Coast to Coast: Bunch riding a necessary skill
Less than a month away from the Coast to Coast, my team-mates and I are starting to get the shakes.
We girls are concerned we haven’t done enough kilometres on the bike, hills or water and have started to up the ante in our training.
The three of us were pulled into the race in early December with limited time to train, but we won’t be the only ones in that boat and that’s what makes this iconic race so exciting. Anyone can do it, with a little bit of encouragement.
After speaking with my teammates this week about how we are getting to the start line, and where we will be staying, I concluded we are undoubtedly one of the lessorganised teams and probably the most casual racing trio I’ve known, but we are here to have fun. In the past ‘‘racers’’ like us have been put off the Coast to Coast because crossing the width of the South Island in a couple of days sounds daunting.
Organisation is not my finest attribute, so I figure if I can pull this thing off on February 9-10, then any of you reading this can in 2019. But I have been taking on some helpful advice from those who know better.
Former competitor John McKenzie says those on the bike need to begin group riding now if they haven’t already.
The former Canterbury road cyclist has raced the Coast to Coast four times in the two-person, twoday category and he stresses the importance of bunch riding, as failure to prepare for this can mean a complete flop on race day.
‘‘Bunch riding. Often this is missed in the coast [preparation]. It’s frustrating to see bunches in the two-day event not working well, many with no cohesion. What happens is those training for the coast get miles in on the bike, but often solo, so don’t get any bunchriding experience.’’
But where do you find a group mad enough to spend their Sunday on two wheels around the bays?
The Kathmandu Coast to Coast training Facebook page is a good place to start, so I signed up.
McKenzie, 51, says riding well in a bunch is just as important as fitness and kilometres on the legs. Bunch riding saves energy, and if you can share the load with other racers then you are likely to record a better time.
‘‘You often get fit, quite strong riders who can in fact be dangerous in a bunch as they don’t understand how to ride in a bunch. These sort of riders can cause crashes and break bunches up ...’’
McKenzie said the general rule of thumb for bunch riding is riding two abreast, consistently moving position. One line always moving forward while the other line moves back, and rotation depends on where the wind is coming from. Easy.
Bunch riding isn’t as intimidating as it sounds and has benefits of being seen, better control of adverse weather and my favourite part – having someone to talk to.
That 70km to New Brighton beach is going to be a lonely ride if I don’t master the bunch.
You can also expend up to 30 per cent less energy by riding sheltered in a bunch, an obvious gold nugget. While myself, my team and the two-day cycle is a little more relaxed than the hardcore types chewing it off in one day, the skill of bunch riding is going to make things easier for me and others come February 9 and 10.
John McKenzie’s tips:
❚ Be predictable. Avoid sudden braking and changes of direction.
❚ Leaders are the ears and eyes. Those at the front must point out dangers such as changes of direction and intersections.
❚ Don’t ever look behind you. You must remain focused on the wheel in front and on the road in front of the rider ahead.
❚ Obey the road rules and keep as far to the left as possible.
❚ Don’t overlap wheels. Try to stay about 50cm behind the wheel in front of you.
❚ Ride smoothly. Try to be in a similar gear to everybody else, avoid sudden accelerations and do not let gaps open up.
❚ Rolling through – swapping off and taking a turn. A wellorganised bunch will be working together in two rows.
❚ Don’t panic if you brush shoulders, arms or even the handlebars of another rider.