LOTS more info for Riding the Track

You can spend your time, waste your time, or invest your time. It's your choice.

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Saturday March 8th ~ The Next Ladies Only Track Session (LOTS) will be held at the LA Velodrome on Saturday March 8th. The March 8th LOTS will be sandwiched in between LAVRA’s morning Time Trials which are expected to end between 12-12:15pm and the afternoon Omnium which opens for warmup at 2pm. Time will be tight so we will need to be dressed & ready to ride the minute the track is available to us.

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Road Pace lines ~ Most road cyclists have experienced and appreciated riding in a single or double file pace line formation during a group training ride. Generally, each member of the pace line works their way up the line by taking turns riding on the front, breaking the wind and setting the pace for the group. As each rider takes their turn at the front, they then move off to the side as they drift to the back of the line. A few road cyclists have experienced a motor paced line where the motor remains at the front of the group blocking all the wind as it sets the pace for the group. The members of the paceline sit in formation lined up single file closely following the motor. Each member of the pace line works their way up the line by taking turns riding immediately behind the motor before moving around to the back of the line.

As with track cycling, there are specific behaviors and rules to riding any/all types of pacelines. These rules are designed to promote safety while keeping the group's speed consistently high. The name of the (pace line) game is efficiency. In other words, the entire group is trying to maintain a speed that is consistently higher than what any single member of the group could maintain in a solo effort. The concept of drafting is not new; it has been relied on for decades in other sports such as car racing and running. Drafting increases the efficiency of the group’s individual members by reducing the wind resistance each member encounters making it as much as 30% easier when drafting correctly behind someone. Keep in mind that although the primary purpose of the pace line formation is efficiency, a no less important goal is to avoid the accidents that can arise when cyclists ride just inches apart.

Track Pace lines ~ Now, lets remove the potholes, the traffic lights, the errant car drivers, the dogs and all the distractions of a road environment. We will also remove the gears and the brakes from your bike. The following principals will help you when riding in a pace line on the track regardless of how much/little pace line experience you may have on the road. While there are similarities there are also differences:

1. Maintain a steady speed when you assume the lead position ~ The first challenge a paceline faces on the track is maintaining a steady speed around the oval. This is true for pace lines up on the blue (Stayers) line and down in the Pole lane. Whenever there is a change in leadership at the front of the pace line, there is an opportunity for the pace line to experience unplanned speed changes. This generally occurs in one of two ways. Entering the exchange ~ An inexperienced lead rider may inadvertently cause the group to slow down when approaching the exchange if she decelerates in the straightaway in anticipation of the planned departure. Exiting the exchange ~ An inexperienced 2nd position rider will often sprint excessively into turn 1 just as the exiting rider has disappeared up track on the way to the back of the line. Both of these situations leave the paceline looking more like an accordion than a grand piano. If the lead rider needs to adjust the speed of the paceline she should make that change smoothly and gradually as the group exits the first turn. Smooth speed changes limit the gaps, prevent overlapping wheels and help keep everyone fresh.

2. The Lead Rider must accelerate off the front of the pace line when approaching an exchange ~ To avoid the speed differentials which cause the accordion effect, the lead rider must constantly monitor their speed as they approach an exchange. From the black line, the lead rider should make every effort to accelerate off the front of the group in the straightaway as they approach their exchange. At the same time, the lead rider should begin to move slightly up track towards the red line while the 2nd position rider remains solidly on the black line. Once the lead rider has crossed the red line and is disappearing up track, the 2nd position rider should have matched the speed of the exiting rider while bringing the group through the turn at a steady speed. The lack of brakes and the group’s inability to freewheel amplifies the accordion effect thereby reducing the efficiency of the paceline and increasing the dangers. The lead two riders should work together to make the exchanges smooth and deliberate. It is the responsibility of the lead rider to exit safely and cleanly. It is the responsibility of the 2nd position rider to bring the pace line through the turn smoothly at a consistent speed. The 2nd position rider may need to allow a slight gap to open on their front wheel when approaching an exchange to minimize the risk of “flinching” up track when the exiting rider departs. The 2nd position rider should make every attempt to stay low and steady just behind the exiting rider until that rider has cleared the lane and crossed up over the red line.

