Whether riding for fitness or commuting, the bike doesn't have to stay in the garage during the cold and rainy seasons. But cyclists who hit the road need to prepare for the outdoor conditions during the fall and winter months. By Craig Hill, McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Want to know where the safest place to ride in a cycling bunch is. Read on....

Got this information set to me from "Commute by Bike" and have republished it here.

Came across this posting by Tommy Nankervis on the light hearted and humorous look at cycling etiquette. He received it from one of his cycling buddies in a e-mail. I managed to track down the source from Josh Horowitz. It has been posted on quite a few websites. I have republished it here. It's a great read! Let me know if you come across any similar articles and I can post them as well.

How to get a free ride in a Criterium Races - Discover the secret sweet spot in the bunch and get a free ride. This cycling criterium tip will to help you ride better.

I was reading this article this morning by Chris Carmichael about getting use to racing in tight bunches. It's a great read and though I would republish it here. I would also like to thank Chris Carmichael for giving us permission to do so.

Learning race craft is something that I talk a lot about with our people on our coaching program. I provide our riders with lots of pointers on positioning, riding etiquette and bunch riding skills. AND… I also strongly advise them to get plenty of bunch riding time so that they get to experience it first hand and learn it properly. As practice makes perfect the only way to hone your skills and truly feel comfortable in bunch riding conditions is to ride in bunches.

NOTE - It's important to practice within your comfort zone, easing yourself into it. Before long you'll be riding like a pro.

Here is a quick video clip showing pros doing rolling turns.

 

Notice how tight they are riding. How the last rider swings over at exactly the right time. When they go over the rise notice how quickly they string out then rejoin back into rolling turns.

Last night on our way home from Canberra he started talking about this new pedal stroke he discovered that engages more muscles and he found to be much more efficient.   What he was talking about is an old pedal stroke technique called “ankling“.

Here’s the situation:  You’re glued to someone’s wheel on a difficult climb, things start to get stretched out, gaps start to open, the guy you’re following starts to struggle, he then decides to stand up and put some umph into it.  The first thing that happens is he initially loses 2km/hr, his bike is thrown backwards into your front wheel, your spokes nearly go into his derailleur, and then you’re the one left with a gap to close.  Sound familiar?

Thanks to Danny Cohen and “The Hand” for this tip of the day…

One of the most annoying things about riding with someone new to the sport is the “Half Wheeler”. Many probably don’t know they are doing it or understand why it’s annoying so here’s the low down.