etiquette

Know The Wind

If there’s one thing I’ve acquired as a cyclist it’s an acute sense of wind direction. Every good bike rider needs to develop a sixth sense for wind. It’s the most important thing you need to keep track of when riding in a bunch. You have to love it, embrace it, and make it work […]

The Lost Art Of The Group Ride

Last week I wrote a post about Melbourne’s bunch ride culture and the direction it’s heading. Meanwhile, other cities in Australia manage to keep things in line because they haven’t lost the notion of “the patron of the peloton”. Someone directed me to a post written by Peter Wilborn from South Carolina (where the riding is […]

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Le Tour Diary | Stage 10, The Race Convoy

Getting to ride in a team car during a major bike race is one of the most exhillarating experiences you could ever have. I wish each and every one of you could experience it at least once. I’ve had the good fortune to have done this a few times and it’s an amazing way to […]

Cafe Etiquette 101

Where I’m from, walking into a cafe in lycra isn’t quite as acceptable as it is in Australia (well, is it ever really acceptable?). Here, the cafe after a ride is akin to a men’s locker room after the big game where we wind-down and shoot the breeze. A ride just isn’t a ride without […]

Positioning Yourself In The Peloton

In the fluid motion of the peloton there’s one golden rule: if you’re not moving forwards, you’re moving backwards. This goes for any big bunch ride and especially while racing. One of the most essential skills in bike racing is knowing how hold and gain positions in the feild. Achieving this while using as little energy as possible […]

Melbourne Bunch Etiquette?

I don’t like using this blog as a platform for my rants but I’m having a tough time keeping quiet on this one. If there’s one thing that grates on my nerves it’s riding in a bunch where a few guys don’t understand the etiquette of “rolling turns” and spoil it for everyone else.

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Patron Of The Peloton

Patron of the Peloton - My friend Brad coined this term and it’s come up in discussion a few times over the recent weeks. The “patron of the peloton” (POTP) essentially refers to the figurehead of any bunch ride. He’s not necessarily the best rider, but he is the most respected and the unspoken leader. […]

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When The Paceline Stalls…

I had an interesting experience on Saturday while racing the Warny. After Feedzone #2 when the peloton split and the hard chase commenced I was rolling turns with all the big hitters of the race. Everyone was driving hard and doing their share of the work nice and smoothly. Then, all of a sudden I […]

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Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

I nearly got cleaned up by a car coming around a blind corner last week. This was because our communication got mixed up. My mate yelled “CAR!” as he was half way across the road in an intersection. I’m used to “CLEAR!” being yelled out when it’s safe to cross. “CAR!” sure sounded like “CLEAR!” […]

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Politics of the Peloton - Reading The Race

Photo: Shane Goss/www.licoricegallery.com This past Saturday was my first race back after a few months off. Thankfully it wasn’t the fierce crosswinds and sheets of rain like Melbourne has been getting recently. It was sunny and a bit cold, but as my grandmother always said - “there’s no such thing as cold weather, just inappropriate […]