Riding in a group is beneficial in many ways, here are some of the many tips we have learned at Monday night Ride Clinics with George Powell.

• Look Ahead-Focus your attention on what is in front of you, do not look at those you are talking to

• DO NOT OVERLAP your front wheel-If it hits the cyclist in front, you WILL go down. Give yourself room to maneuver, approximately 18 to 24 inches from the cyclist in front of you.

• Be Predictable-Keep your line, don’t brake or speed up suddenly

• Communicate-Clearly indicate what you plan to do by speaking and pointing, Also communicate hazards: cars, dogs, potholes, debris

• Pedal Smoothly-You will conserve your energy

If you would like to learn more, please join George Powell for Ride Clinics on Monday nights at 5:00 at the Beechcraft Museum entrance, weather permitting of course. Contact Tim Harrison president@hrbc.org if you would like to be on this mailing list.

Vehicular Cycling (VC) is the cycling behavior advocated by John Forester in his book Effective Cycling. It was the basis for effective cycling training by the League of American Bicyclists. VC is summarized in this WikiPedia article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_cycling#Basic_principles_of_traffic_cycling.

The popularity of tandems has increased in the last few years. My wife Jeanie and I have had one for about a year and a half now and we enjoy riding it very much. I guess we ride it about 80% of the time. We went to the ‘92 Gear in the Bluegrass ride in Lexington KY where many tandem riders were present. If you sat down across from a tandem couple at breakfast or dinner and asked how they like riding their tandem, you got a big grin and a half hour story. It is tough to take the plunge because you don’t get a chance at a meaningful trial run ( days) and the cost is significant, but if you do decide to buy one, we think you will be pleased.

Getting Started

We have seen tandem riders start off from a stop, both with a foot down, and then they both push and paddle to get going. This looks awkward to me since they usually are not in sync. We were taught to let the captain get on the bike and hold it stable by putting both feet on ground , hold the brakes, sit on the top tube or back into the nose of the saddle. Then the stoker gets on the bike and gets both feet off the ground , snaps into the pedals, and back pedals to bring one of the pedals upright to about 10 o’clock as viewed from the side. Then when ready, the captain says go , steps on the upright pedal, and the stoker pedals and just keeps pedaling. This provides good power right from the start. Actually the captain straddles the bike favoring the supporting foot side, so that he ( or she) can better support the weight at starts or red-light pauses. Use the other foot for the 10 o’clock pedal. You need to discuss stopping, because the captain will snap one foot out and will be looking to backpedal to put the other foot down and the stoker may resist the backpedal, causing the captain’s heart to skip a beat ! After awhile the two of you will get in tune and this will become second nature. The captain will have difficulty getting one leg over the bike because of the rear saddle, and if he put his foot over the top tube, then he will likely hit it with the gravel impregnated sole, scratching that new tandem. Stand beside the bike, grab the handlebars, lean it toward you just a little, and do a Rockettes kick with the inside leg to get over the handlebar. Watch out that you clear the bar and not hook it, falling over on the opposite side. By the way, this kick can be difficult at mile 90 of a century ride. Continue reading →