Skill Clinic Sessions Review

I'm so glad we had these skill clinic sessions. I mean, I've read Harrison (2004) and Baker's (2004) books on road bike skills and tactics, and tried to apply them to my team practice back in Taiwan. But as comprehensive as the authors tried, it's not like actually seeing them in live. And Corley and the offices did an excellent job in introducing the skills bit by bit, without overwhelming us or hitting us with too difficult a skill. So, in order to show my gratitude to their hard work, I want to post a short review of what we did in the past few weeks: (feel free to add something or to comment)

1. Paceline
a. Single paceline
In group of 4, rotate either clockwise of counter-clockwise whenever the leading person rides half of the track. Maintain a speed of 15 mile/hr until everyone is comfortable with the skill.
b. Double paceline type A
In group of 6, ride in 2 columns of 3, riders on the left side rotate counter-clockwise and ones on the right side rotate clockwise whenever the leading persons ride half of the track. Maintain a speed of 15 mile/hr until everyone is comfortable with the skill.
c. Double paceline type B
In group of unlimited number of riders, ride in 3 columns of same number of riders, riders on the left-most side rotate counter-clockwise and ones on the right-most side rotate clockwise whenever the leading persons ride half of the track. Maintain a speed of 15 mile/hr until everyone is comfortable with the skill.

2. Bumping
a. Riding abreast
In pairs, ride with shoulders or elbows resting on each other. Riders pushed against should try to protect his or her handle bar by reaching out shoulders or elbows to counter the force. This skill practice must be done on grassy field in case of falling. I found a short film through this link: (I don't think we should be trying to make the partner fall, though)Boston Beanpot Skill Clinic
b. Riding with crossing the wheels
In pairs, ride with front wheel crossing the other's rear wheel. Try to maintain control when bumping with the other's rear wheel by steering into the partner's rear wheel. This skill practice must be done on grassy field in case of falling.

3. Cornering
a. Regular
With moderate speed, turn the handle bar to the direction of the turn and complete the cornering. Each rider ride on his own and maintain a distance which one can stop completely before hitting the others. This skill practice should be done in a 90-degree turn both left and right, and the surface should be free of debris or obstacles.
b. Counter-steering
With faster speed (which in races more likely to be), lean the bike to the direction of the turn, handle bar slightly to the opposite direction of the turn, weight on the outside pedal with the outside pedal at the lowest position, and complete the cornering. This skill practice should be done in a 90-degree turn both left and right, and the surface should be free of debris or obstacles. Riders should increase the speed gradually once they are comfortable with the previous speed.
c. Wet-surface cornering
With moderate speed, lean the bike slightly to opposite direction of the turn with saddle brushing the outboard thigh, turn the handle bar to the direction of the turn, weight slightly to the direction of the turn with pedals paralleled, and complete the cornering. This prevents wheels from sliding out in wet or unsatisfactory corner by increasing the contact surface of the wheels. This skill practice should be done in a 90-degree turn both left and right, and the surface should be free of debris or obstacles.
d. Cornering with a partner
In pairs, ride shoulder to shoulder into the corner. Riders on the inside of the turn should yell: "inside!", while riders on the outside of the turn should yell: "outside!" This is for preventing people from steering into your cornering path.

Also, the communication skill is vital during practice or race. For instance, if the leading person is riding too fast and tearing apart the group effort, riders behind should yell at him/her to slow down.
And in real life, I found the paceline skills not quite useful for the team when there were wide gaps of fitness levels. Because whenever there was a surge, team members of lower fitness got left behind and were never seen again until the end, which wasn't helpful. So I asked Dan what he thinked about the use of paceline skill practice, he answered: "It will be tremendously helpful to making people comfortable with riding in groups during the race." Marvelous answer! I've never thought of that. Because theoretically, paceline is used when the team wants to:
a. Position before cornering
b. Position before climbing
c. Leading the sprint
d. Chase back the escape or peloton
So, in theory, every domestiques (team members other than team leaders for the race) should be able to contribute to the effort - I don't see the point of practicing paceline skills if they get left behind early in the race. But now Dan really raise a VERY good point for practicing paceline - you want to know how to ride a paceline BEFORE entering a race, so you won't get so nervous when riding with a bunch of people. And afterward, when most people have high level of fitness (including me - I'm still recovering from my knee surgery), we can really use paceline skills to cause TERROR to the other teams! (No…I don’t mean by crashing and taking down the whole field with us :P)
by Gordon Huang

References (these are really good books, I especailly recommend Harrison's book - it's written for building an amateur team; both can be bought at http://www.roadbikerider.com/)

Baker, A. (2004). Strategy and Tactics for Cyclists. San Diego: Argo Publishing.
Harrison, D. (2004). Professional Road Race Tactics for Amateur Cycling Teams. Chapel Hill: RBR Publishing Company