"A cycling team should be
more than a group of riders wearing similar jerseys"
. .
. says author David
Harrison, a coach and amateur road racer who has led teams in Colorado,
Kansas and New England.
"Training together is fun,
but using the skills of each rider on the team to increase the chances of
winning is even better.
"The simple tactics outlined in this eBook will show you
how to organize your group into a team and how to use team tactics to win
bicycle races."
Coach Harrison wrote this
eBook
because he's seen so many amateur teams struggle with the team concept and waste
the talents of their individual riders.
This is your primer for
team
organization, training, racing and winning on the amateur level. The author, a
dedicated student of the sport, uses many examples to bring tactics to life.
Often overlooked is that team
tactics aren't limited to sanctioned racing. The effective strategies in this
eBook work just as well in training races and club events -- anytime you and
your friends want to impose your will in group riding situations.
The revised and expanded 2nd edition
takes you through every step from
organizing a team to executing race winning moves. Harrison makes it
entertaining as well as instructional by using many examples from teams he's
directed.
New sections include how to give an amateur team a pro look and how to use cell
phones and a conference call system to avoid buying expensive race radios.
Harrison has also added an appendix describing one of his teams' seasons. He
received permission from the riders to reveal deep details. The result is a mix
of insights, lessons and useful anecdotes.
$14.95
eBook
In this excerpt from Chapter 3:
Building Team Skills, Coach Harrison begins describing the importance of
organized training.
If you are a team captain, point out that
there is a specific progression to how the training calendar is organized and
that the best time to practice team tactics is a few weeks before the racing
season begins. Let everyone know that these types of practices occur for only a
few weeks out of the year, leaving plenty of time for different types of
training rides later in the season.
Keep the sessions flowing and fun by keeping
people riding as much as possible and always explain why the specific exercise
will help the team. Having a practice session the day before an early season
training race is another particularly effective method of motivating the team to
work together. Even if only a few riders show up, always hold a practice
session. The riders that do attend will form a base for the team to build upon
as the year progresses.
If you are a team member, help out your
team captain by committing to attendance at these practice sessions and
supporting the teams outline of skill clinics. Missing a race in the middle of
the season means that you were not able to help the team that weekend, while
skipping a practice session means that you will be less prepared to help the
team the entire year. Do your best to study the background of how team tactics
work and go into these sessions ready to practice the skills over and over.
If the team is committed to trying to learn the
basic skills of pacelines, leadouts, attacking, blocking, chasing, and small
group situations, then putting together a few weekends of practice sessions will
not be difficult. Find a good practice spot without much traffic, set up a
meeting time, outline the practice online with the email chat group, and get the
team together.
Next, Coach Harrison goes into the basic
skill necessary for effective road racing tactics the paceline and lists
these . . .
Paceline Rules to Remember
The only way to start
a paceline is to move to the back of the group.
The second rider never accelerates, but simply accepts the greater load as the
front rider moves to the side.
The front rider moves over first then slows slightly. A common mistake is
slowing down before moving over, causing the whole group to slow.
Group speed changes are accomplished very slowly and smoothly so that riders
can stay as close as possible.
The front rider bears full responsibility for avoiding road hazards and must
make every effort to avoid objects without sudden swerving.
The second rider should rest as much as possible in the slipstream of the lead
rider.
The lead rider should focus on maintaining the group speed and adjusting to
hills and turns.
Each rider needs to be aware of her own speed as well as the speed of each
rider around her. Speeds need to be coordinated throughout corners and hills.
$14.95
eBook
