BOBbies in Training 2008

This program is for road bike riders who are new to road cycling and want to become confident and proficient at paceline riding.

The goals for this course:

• Learn the skills required for safe paceline riding
• Learn the basic rules and techniques for interacting with motorists
• Become familiar with the etiquette and protocols that make pacelines safe and enjoyable
• Gain confidence in your ability to join a group ride
• Meet other riders at your level and make connections to initiate group ride opportunities

This course is FREE

It is for members of the BOBbies cycling club. To join the BOBbies, please fill out the online form, or download, print and bring this PDF.

The course is full!

Course Overview

Session 1: February 10
Gear management and bike handling

Session 2: February 17
Overview of road rules and principles of safe road riding

February 24 - no class this week.
We recommend participants get together and practice skills.

Session 3: March 2
Drafting and paceline safety

Session 4: March 9
Review, discussion and practice of paceline protocols

Required Equipment

• Road bike Not sure what constitues a road bike? Please read the FAQ Below
• Helmet
• Water bottles
• Clipless pedals or toe cages
• A saddle bag with: spare tube; tire irons; some type of pump

Women's Road Cycling Workshops FAQ

What is a Road Bike?

This is a Road Bike:

In the cycling vernacular, and especially for the purposes of this workshop, a road bike is an 18-27 speed performance bike with drop handlebars and skinny tires (23-25mm). There are some models of upright road bikes (for example: Sirrus or BadBoy) with skinny tires and straight handlebars. These are not ideal, but acceptable.

Why do I need a road bike for this Workshop?

Our purpose for this workshop is to teach bike handling skills and pace line techniques so women can join our group rides and others in the area. We are a road biking organization. Pace line riding is a road biking activity. Hybrid, comfort and mountain bikes are not suited for pace line riding.

Why is it not practical to ride a hybrid bike in a pace line?

First of all, the wind and tire resistance makes it difficult to ride at the speeds generally associated with pace line riding. Hybrid riders encounter an increasing resistance curve at much slower speeds than road bike riders. Second, pace line riding requires subtle changes in speed that can be accomplished with nuanced adjustments in cadence on a road bike because it has very little rolling resistance. The rolling resistance of a heavy bike with fat tires (even if they are slicks) results in drastically decreased speed with subtle changes in pedal pressure. This causes a gap in the pace line, and a substantial effort is then required to accelerate the weight of the bike against that tire resistance to close the gap. This results in a need to brake to slow the bike once the gap is closed and then the pace line behind becomes an accordion. An accordion pace line is fun for no one.

Why do you require clipless pedals or toe cages?

Proper road bike riding requires a complete pedal stroke. We recommend clipless pedals, but understand the expense involved and the fear factor for a beginning cyclist. Toe cages allow more of a stroke than open pedals, but ultimately do not allow a complete circle. Making a complete stroke accomplishes two important things: it allows you to use your whole leg and not fatigue your quads; and it allows you to be a much more steady rider.

The sooner you switch to clipless pedals, the sooner you will begin to train your muscles in proper technique.