Group Ride Meltdown! | How to do a Rotating Paceline for Beginners 

Okay, I'm a new rider with little experience in group rides or a pace line like this. Watching this makes me want to avoid cycling groups altogether. I could literally feel the fun being sucked out of this.

This is exactly why I cycle alone or at max with a couple of friends who aren’t dickheads.

What a blast!! Nothing more enjoyable than a Sunday morning with a so-so rider who drops f-bombs at you because he thinks he’s all that. If he were, he’d be on a pro team. This kind of crap is exactly why I mainly ride solo. Was part of a great group and really enjoying riding until a woman in the bunch decided to let me have it about “coasting” in the pace-line. Well, I sorta had to b/c those in front were coasting. But me being the newest I guess she decided I had to be her tirade target. I ride for fun and was, at that point, completely done with it.

Yeah, this looks like a REALLY FUN group to join!

These are definitely not proper cyclists these are like the poxy show offs I see every Sunday that get no joy out of cycling which begs the question why they do it

Watching this makes me appreciate being a mountain biker.

I don't care who someone is or what they've done - there is no need for rage/anger like that to anyone. No one is trying to crash on purpose. As soon as that level rage/anger comes out, I lose respect for the person.

to keep from getting chopped, say "clear" so the rider knows when or about when their wheel is cleared yours. It takes a bit of time for people to get a "feel" to know when to move over and having someone say "clear" helps develop that feel

The best idea 💡 ride by yourself. Only your strava and say hi 👋 to other cyclists on the road.

Guys like this hothead are why people don't get involved in the sport, ok so someone made a rookie move

Old master blaster fella was half wheeling and sitting in the middle squeezing people for a good portion of the footage.... then gets salty.... He needs to have a good look at his positioning before throwing little pebbles.

Roadie rage is hilarious. You're riding a f'ing bicycle, relax, its supposed to be fun. - Former roadie and crit bro

I don’t believe anyone would have actually enjoyed this ride.. were these people even friends or a random group of haters who still like to meetup for some sick reason?

I've ridden my entire life, many decades. Have rarely ridden with more than one other person. Every experience I have with a group, whether passing them on my bike, or while driving a car, has been a bad (often dangerous) experience. I'll never group ride. The more people in any group, doing anything, the more dumberer they all get. There is a huge difference between riding a bike, and riding a bike in a group. I think it's important for everyone, even non-riders, to recognize this. I'm the guy you see out in the country, riding by myself, bright clothes, minding my own business, and waving when you pass in your car. I'm NOT the guy in a group of 20 or more riders, taking up the entire lane, slowing down all the traffic, yelling at cars or at other cyclists. The only thing in common is we're riding bikes. That's where the similarities end.

Couple things that we do on our group ride: * The rider at the front/left shouts "clear!" When its ok for the rider on the right to move left. * When you're the last one, you shout "last wheel" to the person on the back/left, so they know they have to move over and follow your wheel * When thwre are people that are drafting, i.e. not strong enough to take a pull or blew up, we should "last wheel, one back" instead, or "last wheel, two back", and so on. Structuring rides makes it safe, fun and its good teamwork collaboration too! Make sure there is enough communication, pointing out debris on the road , and other things. The club that i ride with is among the safest and beginner friendly groups, especially because there's a lot of structure, no cowboys, and a lot of communication.

I watched this video several times and it seems to me that the guy who had the meltdown was sketchy to say the least. When in the paceline he often seemed to drift to his left coming very close to the riders in the line who were slowly moving back. Even as he drifted back he seemed to be a bit too close to those on his right. I understand the need to stay tight enough to increase the aerodynamics of the paceline, but I think he took it a bit far. Also, he needs to understand how to control his anger. Lastly, I don't know how the guy he was yelling at didn't get off his bike and confront him in the middle of the street. You just don't treat other people this way!

Wasn't the guy screaming the same guy who was wobbling all over the road throughout the whole video. . .

