This past weekend I spent some time in a fast group doing paceline work in extremely windy conditions. It was one of those days where the wind wanted to rip the bike out of your hands, which also means it was a perfect day to sharpen execution and efficiency.
I want to share the key things I focused on so you can apply them the next time you’re in a paceline or fast group ride. These are the habits that keep you in control, save energy, and help the group move faster, not just you.
1. Decide Your Pull Before You Hit the Front
Your pull doesn’t start when you get to the front, it starts when you’re still on the wheel.
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If you’re already on your limit before your turn, plan a short pull ahead of time.
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If you’re the strongest and the group is struggling, plan on taking a long and smooth pull to stabilize the pace.
What you don’t want to do is what happens all too often:
Someone suffers behind, gets frustrated, finally gets to the front and unleashes. They pull harder and longer than the strongest rider, burying themselves and blowing the group apart.
Call the pull before you get on stage and ride for you, not what you think the other’s want you to do.
Your pace is in your hands when you are on the front..
2. Always Hunt for Better Shelter from the Wind
Just because you're on a wheel doesn’t mean you’re in the best draft.
The wind shifts. The group rotates. Bodies and bikes move.
You should be constantly reading the wind by sight and feel, and sliding into the most protected position, even if that means adjusting your position as you go.
*Important disclaimer!!!! The best way to ride BEHIND someone is slightly off to oneside of them. This does not mean overlapping wheels as you can be off to oneside and completely clear of the wheel.
That said, please try and avoid constantly swinging back and forth behind the wheel in front of you. I see this all the time and this is why many people cross wheels and crash. The wheel in front of them slows as they are crossing to the other side and they go down. Instead, try and pick a side and then adjust your position there.
When you need to change, be deliberate about it. Holding your side will also make it easier for the people behind you as well.
3. Look Ahead and Anticipate Surges
Efficiency is won in the anticipation, not in the adaptation in pacelines.
I am posting my power graph below from a section of the paceline that represents my efforts. When you at my power file, you’ll notice something:
No big spikes. Even though the pace was over 30 mph and the wind made the accordion efforts basty.
Why?
Because I was always looking ahead, scanning the terrain, wind direction, and who was going to be in the front to prepare for it early. Sounds simple or basic, but by doing this you can see literally what is going to happen before it does. If you are new, this is also a great way to learn. Watch, guess what is going to happen, and then take notes if you were right or not. If you were wrong, you will remember it so well!
SO! When you see a surge coming:
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Add a little CONTROLLED power before it hits. This often will see you move forward and more alongside the rider in front of you, but as the surge increases you stay on that power and slide back into position. Remember most of these spikes and surges are short.
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Stay slightly off to the side of the wheel you are behind so you can move around freely.
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Drift back into position smoothly and try to slot in DIAGNONALLY. This is more efficient and predictable than falling back and then hooking in. Often when you move forward the power behind might even try and move forward closer to where you were so moving diagonally is easier for them to track and adjust to.
4. There Is No Rest on the Climbs
This is where too many riders mentally fall apart. They get used to how much power the draft saves and when they hit the climbs they panic as they feel their exertion level increase.
The truth is on climbs riding in the draft climbs hurt because you are doing about the same effort as the person on the front. That’s normal. Also, ionically, people tend to pull harder on the front even though this means the others are suffering as much.
The solution to you staying in the paceline on the climbs is to avoid looking for relief while you are on the wheel. Instead, go into the climb as if you were riding alone and you are trying to fly up it. If someone is hurting you with their pace, become locked in a battle of “chicken.” That is seeing it as who can hold the pace the longest until someone waves the white flag. It is really like this!
So see the climb for what it is… a boxing match with the rider pulling.
Match the effort. Stay there and act like it doesn’t bother you. Don’t show how much it hurts.
This mindset alone will keep you in contact when others give up early.
5. Break the Paceline Into Intervals
Don’t think of the fast section as one endless effort. Rider’s often let go because they feel like they cannot sustain the pace of the effort. But the reality is most in the paceline cannot sustain the pace of the effort much longer. Everyone is focused on when the group typically stops the effort.
Try and break the paceline effort into chunks:
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Segments of the Ride
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Betweem Stop Signs or Lights
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Tops of Hills
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From and to Turns
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Segments of the ride
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Race zones
Remember most riders blow up because they think the pace will go on forever.
But it never does.
It’s always hard → recover → hard → recover. Exactly like intervals so just prepare for a ride like this before you show up!
When you see it in intervals, you stop panicking. You start managing.
Against Popular Opinion: The Paceline is a Skill — Not a Fitness Test
Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s fast. But the strongest rider doesn’t have to be the only person who has a good time. There is space for all abilities to have fun and ride at their level.
The keys to having the best paceline ride are riding:
✅ Smooth
✅ Aware
✅ Efficient
✅ Strategic
✅ And mentally composed
Control beats chaos. Every time. Let’s do this!
TD
