How long are intervals in a chain gang?
phreak
Posts: 2,892
By that I mean, how long is a good time for each person to spend on the front before a team mate takes over? Are there rules or do people make it up on the day?
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However long you feel like and how strong the rest of the group are...0
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Is there a typical sort of time though? I presume you wouldn't spend 10 minutes on the front each.
I was looking at this video earlier http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5CfRsmtQ44
They seem to spend no time at the front at all, it's a constant rotation.0 -
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phreak wrote:Is there a typical sort of time though? I presume you wouldn't spend 10 minutes on the front each.
I was looking at this video earlier http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5CfRsmtQ44
They seem to spend no time at the front at all, it's a constant rotation.
Yes - it's a constant rotation. As soon as you get to the front - keep moving through until you can move over and let the next rider take over. You shouldn't be at the front on your own for more than 15 seconds.
Unless you're doing a team time trial - in which case you might spend a little more time on the front.0 -
Probably. I was just thinking, because I'm doing a sportive tomorrow and a few friends are doing it as well. I wondered if we could get ourselves organized and ride around properly as a team rather than the free for all you so often seem to get at sportives.0
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If it's a sportive, it will probably be a more relaxed affair than if it was a chaingang in the usual sense, you could probably, say, initially try a minute each and see how it goes...0
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If it's a sportive, it will probably be a more relaxed affair than if it was a chaingang in the usual sense, you could probably, say, initially try a minute each and see how it goes...0
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There isn't a 'set' interval that you need to aim for. The thing to remember is it's a team effort so the stronger riders may sit at the front longer than weaker riders. Sometimes you feel good and can do more of the work ... other days you feel lousy and just need to accept you may not put in as long at the front. You just need to be honest about it and do what's best for the team.0
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Just do what feels comfortable as most people are stronger/weaker than each other especially in a sportive. On our club runs we tend to rotate after a couple of minutes but a newbie would only be expected to do a few revs on the front just to get used to the process( this is for a slow group) The club chaingangs tend to be much more organised and flowing as the riders are more evenly matched, the pace can be quite high and its expected that a rider will keep up or be dropped( which will happen if you loose the wheel)Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg0 -
technically, a 'proper' chain gang is strictly 'through and off' - the only time you spend on the front is when you come through and then move over to let the next one through - hence why it's called a 'chain' gang. The killer is the effort and overall speed, as opposed to any time spent dragging the group along....0
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markos1963 wrote:which will happen if you loose the wheel)
If you do that then it is highly likely that you will crash. If you just lose the wheel in front however0 -
the slow group was doing 23-24 along the flat, and you would have to do 25 to get past the group to go on the front, I didn't understand it
You aren't wrong there, if you as an individual need to go faster than the group you are doing it wrong.0