Meningie to Robe –188 kms

 

Hi all. Well once again we took a little stroll down the road to a new South Australian coastal town called Robe. The distance…lots. The roads…quite flat and straight…the perfect opportunity to polish up our bunch riding skills. Below is a simple (non-roadie speak) analysis of riding in a bunch.

 

So firstly…what is a bunch…well in the words of the Banana Splits (see 70s television) “4 bananas (roadies) make a bunch and so do many more”.

 

Now the bunches we ride in on the TdC range from size from 14 to 30. The cyclists ride bar to bar (shoulder to shoulder) about a metre behind each other.

 

So why ride like that (I hear you ask)? When riding in a bunch the lead two riders will set the pace for the bunch. They will hold a speed that the rest of the group is happy to hold. Generally speaking the people behind find it easier to hold this pace because they are being protected by the wind. After an allocated time (or when the front two are tired) the bunch will rotate around so two new leaders will set the pace. This process will continue over the course of the ride.

 

In larger bunches such as the TdC where there are riders of different strengths and abilities they often coordinate ‘the engine room’. The ‘engine room’ is the front six riders who regularly rotate (every 5kms) that control the pace. Riders will sometimes swap in our out of the engine rooms depending how tired they may be feeling.

 

Riding in a bunch requires each rider to show trust as well as look out for each other. When obstacles such as potholes, parked cars or gravel are near by the front riders will identify the potential danger and other riders will repeat this call down the line.

 

Riding in a bunch is definitely fun and fast. You need to be switched on and ready to break. Generally speaking whilct you ride you can have a bit of a chat with the person next to you.

 

Hope that helps explain how bunch riding works…today we practiced it for 6 and a half hours…

 

Seeya tomorrow

 

Kent

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