3. After exiting the pace line, the Lead Rider should immediately begin to slow down ~ This concept may seem obvious until you study a pace line and realize what percentage of riders do not do this. As previously stated, the 2nd position rider needs to match the speed of the exiting rider; however, exiting riders do NOT need to match the speed of the paceline. After safely moving up track, exiting riders should immediately begin to float the pedals allowing the pace line to pull through safely and quickly below you. Once the entire line has passed, the exiting rider should drop down in behind the final rider to rejoin the paceline. Matching the speed of the pace line will leave the exiting rider out in the wind lap after tiring lap.

4. Ride in a smooth, straight, predictable manner ~ Each member of a paceline should make every effort to maintain a smooth straight line and to avoid flinching every time the rider directly in front of you makes the slightest movement. Newer riders should leave just a little extra distance between wheels to smooth out the ride and reduce your flinching. Each member of the pace line should attempt to remain centered on the training line. This will allow the members of the pace line to remain centered in the lane directly behind each other. This is especially important when there are multiple groups on the track or when one paceline is overtaking either a slower rider or another paceline.

5. Avoid overlapping wheels ~ Each rider is responsible for keeping their own front wheel safe. This means that each member of a paceline should make every attempt to prevent their front wheel from overlapping (either above or below) the rear wheel of the rider in front of you. This is particularly important for the 2nd position rider when approaching each turn. The preferred and expected place for the lead rider to exit the pace line is when entering turn 1. The 2nd position rider should anticipate this on every lap! As the lead rider approaches their exchange and begins to move up towards the red line, the second position rider should remain behind and below on the black line. The 2nd position rider should maintain a constant speed while leading the pace line smoothly through the turn without losing contact with the black line as the exiting rider disappears up track.

6. No Double Switching! ~ Only the lead rider should exit the paceline during an exchange. The 2nd position rider should NEVER follow the lead rider off the front of the pace line! The preferred place for the lead rider to exit their turn on the front of the group is when entering turn 1. As the lead rider brings the group through the final turn, up the straightaway and prepares to relinquish the lead, they should begin to accelerate while gradually moving closer up to the red line. The 2nd position rider should remain in the lead position ready, willing and able to take their turn pulling the group by maintaining their position on the black line allowing the speed of the group to remain steady. If the 2nd position rider is unable or unwilling to take their turn as the lead rider, they should pull smoothly through turn 1 while preparing to exit the lead position in the next turn making certain the exiting rider is well behind before pulling off. The 3rd position rider should always be prepared for this when entering any turn!
It is the lead/exiting rider’s responsibility to take extra care to determine where all of the other riders are on the track before pulling off! It is the second position rider’s responsibility to take their turn at the front of the paceline when the lead rider pulls off! Neither the exiting rider nor the third position rider will be expecting two riders to exit the front of the line simultaneously; attempting to do so is very dangerous!

7. Don’t ever try to ‘get out of the way’. If any member of a paceline is unable or unwilling to maintain the pace of the group, that rider should make every effort to maintain their position and speed while gradually allowing the group to ride away from their front wheel. They should continue to ride straight and steady at an even speed. This will cause a gap to open on their front wheel. At no time should riders make sudden speed reduction changes or sudden lane changes. The riders behind you will not be expecting this and the sudden reduction in speed will cause you to come back into their front wheel with no time for them to compensate. Each rider is responsible for maintaining a steady and predictable pace. It is the responsibility of the riders behind you to see gaps opening in front of you and to make the decision to pass over you or not. Trying to “get out of the way” by swinging sideways out of line and moving up (or down) track is guaranteed to put you directly in the path of the riders behind you who have already committed to trying to pass you! This is very dangerous and will certainly cause great confusion!

8. Hot Tip ~ If you are in a paceline and the speed of the group is beginning to increase beyond your reach, inexperienced riders should make the decision early to remain at the rear of the line after taking a turn at the front. By remaining at rear of the group you will prevent yourself from getting stuck too close to the front and unable to hold the pace long enough to take your next turn in the lead position. This can have a dramatic impact on the entire group as they struggle to deal with the situation you have put them into.

