Velocity Logo-ed Trucker Caps
We’re still accepting requests of interest in a black trucker cap (fabric up front with mesh material in back) with the Velocity logo embroidered on the front. Pricing would be in the $20 range.
Interested? Email me with “Trucker Cap” in the subject line: coaching@velocitycyclingclub.ca
Another Outdoor Ride
If only we could move the Friday forecast to Saturday! Anyway, temperatures look about the same as last week when we had 11 riders out for a fun 2 hour ride through Strathcona County.
We’ll follow last week’s loop in the opposite direction – trust me, it will feel like a completely different route! Meet at the Strathcona Olympiette Centre at 11am.
Planned Ride Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/2947290724413766418
I’ll need your name and an emergency contact to have a proper Emergency Action Plan if anything should go wrong. Please pre-register on this form:
I’ll repeat our group riding best practices in case you missed them last week:
- All riders in the group have a responsibility to point out road surface irregularities for the benefit of riders behind them.
- Do not just fixate on the wheel immediately in front of you, but also watch up ahead. You will be less surprised when something happens in the group ahead of you.
- When riding at the front on a downhill you must continue to pedal. If you just freewheel, the riders behind will have to brake to avoid running into you. Not all roads are safe enough for others to simply overtake you.
- When riding at the front be aware of the wind. For example, if the wind is from the right, move towards the right side of the shoulder. This makes more room for the riders behind you to seek shelter without being in the traffic lane. Safer for all concerned. Same applies for a cross wind from the left. Move towards the left without moving too far into the traffic lane. It gives riders more room to follow without riding in the gutter.
- If you must spit or drink it is best to do so when you are at the back of the group. This is mandatory during COVID times.
- Half-wheeling is not necessarily dangerous, but it is poor cycling etiquette. A sign of experience is an ability to ride the pace of weaker riders in the group, not just full throttle. If you are feeling strong take a longer pull on the front rather than a faster pull.
- Group crossing of major roadways and highways has the potential for catastrophe. As you approach a major intersection drop a couple of gears so that when the time comes you will be able to quickly accelerate to cross the road. Do not get bogged down in your big ring. Pay attention, no time for chatting. It is most important that the group acts as one, so communication is important. Someone at the front of the group must verbally take charge and tell the group when to wait and when to go and how far to go, i.e. halfway, all the way.
- When you overlap wheels in a group you are at greater risk. Do you trust the rider whose wheel you have overlapped? If your front wheel gets bumped, you will crash most of the time.
- Usually we ride in a social double paceline. Ride 2-up, side-by-side, and you can chat with the rider beside you. Don’t half-wheel (see the above)! On the front, each rider will drop back along the same side that they have been respectively riding. The left rider drops to the left. The right rider to the right. Make a clear hand signal to the riders immediately behind to indicate you’re letting them come forward.
- At other times, in a fast riding or really strong headwind or crosswind scenario, we ride in a double line echelon. As the name implies a double line echelon has two lines of riders. The faster line where the riders move forward in the group and the slower line where the riders drop back. Regardless which line you are in, it is important to always be on a wheel. As well the only time you accelerate is when you are at the back of the group and moving across to join the line of riders moving forward. When you reach the front of the forward moving line of riders it is important that you do not accelerate. If each rider accelerates before moving over to join the drop back line of riders, the whole group will continue to speed up until the echelon blows apart … not what we want!