How To Ride a Paceline
From CRCycling
When riders travel in a pack, the wind resistance decreases dramatically for the second, third, fourth, etc... riders in the field. A simple way to share the work of cutting into the wind is for the lead rider to peel off periodically and shuffle back into the pack.
When this is done in an orderly way, the formation is called a paceline. The track discipline of the team pursuit is a paceline that's done with ultimate precision.
As with many technical elements of cycling, the paceline is easy to explain and imagine, but requires some real world expereience to really program it into the body.
The mechanics of the paceline are pretty simple. Stay on the front for a brief period, 10 seconds is a good starting point. Don't stay on the front so long that you wear out. Then pull over and slide back. Road conditions will often dictate the direction to pull over. If there is a crosswind, pull over into the cross wind to help shield the group as they come through. Don't stop pedaling. Soft pedal so you're sliding back 1 or 2 mph slower than the group. When your front wheel is even with the last rider's bottom bracket, speed up so you can latch onto the back of the group without a sprint. When you are the second rider in line, don't accelerate as you come through, just keep the pace steady.
The formation is called a single paceline when only one rider at a time falls back from the front to the group to the back. It is called a circular paceline when riders rotate to the back of the group as quickly as they move to the front of the group.
Often in amateur races, pacelines aren't very orderly. The success or failure of a breakaway is determined by a group's ability to get organized and get a smooth rotation going, so both communication and technical skills are required.
When riders strength varies considerably, which is very common, the weaker riders will have trouble keeping up with a high pace. If a weaker rider tries to rotate through, he or she will destroy the smooth functioning of the paceline. If a weaker rider wants to contribute to the work, it's better for him to hang out at the back of the group and take occassional pulls.
