quenya said:The time is taken from the third rider in, I don't know if we would get a DNF or not for finishing without a rider, at any rate we will finish together even if that means we have to handicap our stronger guys for the weaker one.
I have clip on aero bars on a Kestrel Talon and can get a fairly aero position (flat back & elbows in) reasonably comfortably. The other guys have nothing. FWIW I am going to start riding the local TTs so I'm likely to get a helmet and maybe skinsuit if I break 1 hour in a 40km. I could do it sooner but I really don't think there is any point to further distancing myself from the weaker guy.
I really appreciate your taking the time to discuss this. What do you think would be an average increase in pace over an hour with a group of 4 pace line. Do you think 2 mph over a solo effort seems right or is that still too high?
Without aero gear I think you need to forget about being even remotely competitive -- if this isn't going to be a 'fun ride' then there's no reason to go any further. That said, for a fun ride I'd suggest going out to practice together as a team at least once a week to figure out some sustainable pacing, get a feel for riding close together, echelons in crosswind, etc. It'd be best if you could ride the course of the actual event so that you'll learn the terrain and be able to set some time goals at certain landmarks.
Since you'll be travelling at the pace of the slowest rider, the stronger riders will want to figure out how long they should pull. I think 3 mph over the slowest rider's sustainable pace is a good place to start if the weaker rider is going to pull through. You could probably squeeze +4 mph if the weaker rider will just sit-in at the back, but that's not very fun for him. The problem will be hills in the second half of the ride, so practice keeping a sensible pace uphills without gapping anyone and really hammering the downhills and flats.
Contrary to the advice above, I wouldn't recommend a constantly rotating paceline for a team event. Everytime the lead rider pulls off, the team effectively loses one bike length; so you'll make better speed over ground by rotating less often (maybe 30sec - 1min pulls).
If you really wanted to have the best time, you'd probably be better to just have the guy with the aerobars and helmet ride in front for most of the event, maybe swapping pulls with the strongest rider on the second half. That's not much fun for a team event, though. Good luck! 🙂