More next week…

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Pictures from Sunday’s final stage of the Tour of California. Courtesy of Graham Watson.

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Saturday March 1st, April 5th, October 11th, & November 9th ~ The Curt Sutliff Memorial Santiago Canyon Time Trial Series. This coming Saturday, March 1st is the first race of the 2008 TT Series. The Reg Fee is $25. There will be No Pre-Reg ~ Race Day Reg is available from 7:15-8:30AM. There is a mandatory Pre-Race Meeting at 8:45AM in front of Rock N Road Cyclery near the corner of El Toro Rd/Marguerite Pkwy. The first racer will go off at 9:00am.
For more info please see the Event Flyer.

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March 8-9 ~ The Tour of Murrietta (an Omnium Event). This popular event is back again this year and will be run on the same course as last year. The Grand Prix will be held on Saturday and the Circuit Race will be held on Sunday. You may race either one or both events. The WCat 4’s and the WCat 1-3’s will have separate start times for both events. Online pre-registration deadline is 03/05/08, late fee is $10 for Omnium Event or $15 for the GC registration. Online Registration is available at http://www.active.com/ For more info, please see the event flyer.

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Saturday February 16th (done), March 8th, & September 27th ~ The LAVRA will be hosting the 2nd of 3 combo Track TT’s & Omniums at the LA Velodrome on March 8th. Division winners (1st-3rd) will be awarded cumulative points for a BAR Omnium Winner. Similar to last year, the morning race session will host Time Trials & Pursuits (including Team Pursuit!!) while the afternoon race session will host an Omnium. LAVRA is looking forward to an exciting racing season. Thank you to the SCNCA for paying for the Jr’s LAVRA race fees!!
For a detailed race schedule, please see the event flyer at the LAVelodrome’s website.

New for LAVRA events for 2008 – ON LINE PRE-REGISTRATION

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Saturday March 22 ~ The Encino Velodrome presents “Low Key Time Trials” a USAC Non-Competitive Event. The TRACK & REGISTRATION Opens at 8:15am & Closes at 9:15 am. RACING starts at 9:30am. Entry $10, One entry free gets you into as many events as you like. No Pre-Reg; Race day entries only.
All athletes must provide a signed 2008 USAC Athlete Release form (see below). RULES: Must have track experience. All 2008 USCF rules apply. Helmets must be worn at all times while on the bike.

Individual Events Include ~ 500m, 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, & 4000m
Team Events Include ~ 3000m & 4000m (Pursuit Teams must provide your own holders!) and Team Sprints (2 women) & Olympic Sprints (3 men) included.

Please note: Rental bikes ARE available for all races at Encino.

For additional Race information, please email: Trattenero@hotmail.com
LOCATION: Encino Velodrome17301 Oxnard St, .Encino, CA. 91416

Please visit the Encino Velodrome’s website at http://www.blogger.com/www.encinovelodrome.org

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Friday Nights at ADT ~ Attn Ladies the TT’s at ADT and at Encino are fantastic opportunities for beginners to race your first track race and for more experienced Ladies to fine tune their IP and put together a Sprint or Pursuit Team or two! If you are interested in training for these events and more, please plan to join me at ADT each Friday evening for open (ie co-ed) training from 6-9PM. I will be there to help you discover & develop your track racing potential!

Please send me an RSVP email so I know who to expect this week. Normal track fees apply.

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The 2008 USAC Athlete Waiver ~ is available. I highly recommend completing a waiver on-line with all of the basic info that does not change from race-to-race. Then name & save the partially completed waiver to your computer as a “PDF” file. On race day (or the night before), all you have to do is complete the Event Specifics, print it, sign it and stick it in your gear bag. This is super helpful when 4 or members of your family (or team) all race together!

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The 2008 SCNCA Racing Calendar is available.

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The 2008 USAC Rule book is available on-line.

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Saturday March 8th ~ The Next Ladies Only Track Session (LOTS) will be held at the LA Velodrome at Noon on Saturday March 8th.

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Have a super week Ladies!!

Julia