Pace-line Technique

Each individual participant's riding technique is important to all the other riders' safety and enjoyment of the ride. Some important rules of the road are as follows:

• Ride a straight line. The key here is to be predictable not only for the other folks in the pace-line, but also in traffic because it may prevent you from becoming a hood ornament. You can practice holding your line by trying to ride right alongside the white shoulder line when riding alone.
• Look as far down the road as you can. Avoid focusing in on the rear wheel of the rider in front of you. Also, avoid riding directly behind the wheel in front. Try to ride a few inches to the right or if necessary (depending on wind direction) to the left of the rider in front of you without overlapping wheels. This allows you to view road conditions ahead and gives you extra time to react should the rider in front suddenly slow down. Always plan to have a way out if anything happens up front, even if it means going off-road.
• Communicate. Good communication is the key to safety when riding in a pace-line. Continuously let the rider in front of you know that you are on his/her right or left so that he/she will not be turning across your front wheel at the worst possible time.
• Maintain a steady speed. Your goal is to leave a "clean" steady wheel that others behind you can follow easily and trust. Focus on maintaining a steady cadence and let your gears do the work. It’s natural to slow for hills and headwinds. It just takes practice and a quick glance at your electronics.
• Move around gradually within the group. If you need to move to the left or right in order to avoid an obstacle in the road or to pass another rider, do it slowly and gradually, giving others time to react.
• When it’s your turn to pull through, maintain the same speed as the rider you replaced. If you want to pick up the speed, wait until the person who just pulled off has a chance to get back on, and then raise the speed gradually. You don’t want to get too tired and get dropped when you try to return to the rear of the pace-line, so get off before your legs blow. The only time you should use your aero bars when riding with a group is when you are pulling. If you come up from behind to join another pace-line, call out "on your wheel" so they know you are there. It is also considered polite to ask if you may draft in the back if the group is unknown to you.

• Call out road hazards and signal your intentions to those around you. Call and point to potholes, road-kills, cracks in the road, and slower riders ahead. Turning around to look behind you also can disrupt the riders around you. Many riders have a tendency to swerve in the direction they are looking.
• Be careful when standing up on the pedals. When standing up on the pedals, give it a couple of hard stokes as you stand up. Most riders don’t realize that when you raise out of the saddle (on a hill, for example) you slow down a bit before you pick up your pace. When this happens, your rear wheel can go "backwards," hitting the front wheel of the rider behind.
• Signal when pulling off the front. Signal your intent to give up the "pull" by wiggling either your hand and fingers or your elbow on the side you want the rider behind to come through on. Just before pulling off, give it three hard pedal strokes to insure the rider behind is not overlapped, and then don’t slow down until you have moved off to the right or left. Then, move over gradually instead of swerving to the side quickly.
• Move to the right or left and yell "slowing" before you brake for a slowing rider in front of you or a road hazard. Your following riders may not be able to react as fast as you. It goes without saying that you should have your hands close to the brake levers at all times for a short response time whenever you ride in a paceline. The rule is that if you hit a rider from behind, shame on you!
• Be considerate of the riders behind. Never swerve quickly sideways in a paceline (another rider's front wheel may be overlapped with your rear wheel). Also, please wait until you are at the back of the group before drinking from your water bottle, blowing your nose, or spitting.