CHAINGANG? A FEW QUESTIONS????

[Nick]

Me being a fairly new novice at this:-
1. what is a chain gang ?
2. what sort of speed ?
3. what amount of distance ?
4. where is it from ?
5. how often ?
6. and how many?
Many thanks
Nick

[Brett P]

It's basically thru & off at a very high speed (23-25mp/h) for about 1.5 hrs

If you watched the team pursuit on TV (you know, the one where Aust. beat GB ) that's thru & off. You ride in a line with each rider taking a turn at the front, sheltering/dragging along the rest of the chain. After a few seconds he swings off & rejoins at the back.

The old ports chain gang usually has about 8-12 riders in it, dropping a few on the way.

Brett

[Elliot M]

[quote]You ride in a line with each rider taking a turn at the front, sheltering/dragging along the rest of the chain. After a few seconds he swings off & rejoins at the back.

[Brett P]

The track does work slightly different mainly because one rider does a lap and then swings up the banking. In the TDF, because the riders are so strong the turns usually are between 30 sec & 1min so the rider coming off the front has made it to the back before the next rider peels off.
At club level the turns only last for about 2 seconds... if that. You usually get to the front and swing off. With a continual chain you may get the impression that you're coming from the back past slower riders on the inside.

Good chain gang technique; once you've done your turn reduce your pedal rate slightly & change up one gear. This makes it easier for the next rider coming past you and stops the chain getting faster and faster. Also it helps when you're the last rider to say 'last rider' so the person falling in behind doesn't have to keep looking back to see when to pull in.

Why do we do it when training?
Most break away's in a race are just thru & off's at a high pace..... practice makes perfect!

[Nick]

Thanks for replies just like the dual carraigeway stuff. Yea?