There are a few different types of pacelines in cycling. Each of them are required at different
times and situations.
1. The Echelon. To be used in crosswinds. It’s an effective way to negotiate crosswinds
and cut through them like a knife. Just one thing to remember – pull off into the wind
2. Rolling Turns. This is when you smoothly rotate through riders taking turns at the front.
The rider on the front will not be there for more than a few seconds before the next rider
smoothly rolls through and pulls off in front of the guy he just passed. Once the rider rolling
through pulls in front of the lead rider, he is now the lead rider and should back off the pace
slightly so that the next rider pulling through can come around. This style of pacelining is
done when group efficiency needs to be at its highest. These types of turns work best
in small groups or in break away situations. If the group is too large, you’ll find that the whole
group won’t participate in rolling their turns and only 5-10 riders will be doing the work at the
front. This is why breakaways usually fall apart if they are too big. Everyone will stop
working if there are too many riders sitting on. If it’s just a training ride, most riders don’t
mind doing all the work at the front and having others get a free ride at the back.
3. The Paceline. This is when the rider at front will stay there for an extended period and
then will then pull off and drift back in the group while the next rider will do the same. This is
usually done in high pressure situations in races where speed is a priority, not efficiency. It
can also be in situations where you need to control the bunch. These include:
– bringing back a breakaway
– a small group trying to quickly bridge a gap
– a leadout train at the end of a race coming into a sprint finish
– a Team Time Trial
– Controlling a breakaway.
4. Track Turns. This is almost the same as a paceline but the rider on the front pulls off after
about 100m. This is a less intense and smoother way of taking turns in a group. Team Time
Trials will often use this method of group work.
5. Sociable Turns. I don’t know what these are called, but they’re a great way to get a chat
in during a recovery or social ride. Nice and easy