out and/ or announcing road hazards is good. I disagree somewhat with Mandy in that, it is not always possible to point out a hazard, like if you are descending, or turning. First priority is to ride safely yourself. But if you can point out something, do. BTW, it is not necessary to point out or yell about every little bump and crack. Just the major stuff, like glass, tracks, a bottle, or a huge rock.

Flats: If you flat while riding in a pack, do NOT immediately veer over to the shoulder. Just remain calm, raise your hand up, and say "FLAT" as you ease over to the right-hand shoulder. You don't have to shout at the top of your lungs. Raise your right hand for rear flat, left hand for front (this is actually for the wheelcar). I think Mandy already said "no sudden moves".
I second that.

When climbing, and you go to stand, make sure you are not lurching backward. You could take out the guy behind you. It can be hard for newbies to know when they are doing this, so ask a friend. No, you do not need to yell "standing". Instead, make it a smooth transition by pushing little harder over the top of the pedal stroke, and kind of pushing your bars forward a smidge as you stand. Same thing when you sit down again. I hope I described this right...Anyway, it should become second nature after awhile.

Sal Collura: The first rule of riding in a pack is also the simplest: Do unto others as you would have them do to you. In other words, if you want some space, give some space. If you would want a pothole pointed out to you, point it out to others, etc.

Second rule: Keep your head up. Keep an eye on what is happening around you and there will be less chance of being surprised by something. A trick I use, is to always know what riders are around me. That keeps me paying attention to my
surroundings, and also lets me know if I am behind someone who is going to be squirrely.

Third rule: Try not to use your brakes so much. All it does is make the pack surge. There are times when you have to slow down, but a lot of times I see riders charge as hard as they can to catch the wheel in front of them, and then have to slam on the brakes. Keep it smooth. "Mantequilla", as Loius Daza used to say, "like butter".

Fourth rule: Don't cross wheels or bump handlebars until you are at least a Cat III. I cannot for the life of me figure out why Cat V's go out and race like they are Robbie McEwen or something. Give that wheel in front of you a few inches of breathing room. If you need someone to move over, touch there side or talk to them, don't just bang your way through. Someday when you are riding with the Pro 1/2's, you can come bang into me as hard as you want.

Mandy Lozano: Which brings us to tonight's word: chill. chill chill chill. and chill some more. Sudden movements are not welcome in the pack. The only time it's cool is when you are attacking, and you had better make sure you have an open spot into which you can launch said attack.
Hand signals are fine, as long as they don't jeapordize your control of your bike. That being said, however, don't get lazy and forget to point stuff out. That just sucks. The person behind you is trusting that you will help keep them safe; don't be a jackass packrider and just shout "hole!" without pointing it out.

And group rides are not races or at least i don't think they are. But sometimes, if you listen really close, you might hear a start gun go off. Don't do dumb stuff like run red lights and stuff just to keep up with the group as though I'm racing. Is it really worth it to

a. endanger your life and;
b. reinforce the awful image cyclists have to motorists anyway?

Seriously...
Oh, and a "do" talk to people! Make them feel welcome! everbody has to start somewhere! Just cause you're pro doesn't mean you can't talk to people of lower categories than you! I don't think i'd be where I am today if some pros hadn't stooped to talk to newbie Mandy once upon a time.


Miffy: Look before you move.
Kiffy: Otherwise you may crash into someone else.
K-Man: Extra treat for you two for good behavior.