From a handout in the SPBRC beginner's class
Be predictable and safe by riding a straight line. Practice this skill by yourself by riding with your wheels on the white line along the edge of the road [ I recommend just next to the white line as they can sometimes be slippery ]. You'll find that it's easier if you look ahead 30 feet rather than directly in front of your wheel. Try looking behind you without swerving. This takes a little practice. Put one hand near the stem, the other on your hip or grab the back of the saddle and look over the other shoulder. Don't be surprised if someone puts their hand on your shoulder and looks behind. This is a common and effective practice.
Never make an abrupt or abnormal move in a paceline. Smooth, steady and predictable are the bywords. This makes you a pleasure to ride behind. Ride relaxed, especially in arms and shoulders. Elbows may get bumped. If they're relaxed, they'll absorb nudges without affecting bike control.
Ride only as close as you are comfortable with. Two to three feet is OK for starters, Look ahead, not just at the wheel in front of you and ride with your hands near the brakes. If you get too close, soft pedal or move out into the wind a bit to slow down. Soft pedaling is better than coasting. It causes less reaction behind you. If you must brake do it smoothly and with the rear brake so the person behind notices you using the brake.
When you're leading, remember that you're the eyes and ears of the whole group. It's your responsibility to point out junk in the road as well as turns and stops that others may not be able to see because you obstruct their view. People behind you will relay this info to the back of the pack. [ From personal experience, I learned that audible signals should accompany hand signals - "hole", "turning right". ]
Beware of a common mistake: accelerating as you pull through to the front. Check your cyclecomputer while you're in second place. As you take the front, maintain that speed. The former leader will signal by raising a finger or hand off the bars or by sitting up and moving over. He'll slow down, so you don't have to accelerate. Just pull through smoothly. If you want to speed the pack up, wait a few seconds for the former leader to catch on the back and then ramp it up slowly. You should see your cyclecomputer go up a mile an hour at a time. If you see it jump two at a time you're accelerating too fast. Take your turn at the front and then pull off and let someone else share the work. If you are tired take a short pull. When dropping back, stay close to the line. This enhances the group's draft. Don't wander dangerously into the middle of the lane. Accelerate smoothly as the last rider in line comes alongside so you can move behind his wheel without a gap opening. The last rider in the line may say "last" indicating she is the last in line so it's time to pull back in. Sometimes it's hard to know where the last rider is as you drift back. However if you say "last" make sure you are correct and that no one else has hooked on.
Call out "car back!" when there's an overtaking vehicle. This is especially important on narrow roads when the group is in a double paceline (2 abreast). Riders need time to move over or ease up to let the car pass. In general, since we ride on roads with traffic it's never a good idea to ride more than 2 abreast [ in Minnesota, it is illegal ]. There's not enough room on the road and it makes drivers mad if we take too much of the road.
Riding with headphones is bad form.
Wear a helmet. [ Don't take this one lightly -- I read 2 stories in 1 day about how a helmet saved someone's life. ]
Don't let your front wheel over-lap a rear wheel. If that bike swerves, the contact will usually knock you down. If you do overlap make sure you're at least a foot or two to the side.
Drop back a bit more on climbs. The rider just ahead might stand and decelerate slightly; in effect, moving backward towards your wheel. Also when you stand up make a conscious effort to stand on a downward power stroke and push your bike forward so you don't drop back into the person behind you.
If you have aero bars on your bike, remember that they aren't to be used in pacelines. It's bad form to use aero bars in a pack. You may use them at the front, but not in the middle of the pack. You may want to consider not using them at all when in a group unless your in the front heading into a big wind trying to get the group home.
Have fun and if you don't understand what's going on or why, don't be afraid to ask. Many times there are a lot of unspoken subtle things happening especially with a group that's ridden together for a long time.
Posted by 100revs at July 1, 2003 11:55 AM