Cycling in a Chain Gang

A chain gang is a common term for a fast training ride with riders riding in two parallel lines, taking it in turns to work on the front and then slipping back to the back of the group. It is fast and an excellent way to improve both your fitness and your bike handling skills.

The idea of a chaingang is to keep a constantly high pace, with each rider doing a turn on the front and then smoothly moving back down the line before coming back up on the outside. When it works well there a constant smooth flow of riders going up and down the line. For a novice, it is not straightforward and if you have no clue, you might end up with people shouting at you for disrupting the flow of the ride. However, it is worth persevering and learning the basic etiquette of chaingang riding.

Tips for Riding in a Chain Gang

• Keep the pace constant. Allowing for variation is wind and gradient, try keep the pace constant. When you get to the front, don’t sprint off. That will break up the rhythmn and is not the point of a chaingang. Also avoid slowind down.
• Don’t allow gaps to appear. Concentrate on keeping an eye on the wheel in front, don’t allow a large gap to develop because it can then be hard to meet the gap.
• Don’t cut up riders. The tricky part is coming to the front. The rider on the outside will overtake the rider on the inside and as he does will move across to the inside. It is important to time this correctly, don’t move inside too soon as you will cause the previous rider to have to slow down. Don’t leave it too late as this will also create problems.
• Make sure you are used to following a wheel at pace before joining.
• If it is your first time you could stay at the back and observe how people make changes.
• Once you get the hang it seems quite natural and creates a good feeling of teamwork. You can see the advantages of riding behind others.
• Don’t go out with a group who are much fitter than you. If you are struggling to keep up, it is more likely you will make a mistake.
• Make sure your bike is well maintained. Don’t have lose or rattling bits, people will trust you less.
• Be careful about braking, it creates a ripple effect which can be dangerous at high speed. Use your body to slow down.
• Know the circuit. Learn the local chaingang circuit and practise the descents so you can know potential dangers.
• Remember it is not closed roads. It is difficult to find any circuit which is not populated with heavy traffic. You have to give way to traffic, just because you are in a chain gang doesn’t mean you can expect cars to wait for you.