Solo rider here, to you guys that do group rides , good luck and have fun . If it gets stressful, ask yourself,” is that why I love cycling?” . Happy riding guys 🚴🏽

I would rather Ride alone doing Mt. Climbs and enjoy myself and the Scenery than deal with group ride etiquette!!! Especially on Flat Fl. roads......Theres alway a Bossy "Know it all" in Group rides :/

Nice how you are explaining how to work in a pace line. But seeing these cyclists in this video illustrates one thing I find with most riders these days. No one has any idea of how to ride a wheel. This was the sloppiest pace line I have ever seen. Since the wind is from the left, everyone should be about a 1/2 wheel back, behind the rider in front of them, and just to the ‘right side’ of the rider in front of them. This position is the safest spot in case the guy in the front of you stops pedaling, like the guy in white leg warmers was doing. So when this happens you ride up to his right side without hitting his wheel. Another major rule in a pace line is not using your brakes, or using them very lightly. To see proper pace line riding look at pace lines on the track in a velodrome. Or in a team time trail in a stage race. You can get some good pointers this way. Oh, one more thing, to avoid clipping as what was referred to in the video. When you are about to pull off the front, give a even short burst of speed just before you pull off, this will help if the guy behind you just happens to be over lapping your rear wheel.

He should have just let him know upfront and avoid being that annoying guy who thinks he’s the best rotating pace liner in the world

Boys , it ain't the Tour de France . chill ! This is why i don't ride in groups . it's taken all too seriously .

There is no need for this kind of reaction on group rides unless someone punches you in the face or throws a twig in your spokes. All kidding aside, there will always be mistakes on group rides. Multiple abilities bring about situations. A good rider understands that and is ready for whatever happens. Leave the egos at home, bros. Rotations on a group ride are always going to be sloppy. Did you guys register for this race and there is money on the line? Practice rotations with a group that all know each other or your race team. Good rotations are super tight so be ready. Bikes are already stressful with crazy motorist so why yell at each other?

Hello there, I’m Dwayne from Ontario California. I got into cycling in 2000 & truly love the sport. It took me about 1 to 3 year’s to learn riding etiquette within myself & a group. It wasn’t until I started racing I fully grasped “ALMOST” everything there is in the sport when riding. Sometimes we as cyclists can be over bearing & rude to one another when we are supposed to be bigger than other athletes, a genuine camaraderie. I understand the guy’s frustration but cussing another cyclist is a bit out of line. What if a child was in a car with his parents who admired the beautiful kits & machine’s we ride thought of imagining one day to be “LIKE US” riding an enjoying ourselves? That would’ve been all lost because of the profanity that was directed angrily at another cyclist. Thanks for sharing this video & please as a reminder it’s our responsibility to welcome and support one another when we are out riding our bikes ❤️✔️

I think it can be good to complain early and complain often. Better than ignoring it and letting the anger slowly build up and finally burst out, on someone who may not even know something is wrong

Nice video. I do group rides and have become pretty good at cycling. I try to stay away from groups that are too structured - takes the fun out of cycling and there is usually one person that wants to be the boss and scolds others.

Thanks for explaining the rules of rotating. I wanted to learn it, but couldn't find any guides. Nice that video popped up... 3 years after 🙂

I'm new to road bikes and like someone else said. The fun just got sucked out of that ride! I don't understand why anyone would want participate in this, it looks super stressful. Bicycling is supposed to be fun and I don't even understand the purpose of doing this to begin with. Is it some sort of game? I ride for fun and the exercise, not to see how fast I can go or impress others. I think I'll stay away from group rides 😳

I was riding with a group for 2 years. I was invited to join a Pace Line run. There was 7 of us on a constant rotation. It was awesome being in a group of riders who knew how to run a pace line. The speed you can generate is at least 10% faster than if you are riding alone. Never had another rider call out someone else like this man did. Totally disrespectful.

Cycling can be intense, riders can be intense. I used to ride in groups and there would be hissy fits over this and that. Yeah, group riding is a good way to increase speed. But if you're not pro or in competition, what's wrong with riding solo? At least you don't have to be around this kind of bad vibes.

i would never, ever, ride that group anymore, thats why i ride 100klm ++ solo

When I started riding. I practiced riding properly and safely in as straight a line as possible. On my own. I bought my bike out of a good bike shop. And would stop in every week. And end up talking with the people there. It's very much a community of people who have a desire to ride together. And to bring newcomers along. So, I would do a couple of laps around town. Paying attention, and focusing on technique. After a week or two. I was invited on a group ride. And didn't know if I could do it. But I went. And the group was really cool. After one group ride. I felt comfortable and welcome. After that you couldn't keep me away from group riding. Although I got used to a less frequent rotation up front. We would spend a half minute or so in each position. I don't see the point in a fast rotation, constantly changing positions. I was in one small group that did that but I peeled off and rode home. It's just a preference of mine. After a couple of years. I could set pace for a large group. And spend five minutes up front. It takes time and practice. I began to do two group rides per week. One on a Wednesday and the other on a Saturday. I was fortunate in that the people that I rode with had a lot of experience. We had fun. And that's the reason we group ride.

