Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

An important part of being a Euro-style guy is to be able to go fast when needed. You don’t need to be a Hammerhead, but you want to keep up with the fast guys on the club rides, and have a good showing when you race.

In cycling, no matter how fast you are, there is always someone faster than you, so getting faster is a steady progression that never ends. There are a few tips that you can use that can give you that extra bit of energy when you are riding with guys/girls that are simply much faster than you are. The key behind most of these tips is to save your energy. You main goal is to stay with the group as long as possible, so here are some tips to help you acheive this goal.

1) Relax. Being nervous uses up precious energy that you need to conserve for the tough moments. It may be difficult to stay in a paceline that is going 35mph but if you are nervous, it makes it much harder. Plus, you risk crashing and taking everyone down around you. Also, if you relax, your form is smoother, which means less waisted energy.

2) Stay near the front. Lance Armstrong doesn’t win the Tour de France in the mountains as much as he wins it in the first week when there are numerous crashes and general havoc. He usually has more than a few minutes over small climber guys such as Iban Mayo simply because he rides near the front of the pack. Riding in the front helps you out in a number of ways.

• No accordian effect that saps precious energy from your system. You’ve been in the middle or back of a paceline where the speed fluctuates constantly. You find yourself having to brake one moment to avoid running into the guy ahead of you. The next moment you are sprinting for dear life so you don’t lose the wheel in front of you. Staying near the front eliminates the accordian effect.
• Second, you can help dictate the pace by taking an occasional pull. Don’t be a hero by trying to stay on as long as the last guy. As long as you take a pull, everyone will respect you. This also helps you stay near the front.
• Third, you can see what type of terrain lies ahead, so you can prepare yourself better. If a hill comes up you can downshift and prepare yourself to tackle the climb. If there is an intersection coming up give yourself a moment to rest as the group has to stop or slow down.

3) Just before a climb, make sure you are near or at the front. This helps give you some buffer room, so that once your reach the top, you are not so far behind that you cannot catch back on a wheel. You will lose some distance to the faster guys, but climb at your own pace. On the climb, try not to extert too much effort since blowing on a climb may result in completely losing the wheels of everyone in the fast group.

4) On a climb do not ease up as you aproach the top. There is a natural tendancy to ease up as you crest a hill. You can gain precious bike lengths or catch back on if you just keep churning until you are well over the hill.

5) In a paceline don’t ease up too much on the return line. Nothing saps more energy than having to sprint simply to get back to speed. Prepare yourself by knowing who was two or three riders ahead of you. When they pass you on the moving line pick up your speed and prepare for a smooth switch over to that line.

These are 5 simple rules that can help you stay with the fast riders just a bit longer.