Car Pacing

[Guest Heino]

Hi;

 

I need some expert advice please guys. I used to do car pacing in the following manner, but it was a couple of years ago, and recently only entered back into the cycling community. I am training a very ambitious youngster.

 

I did a long distance at a very high pace and just tried to sit at the high cadence and power output.

Second (in my opinion, more effective program) I did intervals:

 

We travel at 40 or 50km/h and then sprint past the car out of the slip. Then the cyclist stays in front of the car for respectively 5 seconds, 10 seconds, and then work our way up to one minute, after reaching the one minute mark I work it back again to 5 seconds.

 

Is this the best method to train someone? Or is there better ways or other ways?

[The Saint]

Not sure about your method but all I can say is I am sure there are much safer methods that will yield the same results.

[LeTurbo]

Mmmm ... wasn't there a horrid accident recently where the team car stopped, the riders were looking over their shoulders and rode into the back of it? I also see other cars overtaking the car without seeing the cyclists, and other disasters. I'm with The Saint here.

[TNT1]

Yeah, for high end speed intervals, and to get that feeling of race speed into your legs, nothing beats motor pacing. Get a scooter and a quiet road.

[RaymondC]

Scooter with a "Large" pilot........

[MariusL]

We used to motorpace when training for track racing. Yes it works, it puts massive amounts of speed in your legs. But you got to do it with a driver that know what he is doing... it's a bad idea to ask your mommy...

 

As for those okes that looked behind them and crashed into the motorpace vehicle... that's just a stupid thing to do...

[The Saint]

Was one of the MTN squad if I remember correctly, I think he hit a pothole - Bradley Potgieter but I stand to be corrected.

[Stretched@Birth]

We fitted some rollers (the ones used in gravity feed conveyors) to the towbar on my dads combi, so if you did ride into the vehicle, you would just slow down with the vehicle. Need a quiet road, driver and "spotter". Spotter watches the riders, driver watches the road...

[Lucky Luke.]

I do quite a bit of informal motor pacing around simonstown and fish hoek. Most of the drivers are quite accommodating.

[DaLoCo]

In my early days of cycling the escort vehicle always used to pace me back to the rest of the group. It was great fun running at 40km/h 2" from a Landy's bumper.

[DomJBo]

Done some informally myself too, the traffic seems to get upset when you overtake them behind a truck, or even when you cross over a speed camera faster than what they are allowed to.