Which is why I would never cycle with the serious cyclist groups as they are so far up there own backside its unreal.

All I see is a group of die-hard wannabe pros, taking up an entire lane next to a double yellow line and going at a killer pace, sucking any possible fun out of the amazing experience called cycling. I hope I'm wrong and am missing out with riding solo. But it doesn't look like it.

I had the privilege of riding a big semi sketchy descent with some pros once (Team Liquigas retiring to town from a stage at Mt Lofty). Fast, relaxed, really close together ... and everyone was just chilling and enjoying the ride and having a laugh. The pace and the risks seemed ridiculous, but they were all there to help out and keep it upright So different to these sort of group rides. Get the same thing in the world of programming computers. There are experienced pros that are great to work with - they are fast, take risks, and really enjoy the work. Then there are the amateurs that have all the gear, massive opinions about whats right and wrong, an equally massive chip on their shoulder about God only knows what, and have extreme meltdowns at the drop of a hat. There are a lot of non-pro bike riders as well that seem to have serious mental issues, and are no fun to be around - on or off the bike.

A real professional, pure bitterness and anger

interesting, the club I ride with, when we are in a rotating paceline, when pulling through, the rider to the left who's just rolled off says 'clear' once you have moved far enough ahead of them to move to the left without the risk of chopping their wheel.

This dude is 100% one of those old golfer dudes you hate to be paired up with when you’re not the best

Bottom line, Mr Angry could have used some words earlier on in the moment or right after to help guide the other guy. No need to explode like that, very childish.

We shout CLEAR and LAST for moving over. That way you can keep your eyes forward. Works well on Pacific Coast Highway in our group of 8 paceliners

looks like the guy had too much energy gels HAHAHAHA. no need for that rage.

You can tell that most roadies have never been in a fight. Screaming and yelling at someone is an easy way to get thrown around. That would be humiliating in cycling gear

I rode w/ a group 2-3 years ago but the 'abundance of conflicting opinions' soured it for me. I'll ride many happy solo miles before a single stressful mile. Plus, that group of riders believed 30 miles to be a long ride.

This just seems so unnecessarily stressful! :-D

In my local area their was a few groups I used to ride, some more volatile than others, some guys get pretty sensitive during exercise and I've been on the receiving end as well, for just riding close for a split second. The big deal imo was: riders leaving too big a gap OR pulling over too fast OR flooring it when getting to the front.. i found riding to the furthest group warmed me up otherwise I'd be 'sitting on' and that's was another thing that some don't tolerate, something that done my head in was alternating speeds, we used to call these rides Chainy's or Chaingangs, when it's done right these're the sweetest thing ever 👌

Welcome to Counties Manukau Cycling Club and why it has basically died because getting abused and sworn during your recreation time is not fun at all.

Protip: after my pull and the guy behind me clears my wheel, I yell "clear" so he knows to move over. Not only is this safer, but means you'll likely be right on his wheel/draft sooner than if he has to guess/look over.

And the guy yelling and cursing at the end is exactly why roadies get a bad rap instead of explaining to the other rider what they did wrong

This is why I ride along on my road bike and tri bike!!

Reason why I like riding solo.

If you're looking to go as fast as possible while using the least amount of energy, boy have I got an invention to tell you about.

If it’s any consolation, those people only need to deal with that jerk as long as they ride with that group. Imagine the joy of living or working with that clown. That is the very reason I ride alone.

Always an a-hole in every group ride. I don't miss this at all.

I was always that guy that tried to be a hero and pulled too long. People would get mad but I would just pull at the same speed as everyone else so I never understood why people were mad if I sustained the same speed on my own in the front for 3-4 minutes. Now I know it was because I was disrupting the pace line.

algoritm is so special, i dont ride bikes and yet i watched your entire video lmfao

To be fair the angry guy was trying to win the Tour 😂

This video makes me glad I live in area with rollers everywhere

I don’t understand why pace lines rotate with the faster line passing in the right. Maybe it makes sense in the UK. But in the U.S. and elsewhere, slower traffic stays to the right. If you’re on the right and you can’t keep up the pace - if you have to bail for some reason - you got no safe place to go. This once happened to me 11:31 and it was not just embarrassing, but some of the riders behind me were pissed because I slowed them down and messed up the pace line. (This on a weekly ride organized by Trek.)

Group rides...not so much. After playing group sports my whole life the thing I loved about cycling was the solo aspect. Go when and where and how fast you want to, and if somebody on the ride screws the pooch--well, I don't have to look very far to figure out who it was.

