Section head text.
"There are too many factors you have to take into account that you have no control over…The most important factor you can keep in your own hands is yourself. I always placed the greatest emphasis on that." – Eddy Merckx
"A road rider who is not practiced is merely an athlete on a bike,
half-educated, a pedaler – not a complete cyclist." – Maynard Hershon
Twitter version: Racing and group riding requires a complete and comprehensive set of skills over and above what is required for riding by oneself.
Who It’s For: Everyone
Why It’s Needed: Many of us learned to ride our bikes judging success as riding without training wheels, staying upright, and riding in a straight line. Since we continue to ride and nothing bad occurs, we assume we’ve learned all we need to know – what I call “the good-enough effect.”
Skills Training
Read this list. Are you aware of of these skills? Do you know HOW to do these skills? Have you performed them many times? Have you used them in a riding or racing event?
• Bumping and recovering upright and close riding at speed
• Wheel touching and recovery
• Slow riding and track stand (when caught behind a crash; for fast recovery)
• Bunny hopping (for straight line hazard avoidance)
• Eating and drinking in a tight pack at speed
• Rock Dodge
• Instant turn
• Cornering (cornering, counter-steering, leaning)
Realize that if you haven’t learned and PRACTICED a majority of this list, you are what Maynard calls a pedaler. You are not a complete cyclist. More importantly, you are a hazard to any group with which you ride or race. That includes being a hazard to yourself.
While many of us are “good enough” to ride in a pace line, double pace line, or a cooperative group ride, we are gambling, rather than using skills. Most riders I see participating in any of the above rides do not have the skills listed. However, they are “gambling” that something bad won’t happen, or if it does, it won’t happen to them.
However, to be a complete rider and ride in a group requires more skills than riding in a straight, predictable line.
All that said, crashes have multiple contributing factors — some of which are out of our control. This article addresses what the racer can control — mastering a comprehensive set of bike handling skills.
Solo vs. Group
The individual demands of riding alone are simply that — Individual to riding alone. Skills adequate for solo riding do not prepare a cyclist for group riding (cooperative or competitive) or racing. Solo riding compared to competitive group riding and racing is as similar as texting while standing in Central Park versus texting while running to catch a train in Grand Central Station at rush hour. The demanding physiological, spatial, temporal, and anxiety-producing components requires many and different skills. More importantly, catastrophic consequences occur when a racer lacks adequate skills. Not only to the racer, but to anyone in close proximity.
Yet, many cyclists make the assumption that riding solo prepares them for racing. That assumption would be false. A recent example in our area, was a group riding in a pace line and when two riders bumped each other, they crashed, taking down many in the group. If they had known the skills, this would have been a non-event.
Suggesting skills education is only half of the answer. The other half depends on individual riders and racers finding and using these classes, seminars, rides, and training races. Until all riders and racers see the need for learning, engaging in lots of practice, and becoming capable of automatically incorporating these skills into their rides and races, it is simply information on a website.
Here, in a soundbite:
• LEARN what your riding/racing style demands. Review the above list.
• Find a good coach or program.
• PRACTICE TONS using the skills PRIOR to group riding or racing.
• PERFORM the skills in different environments, such as cornering on dry pavement versus wet.
• MAINTAIN your equipment.
• USE your racing equipment PRIOR to racing.
Please search out competent and comprehensive group riding and racing skills courses in your area. Your skin will thank you for it; and many others who ride and race will also. Become a complete cyclist.
Disclaimer: Crashes occur for many reasons. The suggested skills are simply what we can control as racers. Other issues, such as other’s bike maintenance, other’s psychologies, and unexpected road conditions may be unavoidable.
Scot Willingham, MA, ACSM, CSCS, USAC is a neuromuscular re-educator that coaches cyclists and other endurance athletes while working as a strength and conditioning rehabilitation expert in NYC. He is a recent graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University’s Motor Learning department. Motor Learning is the field that researches human motor control and is used as the foundation for many pedagogical decisions in physical education, sports coaching, movement teaching and rehabilitation.
References:
Gentile, A.M. (1998). Movement science: Implicit and explicit processes during acquisition of functional skills. Scandinavian
This is really good, and so true. I’ll be the first to admit my skills are sub-par. But now I know what I need to work on. Thanks a lot
The CCNS team members do the Tuesday Night Training Races in East Hartford and they taught me how to move in a pack much better then i could before
Yes, great list. I’ve done some of these skills. Don’t know how the heck to recover from a tire touch or I wouldn’t have gotten a broken clavicle last spring. One I’d like to add is dealing with cars and traffic. From what I read this is a guide for those that live in cycling paradise and have all these recourses available as well as big clear clean roads. I large amount of us riders live in reality with lots of cars and lights. Knowing how to modulate speed, keep an eye trained way ahead on the road, watching for sketchy drivers, patients with stop lights and signs and other road skills don’t go towards making one a cyclists, maybe an urban pedaler?
Flatbush Ave to Floyd.