Herriott Sports Performance

Rocket Science
Slicing Through The Pack Like a Samurai

You’ve all seen ‘em, moving through the pack with ease. Like Picasso would splash color on his canvas without doubt. While others toil and flail with little advancement and maximum effort. There are a few riders who can find their way through the peloton with little problem. How do they do it? How do they slice through the pack like a samurai? Moving through the pack is a true art. I say art because there is no defining way to move up. It requires pack instincts to accomplish this task. Pack instincts are not learned overnight. It is like learning a new language; you must study, immerse yourself and practice. Getting from point A to point B in the peloton is a simple problem with a complicated solution. The variables are dynamic and it takes an artist to execute it properly. Study what the pack does in different situations. Learn the probable and become a Blackjack player, anticipate. Look up the road to the next corner and set up for that corner while everyone is worrying about where they are currently. Flow like water; choose the path of least resistance. Time your moves, rather than doing things randomly. Sometimes sticking your nose into the wind is the easiest way to advance if done with good timing. Fighting for wheels is something that you want to avoid unless it’s near the front. I see, way too much, guys fighting tooth and nail for a wheel at the back of the pack. If they would stop fighting, they would be in the same position…but not fighting. Save your energy for when it counts. Once you are in position how do you maintain your spot? If the pace is fast, simply fight for the wheel you are following. You do this by following tight. And if someone cruises up on your right, you drift up along side the wheel you are following (to the right) to cover “your” wheel. Don’t drift all the way next to “your” wheel, covering the rear wheel should suffice. It helps if you get out of the saddle and lean a bit towards the rider trying to steal your wheel. The body language alone should signal that you do not want to give up your spot. If the pace is not so fast, you need to follow every surge to keep yourself near the front. Don’t pick and choose which surges to go with, go with every surge immediately. Going immediately makes thing easier at the end. Now that you’ve solved this simple problem of moving from point A to point B, you now have a bigger one…winning the race. But now you are in position to execute.

-Rocket