Technique

Keep a ride-ruining behaviour in check

How to manage a half-wheeler

There is nothing better than being out on a group ride, riding two by two, enjoying the sun and having a great old time. You take your turn on the front with whomever you are paired up with, jiggle your elbow to show you are pulling off, and then roll to the back of the group, riding in the wheels until it is your turn to pull again. At least this is how it is supposed to work.

The wrench that often gets thrown into this beatific situation? The dreaded half-wheeler. That rider who can’t ride at your pace. Before we get to the half-wheeler though, let’s make sure we understand riding two by two. It’s a typical group-ride formation where the riders are in pairs, one pair drafting behind the other. Typically each pair will take a five- to 10-minute turn on the front; it depends on how strong the wind is. While on the front, the pair will ride next to one another, their front wheels approximately even.

Sometimes, though, the half-wheeler likes to get in the mix. This rider isn’t happy with the pace of the ride, is always worried about how much wattage he is pushing or just wants to show everyone how strong he is. Being paired with the half-wheeler can really ruin your day.

Rather than riding wheel to wheel, the half-wheeler will increase the pace, pushing his wheel out in front of his partner’s. When the partner increases the pace to bring the wheels even, the half-wheeler ups the pace again. And so it goes with the pace going up and up, the half-wheeler likely watching the wattage on his Garmin the whole time.

The problem with the half-wheeler is that he usually isn’t happy with the pace of the ride. Perhaps what the pace of the ride was meant to be wasn’t well-defined. He was expecting something harder. Sometimes he just wants to impose his pace on the group, despite it being a steady ride. Or perhaps he isn’t paired with the right partner in the two-by-two formation. He needs to be with someone who is strong enough to match his effort. Managing the group and switching up partners would be a better solution than riding someone into the ground, which is what will happen if the half-wheeler is paired with someone less fit on the front of the group.

Riding in a group, covering the ground at a nice clip in a two-by-two formation is a wonderful experience. To avoid the half-wheeling situation, the group needs to manage itself based on the abilities of the riders. If it isn’t an easy spin, then it’s best to pair up with a rider of similar abilities. Defining the pace is also important. Ultimately, we all need to understand the social faux pas that halfwheeling really is. If it isn’t a racy type of ride, then respect your fellow riders and enjoy the sun. Tomorrow is always another day when you can put the hammer down during the right ride.

“Perhaps they aren’t paired with the right partner in the two-by-two formation.”