Smart Cycling, Inc.

Smart Cycling Bike Shop, Inc. - Coaching

Ideas to improve your cycling ability

CAMOUFLAGE

There are times when where you ride is as important as how you ride. Most races take place in the day time. Bright sunlight can provide warmth for the riders and places to get out of sight. Long stretches on tree lined streets can assist the criterium rider in briefly confusing those chasing from behind. The longer it takes to spot your target, the longer it takes to chase them down. The further into shadows, the harder it is to spot the rider.

How many riders can you spot in the picture below? How far ahead are they? How far apart are they from each other? How fast must you ride to get to the leader?

Another way to hide is to blend in with the surroundings. Hunters spend lots of money every year buying clothing and equipment to help the disappear into their surroundings. Cyclists can do the same thing when they race. The secret is to ride in the right place. In the first picture below, the rider has chosen to ride right up the right lane of the Downers Grove Criterium Championship course. This makes him easy to spot because his forward motion, shape and coloring stand out against the dull color of the pavement.

However, the rider in the second picture is more difficult to spot because he is riding close to the colorful barricades on the side of the street. Even though he is moving forward, he is harder to spot because he is not readily visible against the background. In addition he is riding in calmer air because the turbulence is reduced close to the barricades.

Some race courses provide more visual shelter than others. The idea here is to use what camouflage is available to your best advantage. You may not be able to dress in colors that match your surroundings like a hunter, but you can position yourself in such a way that you are hard to spot. The natural tendency when an athlete comes around the corner shown above is to look right up the street for riders. The closer the escaping rider is to the barricades, the longer it will take to spot them. The other tendency is to look on the right side first because riders making the left turn will be drifting towards the right side of the road. Going up the left side, close to the barricades will add some time to the escape because the rider's forward motion is not easily detected. An object moving straight away is not as easily seen.

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Smart Cycling Bike Shop, Inc.

2300 Lehigh Ave. Suite 100

Glenview, IL 60026

Telephone (847) 998-0200

Fax (847) 998-0201