What not to do in a Paceline!

In the past year, I've been in a couple of frustrating pacelines. I know, I know...not everyone's perfect. We've got to educate riders on what group riding is and we can't expect them to learn the system unless we don't explain it to them. But, some people just don't quite get it.

The basic idea of a paceline is that the rider in front leads the line until he/she feels a bit winded, then they pull over and let the next person in line take a turn at the front. The riders go at a reasonably fast pace without drastically changing from rider to rider. If everyone does this, then the line will move very quickly with everyone sharing the work at the front.

But there's always a few folks who wreck the smooth drafting machine by doing some things to seriously hurt the flow of the paceline. So here's a list of my paceline pet-peeves.

The Racer - This is the person that feels like they're running over you while going down a hill. They charge past you before you pull over, increase the pace by 5mph, slow down 8mph when they hit an incline, drop off, and stick you with the pull again.

The Wheelsucker - It's ok to not pull, but the wheelsucker always causes confusion at the back of the paceline. You'll slow down until you're along side the wheelsucker, and then he'll open a spot for you, forcing you to accelerate hard to fit in there just after you've taken a long pull.

The Baton Fumbler - A bad exchange at the front of the paceline can be dangerous. Pull out of the way first, THEN slow down. Not the other way around.

The Thoroughbred - For some reason, your signal that you're getting off the front is his signal to shoot out of the gate like a 3-year old at Churchill Downs. They kick the speed up 5mph while you're trying not to fall off the back of the line.

Lester the Rat - Named after the Beakman's world character. This is the paceliner that discharges gas, sweat, or snot in any spot other than the last spot in the line.

The Wiggler - This is the rider in the paceline that gives you motion sickness from following their side-to-side motions. Some people use too much hip, causing the bike to wiggle back and forth.

and finally....

The Hitchiker - Occasionally your like catches up to a person who latches onto the line and starts drafing with you. Introduce yourself, explain how the line works, and tell them not to do any of the above, and you'll have a new friend.