Chain Gang Tuesday
The BCG lap is around 7 miles long, with the tempo group doing two laps and the faster group doing three laps.
The chain gang is a great way to increase fitness, and since its a fixed route there is no risk of getting lost if you drop.
The idea behind a Chaingang or Paceline is that the lead rider only spends a short amount of time on the front (and in the wind), he or she then peels off and allows the rider behind to take the front, this is repeated with each rider taking a turn on the front - when seen as a group of riders this rotating looks like a chain (hence the name).
When its your 'turn' on the front - the key is NOT to push hard (this breaks up the group). when on the front just maintain your current speed/pace for a few seconds, and then rotate and ease off to allow the next rider to come through.
Depending on the number of riders, we may change the order/process of the chain, this is because Pacelines/Chaingangs with two lines of riders require a larger number of riders to be efficient. If we have less than five riders, then a Singe Paceline is more efficient and allows riders more time to recover between stints on the front.
Lastly.. these training rides only really work if we have numbers.. It can be daunting for those who haven't done it before, but it is fun and we all have to start somewhere ! If you have any queries please reach out & ask..
Links
Typical Paceline / Chaingang Configurations
We typically operate a Single File Paceline (shown in the middle image - although we rotate Left-Right) with less than five riders, and a Circular Paceline (shown in the right hand image) with more than five riders.
When riding with multiple groups (or multiple chaingangs) the faster group goes out first, that way anyone dropping from the faster group is picked up and joins the second group. maximising everyones training.
Types of Chaingang/Paceline