Great video - I have been ridding bikes for fun and transport since 95', but never wanted to join a group ride for this reason. Ive mainly stuck with mountain bikes and gravel as everything is much more relaxed.

Every time I start thinking I’d like to do group rides another video like this shows up in my feed reminding me why I don’t. Screaming dude needs an attitude adjustment.

I got into cycling a few years ago after moving to Utah and have progressed pretty quickly from total amateur to Cat 4 racing. For the life of me I don’t understand why people want to ride in groups unless: 1) They are in a race 2) They are practicing for a race 3) They are practicing for a long cyclosportive that requires cooperation to finish by the cutoff This just does not look enjoyable and it doesn’t look like they meet any of the criteria above. If you aren’t doing any of those three then the only reason to cycle is for enjoyment and exercise, and doing it as safely as possible. As evidenced by three near-wrecks this is not as safe and instead of looking around and enjoying the ride, or having a convo with a few of your mates, you are white-knuckling and staring at the dude’s ass in front of you for hours. I just don’t get it. If I had to name my 25 top rides I’m 100% certain that they were not group rides. Can someone explain why you would want to put yourself through this if not 1-3 above? You are more efficient and can go further, but if it is just for fun/exercise, who cares?

We have a local guy that single handily destroys a pace line. He has been doing it since the late 80s. He refuses to pull through. It’s turns a fun fast ride into chaos.

There are exactly zero people like that in the world of mountain bikes.

I know folks who have been riding for decades who are still confused by pacelines, and echelons leave them sobbing in the ditch.

We would always say “CLEAR” when the front rider gets past our front wheel, or about to. You get the feel/timing of it. If someone does it we would talk to them and teach them. Sometimes it happens because the at their limit and want to get in the draft asap. We are to teach the less experienced riders. If they keep it up after a number of rides, they are dropped or uninvited

😂😂 his shirt says master blaster. Tells me everything I need to know.

Shameful behavior.

Right side in this video must hold steady power, not accelerating. The left line must reduce power slightly. This creates the rotation, not accelerating on the right. Longer pulls kill the organization. Call "last man" when you are passing the last guy in the left column. Plenty of ego in many groups. I'd ride with this group.

Seems like a high percentage of Yuppie BMW drivers are attracted to being a “roadie.”

Thanks! Didn’t realize biking was so intense!

People don’t join clubs to get yelled at like that.

I am an old man and don't have the watts to ride 27-30mph in a paceline now in my advancing age...but I would never ride in a rotating paceline around faster cars in traffic like this and I have ridden countless thousands of miles in a single paceline. Maybe you all don't care about your teeth, bones or skin but I have seen too much over my decades of road riding. And yes, I have seen flare ups too so no surprise. Some people that are type A and uber competitive as many higher tier cyclists who put themselves in harm's way to prove something to themselves or others aka their capacity to suffer to get stronger and take high risk...many are borderline antisocial dicks. To me, your group is an accident in waiting. Why? Because a slight mistake or lapse in judgement will put you all on the ground at 30mph or as a car comes too close and puts the outside rider into the dirt of the shoulder...a car speeding and avoiding another car. A car will take cyclists down or move them over before crashing into another car as slower moving cyclists encroach on the road from faster moving cars. Cars never wait for cyclists having any sort of deserved right of way. Many are incensed by cyclists in fact with your group dynamic. When a rider goes into the dirt off the road it can take everybody down. Good luck to each of you. You all have great fitness until you don't aka hit the deck which to me isn't a matter of if but when.

90% of the riders here are all over the shop. Weaving, swinging, not holding lines...

OK, this is a pretty advanced concept for most non-racer Americans, but: as soon as the group made that left onto that headwind section where words were exchanged and friendships were ended, the wind was actually coming from the right. At least, according to the arrows. So, the lead rider, or the first rider to notice the wind direction, should’ve put a finger in the air, twirled it clockwise, and barked “echelon right“.

Yeah for a town line sprint! Do those count toward his CAT 4 upgrade points…?

Who wants to ride like this? I thought riding a bike was supposed to be fun, enjoyable and allow you to take in the scenery. If you are riding on the street and you are constantly focusing on what the rider in front of you, the rider in back of you and the rider to the side of you are doing, that sounds like work. You don't get to focus on anything but the people around you. People WILL make mistakes, but that's no reason to act like a DOUCHE because they aren't perfect.

