Are you getting dropped on your group rides or out of pacelines?
Here’s one simple thing you can do to ride smoother, stronger, and more efficient.
Position yourself slightly off to one side of the rider in front of you, not directly behind them.
This gives you a better view of the road and keeps you from reacting to every little pace change they make.
When you ride off to the side, you also have an escape line if something happens.
In this example, it’s to the right. If the rider moves left, no reaction needed.
If they move right, you just push out slightly to hold your line.
Look ahead, not at their wheel.
You want to see what’s coming, not just what’s happening right in front of you.
Sometimes, you’ll need to switch sides, and that’s fine.
Just commit to one side and stay there.
What you want to avoid is weaving back and forth behind the rider.
That’s dangerous if they brake suddenly while you’re in the middle of moving.
And here’s one final pro tip:
Use your front brake like a clutch.
Gently engage it while pedaling to slightly decelerate without killing your momentum.
That way you don’t have to surge hard to close the gap again.
It’s small details like this that make a massive difference.
You’ll conserve energy, ride smoother, and hold wheels longer, all by controlling your position and rhythm.
