Tactical Games

Smart Cycling Bike Shop, Inc.

Tactical Games

BUMPING WHEELS IN THE GRASS

Minimum number of participants: 3 Materials needed: A flat grassy area such as a football or baseball field where the riders can practice for at least 50 yards at a time. Riding in either a long oval or very large circle works best. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it holding their bikes. When the actual drill begins have the rider use the small chainring and a cog in the middle of the freewheel. No shifting allowed. Track bikes should be in a warm up gear. One rider takes the lead position and rides as straight as possible across the grass. The trailing rider follows behind and attempts to overlap their wheel with the lead position rider. The front wheel of the trailing position rider should not get as far as the rear hub of the lead rider. Once the wheels are overlapped the trailing rider attempts to make contact between the wheels by leaning toward the other rider’s rear wheel. They then slow down while maintaining contact, until they are no longer touching the rear wheel. The object is to make contact without crashing or losing control. The first few attempts will probably result in the rider tipping over into the grass or at least having to stop momentarily. The drill is repeated until the trailing rider can make long term contact without tipping over or losing control. Then the riders exchange places and start over. When the pair are comfortable doing this drill, add another rider to form a trio. Have each rider change positions to get more experience. Object of this drill: To teach the riders to overcome their fear of crashing into the rider ahead of them in a paceline or pack.

BUMPING SHOULDERS IN THE GRASS

Minimum number of participants: 3 Materials needed: A flat grassy area such as a football or baseball field where the riders can practice for at least 50 yards at a time. Riding in either a long oval or very large circle works best. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Start with two riders pedaling in the small chainring and a cog somewhere in the middle of the freewheel. No shifting is allowed. Track bikes should be in a warm up gear. The riders begin right next to each other. A third rider watches how it is done. With their hands in the drops, the two riders move closer together until their shoulders are touching. They then lean against each other without move their bikes apart. Using their elbows and shoulders as contact points, the riders pedal along side each other and gradually allow their bikes to drift apart slightly. The idea is to use the other rider to hold themselves up. The riders switch sides and repeat the drill until they feel comfortable doing it. The third rider then takes the place of one rider and the drill is repeated completely. When all three riders are comfortable doing this drill, they ride three abreast and repeat the leaning process. The rider in the middle keeps the other riders up. Object of this drill: During a fast paced, large pack race like a criterium championship or track points race, the riders become squeezed together. In order to maintain a strategic position in such a field, a rider must be able to ride in contact with other riders and their bikes. The use of the shoulders and hips keep the other riders away. The use of the hands and elbows keep the handlebars apart.

BUMPING SHOULDERS ON A PARKING LOT

Minimum number of participants: 3 Materials needed: A smooth, debris free parking lot where the riders can practice for at least 50 yards at a time. Riding in either a long oval or very large circle works best. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. This is a follow up to Bumping Shoulders In The Grass. Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Start with two riders pedaling in the small chainring and a cog somewhere in the middle of the freewheel. No shifting is allowed. Track bikes should be in a warm up gear. The riders begin right next to each other. The third rider watches how it is done. With their hands in the drops, the two riders move closer together and the rider on the left places their right hand on the other rider’s left shoulder. They rider around in a large oval path. The rider on the right steers their course and the rider on the left maintains contact with the shoulder. Once the riders get comfortable with maintaining contact, the rider on the left bends their elbow until they are up against the rider on the right. Then they gently push against the shoulder until their arm is fully extended. The drill is repeated until they feel comfortable making and breaking contact with the shoulders and elbows. A Third rider is added and again the outside rider does the steering for the trio. The riders switch sides and repeat the drill until they feel comfortable doing it. Object of this drill: During a fast paced, large pack race like a criterium championship or track points race, the riders become squeezed together. In order to maintain a strategic position in such a field, a rider must be able to ride in contact with other riders and their bikes. The use of the shoulders and hips keep the other riders away. The use of the hands and elbows keep the handlebars apart.