This is 100% why I never Ride with any group at any level anymore. Even Casual groups around my area cannot have a civilized group Ride, it turns into a World Championship Road Race, with all the emotions, anger, and half wheeling each other. 😔 So sad, as I truly miss competitive (USCF), and other cycling events and training.

I've been riding for years and the truth is no matter what group or how safe you ride, there is always drama because so many cyclists think we are riding for them or something. It's a risk period when you do any athletic activity so to just get so angry just speaks volumes of what is going on in that persons life, just childish. I just ride Solo now, never any drama and always peaceful and fun ride!

I was bullied like this as a schoolboy racer in the north of england. Mainly by an ex pro who by coincidence had his daughter marry bradley wiggins years later. Plenty of sarcasm from some of the others as well, but that happens when you're 15 and they were all in their 20s and 30s. Some of them were good road riders who had won races here round Lancashire and cumbria but I have NEVER spoken to someone younger the way they did with me. Here we call it through and off or bit and bit, a "pace line" is a relatively modern American expression. As others have said, it's the main reason I ride mostly alone and also why I started to just focus on riding time trials- to avoid all the bullshit and Mouth, not to mention the needless antics at junctions and on busy roads antagonising motorists.

Nice group ride. Everyone seemed evenly matched and able to pull through.

@3:34, the "hot head" guy is constantly riding between the two pacelines, that annoys me more than anything. If you're not comfortable riding in-line with everyone else, perhaps you shouldn't be in a paceline, or stay at the rear.

Ride solo, problem solved. I got no time for douchebags in my life. Plus you're not holding back traffic, antagonizing drivers, forcing them to pass you on the double yellow.

The paceline general didn't like someone being stronger than he was. LOL

@10:00 min. white and blue kit has a big mouth, guys on bikes tend to get loud and act tough, lots of posturing. thanks for the book reference!

Probably best at the start of rides to be clear on who „knows“ how to do this. I’m in a great group in Germany where they take the time to „teach“ and give an occasional push up the backside to get you back on track. I’m Scottish and see in the UK much more aggression which I put down to me not saying I’m new to the group so let me learn your rules and tell me when I’m wrong…in the end listen and understand the other point of view even if they’re aggressive towards you.

If the guy was chopping wheels as he peeled off all the other guy had to do was get a short message across eg:I'll call clear when you can swing off" It's easy to get that message across when at the back of the line just match speed for a couple of seconds when you're last & doesn't interrupt the line.

This is why i have been mostly riding by myself for over 20 years plus being a triathlete its a penalty to draft !!! To much BS in a group 😮

Easy fix, clear and last.

The gentleman that gets upset is the one who is surging in the pace line. He has no room to talk. He has no idea what he’s doing. He seems to believe this is a measuring contest not everyone working together. If this was a proper group they would ahi his antics down.

If the person pulling through is beginning to chop your wheel, just let off the gas so you back up a bit. It's really not hard. You might have to move your wheel a little to the left. Again, not hard.

Rotating pacelines in non-race situations are dumb. I'm a die-hard roadie for over 20 years, but this sport is a wanker magnet. Unfortunately.

suppose to help each other out, not insult or belittle one another.

Always have riden alone. Works out well as I have a much better ride. Thanks for this reminder.

Right or wrong people who can’t de-escalate situations quickly should work on that before riding in groups

There's a screaming baby in every riding group. Every single one

Wow these comments are wild. Not every group ride is like this! I’m a newbie roadie and my group rides are full of pros who give me plenty of constructive criticism. There’s a couple pros who make their snarky comments but for the most part, it IS a fun experience. You just need the athleticism.

Two things... 1) The guy who felt violated overreacted. You have to be considerate of someone who makes a mistake and approach them from a position of giving advice, to enlighten the rider who made a faux pas. He instantly put the other rider in a moment where his ego kicked in and made him defensive. And 2), the other rider reacted out of his gut. It seemed like he wanted to be cordial, but the first guy kept acting like a Richard. You don't do that. You don't treat a stranger with that sort of disrespect because you might catch the wrong one he might not be as calm as this guy was. Personally, I would've tried to be the voice of reason there and told both of them to relax and to discuss why the rider who messed up messed up and given him the chance to recognize his error. That's all. However, if that first guy would've pushed the issue, I would've ridden off too. Screw that guy. Mistake or not, you don't treat strangers like that and I personally don't have the temperament to be around "tough guys". I'd end up getting myself in trouble when all I'd want to do is ride a bike with others who love riding. I've had great experiences riding with one particular guy who was just like me...we just wanted to ride and improve ourselves and we worked great together.

You have to realize the Rager is dreaming of riding the TDF next year!