Can You Hang with a Pro Paceline?

[laupsi]

My friend was a Cat 1 roadie, a Canadian National, moved to the US in the late 80's to attend a Masters program at Hopkins. He was a former member of the Canadian Nat Team, raced along w/the likes of Brian Walton who raced for Team Saturn. Think the year was '93 and my friend was tapped as a fill-in for a continental pro team member who was scratched "last minute", slated to race the final leg of the Core States RR Series in Philly.

My amateur buddies and I were thrilled to have him participate and like all previous years we were road side to view the carnage. Up the Manayunk Wall they went some 16x or so and around the course that would eventually finish some 6 hours after its early morning start. I recall the vivid memory of watching LA attack on the last climb of that wall to take the eventual top podium spot. If only I knew then...

Regardless, my friend held on to complete 10 of those grueling laps. More than LA's win, I remember my friend rolling out of the pack and over to us on the last left turn just before the road ticked up to the ominous "Wall". I also remember his sullen face; the road dust covering his face, lips, nose and forehead. Remnants of snot, gu and mucus streaked along his cheeks around to his ears and chin.

We congratulated him on his stamina and asked what it was like riding w/the Pro's around the course and up that bloody wall. His comment rings as if it were yesterday, "heck the wall was the easy part. the wall is where we all got to sit-in and recover, take in food, drink and just breath". So what was the hard part then...? the hard part he replied? "the hard part was the long straight along the Schuylkill River. Mr Yates and Team Motorola would go the front and ride for 30+ mph for a what seemed like an eternity, just shredding the field. It was all I could do to hang on".

That was my wake up call that riding w/the Pro's was vastly more difficult than anything I had experienced or could imagine. Riding w/a PM has solidified this awareness. There's a reason they are Pro's and we're not! And it's not simply because they ride more!

[Joxster]

These days, if it was flat I could sit in and keep out of the way. The engine is still there but the fuel is a little bit more diluted. When I was home for a couple of weeks in the winter I would go out with the bunch and I would ride tempo (23mph), then after they got close to home I would do another couple of laps, occasionally one or two would join me, I would warn them I was about to start training and would sit at 28mph with them in tow. I would actively encourage them to have a go for the speed signs, letting one go up the road and leading the other one out. It made it a bit more interesting

[charliedid]

Blogging while riding (even at the back) and putting other people in harm's way....especially people whose livelihood is at stake seems weird to me but maybe I am just overly cautious and fast group rides stress me out.

If I were on a ride at speed with a group and someone was using one hand to operate a camera I'd be inclined to request that not continue.

Grumble grumble. I'm not impressed.

[velofinds]

Looks like a helmet-mounted cam.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by velofinds

Looks like a helmet-mounted cam.

You are probably right but he's still removing it and re-attaching it to take his "selfies"

The whole thing is just weird to me. Was he invited on this ride or just jumped it?

I'll shut up now.

[Mzilliox]

of course not, id get dropped so fast

[FriarQuade]

I've been hanging out in pro pelotons for years, with my eyes closed, taking a well earned nap in the back seat of the team car.

[rustychisel]

Originally Posted by charliedid

You are probably right but he's still removing it and re-attaching it to take his "selfies"

The whole thing is just weird to me. Was he invited on this ride or just jumped it?

I'll shut up now.

No, I could not at present.

In Adelaide for the TDU team arrive a week or two in advance to train and reconnoitre, some spend Christmas here on occasion. The Tour Village is central Adelaide city and the teams all stay in the same hotel, so turn up at 8am any morning and join a bunch. They'll generally tolerate hangers on, but try to mix it up or act like a dick and you'll be told to back off pretty quickly (teams don't want the riders taken down by a dickhead). Many teams also distribute kit and do sponsors rides too.

All in all, it's very laidback in a most non-European or American way, until the racing starts.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by rustychisel

No, I could not at present.

In Adelaide for the TDU team arrive a week or two in advance to train and reconnoitre, some spend Christmas here on occasion. The Tour Village is central Adelaide city and the teams all stay in the same hotel, so turn up at 8am any morning and join a bunch. They'll generally tolerate hangers on, but try to mix it up or act like a dick and you'll be told to back off pretty quickly (teams don't want the riders taken down by a dickhead). Many teams also distribute kit and do sponsors rides too.

All in all, it's very laidback in a most non-European or American way, until the racing starts.

Got it

Hang off the back and stay out of trouble....go home and tell all the world about it :-)

Thanks

[laupsi]

wouldn't call it a pack ride, but I got to sit in for about 2 hours a couple of years ago w/Purito and two of his pro companions while in Girona. they weren't riding for any purpose; it was a beautiful clear afternoon. the one climb we did, Santa Pellaia, was done at a very moderate pace for them, just under my threshold. when we got to a point where the road forked and I needed to part off they were very obliged to acknowledge my presence and to take this photo! I'll never forget that ride and I can brag that I hung w/a few pros

[TiminVA]

Originally Posted by Hawker

In what sport can you ever experience being this close to the pros?

I used to do quite a bit of whitewater kayaking. That's one of the few sports where you can get close to the pros. When your training areas, particularly in the southeast US, are a few rivers that are running you're bound to be on the water with a pro every now or then.

[dcowboys31]

One of the best cycling memories I've had was I think was in the fall of 2001 or 2002 (maybe 2003) just doing an easy ride down Rt. 126 in Concord MA and out of the blue felt a tap on my back and it was Saturn USA Cross Champion Tim Johnson flying down the road and said "come on lets go". It was so great just hanging onto his wheel heading to the Cross race at Wayland High School which I was going just as a spectator. Made me realize how such a little gesture can make such a great impression from a sponsorship standpoint.

Jay

[Hawker]

Originally Posted by laupsi

wouldn't call it a pack ride, but I got to sit in for about 2 hours a couple of years ago w/Purito and two of his pro companions while in Girona. they weren't riding for any purpose; it was a beautiful clear afternoon. the one climb we did, Santa Pellaia, was done at a very moderate pace for them, just under my threshold. when we got to a point where the road forked and I needed to part off they were very obliged to acknowledge my presence and to take this photo! I'll never forget that ride and I can brag that I hung w/a few pros

And you can see the look of relief on their faces knowing you wouldn't be pushing them any longer.

[tsarpepe]

Originally Posted by Hawker

And you can see the look of relief on their faces knowing you wouldn't be pushing them any longer.

[laupsi]

Originally Posted by Hawker

And you can see the look of relief on their faces knowing you wouldn't be pushing them any longer.

Really?!

It’s no wonder I typically refrain from contributing to this forum!