Pack Awareness
This is best taught on a closed road in a park or somewhere with similarly light traffic such as an office park on the weekend. Remind everybody to stay aware of cars!
Introduction to pack movement and putting it all together
- Review of Key Concepts
- Heads Up / Hands In Drops
- Small & Predictable Movements In Field
- Field Awareness Concepts:
- Looking around – swivel head = swivel bike
- Look and Think FORWARD!
- Peripheral Vision Development
- Sprint in a straight line
- Practice skills like grabbing/replacing your water bottle, getting food from a pocket, looking under elbow and behind you w/o moving your line.
Main Teaching
- Groups gather along the curb to review the lessons, answer questions and demo if necessary.Leader will then lead the Coaches and group through the Pack Skill Drills in order (do not digress from curriculum!)
- Leader to start each skill by demonstrating with Coaches. Then riders practice each drill 2-3x each over 2 – 3 laps as you ROLL THE COURSE. This is a constantly moving drill. Give crisp, on point, brief feedback to the riders
- Stop and talk about the drills and skills and answer on topic questions (or ask open ended on topic questions)
Pack Skills Drills:
- Pack Skill Drill 1: Thread The Needle: This is a MOVING drill. Position 3 or 4 coaches as ‘off-set moving cones’ (per diagram) and two coaches as the final ‘gate’, with the field staged behind the first cone. Riders then proceed to pass the ‘coach cones’ alternating sides until they get to the front, at which point they proceed through the two ‘gate’ Coaches, who are riding within a few feet of each other, and return to the ‘field.’ Alternate starting sides on each pass.
Coach Notes: This is NOT a slalom race! Coaches should position themselves approximately 1 – 1.5 bike lengths apart and emphasize subtle, controlled movement between the ‘cones.’ Cue riders to look behind before moving over, avoid using the brakes appropriately, and gradually move closer to the ‘cones.’
- Pack Skill Drill 2: Up The Middle: This is a MOVING drill. Pack divides into two pacelines (R and L). The riders at the BACK of the paceline roll up the center of the paceline (alternate starting R/L sides) and taking up the front position OPPOSITE where they started (eg X1 moves to X4). After each full rotation the group moves a bit closer together until, ideally, the riders are inches apart and moving smoothly.
Coach Notes: Groups should be a minimum of 6, but larger is acceptable, as it allows more time ‘moving up the middle’. Cue soft elbows and hips, breathing, and the fact that modest contact is NOT unexpected.
- Pack Skill Drill 3: Gutter Ball: This is a MOVING drill. Pack divides into two pacelines (R and L). This is a rotating paceline with the right ( R) line riding on gutter. There are two (2) versions of this
- Clockwise Rotation: Two pacelines starting near the gutters – start a simple clockwise rotation where the right line – ideally with a few seconds between riders – drops back through the gutter to the end of the paceline, rotates left and then comes forward. Start this drill with ample room to spare on both sides and try to get closer each time through.
- Counterclockwise Rotation: Two pacelines again – simply reverse the rotation to counter-clockwise, this has the “forward” line moving up the inside in the gutter. Again, allow ample room between lines and a few seconds between riders going forward at the start of the drill. As they get better move the lines closer and with less space between the riders moving up.
“Gutter Ball” should only done on sections of road with long straightaways.