Keeping your line

If you ride in a group, you cannot weave, but “you keep your line”. You make as little lateral movements as possible. That does not come easy for everyone. This sometimes has to do with pedaling technique, sometimes with keeping your concentration.

You can practice cycling in a straight line when there is a white line on the road. You should try to stay on the line. You do not look down at the line directly under your front wheel. You look further down in front of you. And yet, you ride on the white line. Notice how you do that? An interrupted white line, which is sometimes sprayed on the asphalt, is perfect for this. Then you can hear and feel whether you still ride on the line. It  rumbles very nicely then.

Sometimes you want to look backwards. For example, to see if anyone has rejoined after a corner. To still keep your line is difficult. In a group, you can do that safely by putting your hand on the shoulder of your neighbor. This prevents you from deviating from your line. You also know for certain that your neighbor will be looking forward, and warns you in time if you need to brake.

Do practice on your own to look backwards without deviating from your line. You don’t have mirrors on your bicycle, and you don’t want to need them. But then you have to learn to look back, over your shoulder, or under your arm. That is not always easy. But with a little practice it gets better soon.
If you close your eye with which you do not look behind you, you get a better view. Try it. It is rather difficult to quickly close the right eye :). But that’s easy to get used to.

What can happen if you look back and do not keep your line, we see dramatically in the Classica San Sebastian 2018. With a bit of bad luck that the other also deviates from his line and then: boom.

Video

Sometimes you take one hand off of your handle bars. For instance, to grab your water bottle, or give a gesture or signal, for example, if there should be weaved. Some make a small lateral deviation in their riding. That’s because the pressure on the bars has become uneven. To fix that, first transfer the pressure to the hand that remains on the bars. Then you can lift your other hand without disturbing your balance. Some do it unconsciously correct, others need to learn it first before it becomes automatic.