the last few weeks there have been some strong easterly winds which have made riding rather difficult.  often on a saturday morning, we end up with long stretches of head-crosswind that tend to break the group up.  there have been some interesting discussions on which way you should be rolling and which line should get the protection.  so, i have prepared a few pics to make it clear and will explain each one.  i will also go through other basics of road formation.

basic easy riding.

this should be pretty explanatory.  usually when we roll out at the start of the ride we generally ride two abreast at a moderate pace.  notice the lines are to the  left of the lane, but not riding in the gutter. in certain situations we may need to ride single file to allow traffic to pass by.  in other situations we actually need to fill the lane to stop drivers from trying to squeeze by when there isn’t much room.  you should always be aware of the traffic situation around the group and adjust accordingly.

there is no set time that the front riders need to stay there for, just when they feel they have done enough, they need to peel off.

 

 

 

peeling off

there are two ways that the front riders can peel off.  neither of them are wrong, but there is usually a preference for one over the other.  unless the roads are particularly wide, it is better for both riders to peel off to the right.  the easiest way to do this is for the left rider (nearest the gutter) speeds up and gets in front of the right rider, then they both pull right and drift down to the back.  it sometimes helps for them to signal to the next riders to come through, or they may think that the group needs to turn or change lanes.  the second method of peeling off is not always ideal, as it means that the group is 4 riders wide at some point.  with tight lanes and traffic furniture on a lot of our roads, this method can sometimes be dangerous.

roll through – wind from the left.

when the wind is coming from the left side you will need to roll from right to left.  this is what most people see as a “normal” roll though as it is probably what they learn first off.  the right line rides a little faster than the left and when the rider gets to the front, they pull in front of the left rider.  once the last rider moves from the left into the right line, they need to tell the next rider that they are “last wheel” so they know to roll through.  a roll through does not need to be flat out.  it can be used to share the load across the group to stop wearing people out.

now the reason the roll is in this direction is that the right line is doing more work and therefore needs to be protected.  some people have said that the left lane needs to be protected as they are on their recovery.  however, this means that the right side will have to work twice as hard to get to the front.  you may have seen it before where massive gaps appear because someone can’t quite make it to the front.

roll through – wind from the right.

so what happens when the wind is coming from the right?  well, we reverse the roll through.  it is pretty much the same procedure as above except with one little difference.  when you get to the front, you need to move over towards the white dashed line.  now, i don’t mean ride right on the line, but you need to be closer to it.  if you don’t move over far enough, the rider next to you may be ok, but further own the line, there may not be as much space.  if it is a really strong wind, everyone will be looking for some protection from the rider in front of them.  with a cross wind, this usually means sitting just to the side of their wheel.  the bigger the group, the more offset this will be once you reach the back.  suddenly the riders rolling up the left hand side are trapped between the gutter and the recovering riders.  make sure you allow everyone enough space.

during a race, the tactics may be the exact opposite of this.  the aim may be to actually make everyone ride in the gutter so that they have no wind protection.  however, the saturday morning group ride is not a race.  look after each other.

roll through – small groups

if the group you are with is a bit small, a normal roll through may not be that effective.  if you are in a group of about 6 or so, you don’t get that much recovery time before you are back on the front.  the best way to share the load is to form a paceline.  this is what you see the team time trial guys do in the tour de france.  one rider does the work on the front and then peels off and heads straight to the back.  depending on the strength of the riders, a turn of about 20 sec is all you need to do.  if you are last wheel, this gives you a minute rest before you need to do a turn again.  it is important to head straight to the back of the line after your turn to maximise your recovery time.  as riders get tired, they just need to reduce their length of turn.  any turn is better than none as it rests the riders in the line.

this tactic is also good when the bigger groups have been split and there are little chase groups.  often we see people trying to bridge across themselves to a group rather than work together.

other tips.

learning how to roll through is an important skill that we try to instil early in people’s riding experience. as you progress through the different groups the pace increases and therefore you need to be able to survive the different conditions.  i have seen many people able to easily ride in the fast group only to be spat out early on during a very windy ride.  hiding in the group and knowing when and how you use your energy are skills that you need to develop.

being able to read the ride and understanding what needs to change is also important.  often i have been at the back of a group when they start the roll through and it is going the wrong way.  by the time i reach the front, half the group is spent doing a bigger effort than they should have and then i reverse the roll directions, so they have to be in the faster line again.

there are a number of indicators for wind direction that you can see as you ride along.  flags, trees and grass all can show you which way you should be rolling.  also be aware that the roads change direction and therefore the wind can switch from your left to right shoulder very quickly.  if you are not sure, ask someone else which way they think the wind is blowing from and which way they think the roll through should be running.