BICYCLE OBSTACLE COURSE

Minimum number of participants: 1 Materials needed: A flat open parking lot with no loose gravel or small stones, chalk, a supply of water bottles, a whistle and a stopwatch or timer. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Start with two riders pedaling in the small chainring and a cog somewhere in the middle of the freewheel. No shifting is allowed. Layout an obstacle course that requires the riders to turn back and forth between objects on the grass or pavement. Be sure the layout allows for the turning radius of the bicycles being ridden and the skills of the riders involved. Have the riders proceed through the course as many times as needed, in order to make them feel as comfortable with the course as possible. When all the riders have demonstrated competence with the obstacle course, have them run through it with a timer or stopwatch running. The rider with the best time and least mistakes is the winner. Object of this drill: To teach riders how to deal with controlling their bicycles around objects they might encounter on the pavement, such as potholes, broken glass, debris or even fallen riders.

PUSH THE RIDER OUT OF THE SQUARE

Minimum number of participants: 6 Materials needed: A flat grassy area such as a football or baseball field with a square area 20' x 20' marked off on the ground. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Start with all the riders pedaling in the small chainring and a cog somewhere in the middle of the freewheel. No shifting allowed. Track bikes should be in a warm up gear. The riders must keep their hands on the handlebars and their feet on the pedals. Using the skills learned in the previous drills, the riders must attempt to force the other riders out of the square. Riders are eliminated from the game when they either leave the square, their feet touch the ground or they take their hands off the handlebars. The last rider in the square wins. As a reversal strategy, have the athletes put the glasses in their jersey pockets with the earpiece hanging out. The object of the drill then becomes taking someone’s glasses. If the athlete’s glasses are taken, they are out. Object of this drill: During a race with a large field, such as a points race on the track or a criterium, riders will have to deal with physical contact. Not knowing what to do can lead to a crash. The more competent a rider is on their bike, the safer they are.

RIDING IN A PACELINE

Minimum number of participants: 4 Materials needed: A straight road with little or no traffic or a long parting lot. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid the possibility of crashing. Have the riders walk through with their bikes to get a sense of the distance needed between bikes to get a good draft. Have the riders get into the proper paceline formation. The riders should be geared in the small chainring and a cog somewhere in the middle of the freewheel. No shifting allowed. Start by having them stay in the same order and work on the gap between the wheels. The riders should maintain this formation for a few minutes and then regroup in a different order. The idea is to get used to how all the riders move their bikes. Continue this portion of the drill until all the riders have been behind each other. Next have the riders regroup into a paceline and close the gap between the wheels. After riding for twenty turns of the pedals, the lead rider drifts to the left and begins to drop back behind the other riders. This rider should be at the back before the next rider drops back. This should be done before the lead rider has pedaled twenty strokes. Continue this drill until all the riders can maintain a tight paceline at higher speeds and in bigger gears. If there are enough riders available, the paceline drill can be expanded to work with more than one rider dropping back at a time and double pacelines. If this drill is done on a velodrome, the riders can also practice the standard formation for a team time trial or pursuit. Object of this drill: New riders often make the mistake of not talking advantage of the aerodynamics of a paceline. A tight, well operated paceline will not only give the riders the ability to ride longer and faster, but get them used to trusting the other riders.

TIME TRIAL START AND TURN AROUND

Minimum number of participants: 1 Materials needed: A flat well paved surface such as an untrafficked road or a very long parking lot, chalk for drawing a starting and finishing line, a turn around cone and an observer. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the rider walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Riders will start at the chalk line on the ground as if it were the start line of a race. Just before the turn around cone, they will reduce speed and gearing and make the turn. Coming out of the turn, they will accelerate just like in a race and return to the starting line. Encourage the riders to follow the pattern shown in the illustration, by making the largest percentage of the turn around on the same side of the road they are approaching the cone on. Object of this drill: During a race, riders may be able to improve their overall time by improving their start and turn around.

RACE START DRILL

Minimum number of participants: 6 Materials needed: A piece of chalk to draw a starting line, a flat, well paved surface such as an untrafficked road or a parking lot. It would be good if there are curbs on either side of the road. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Riders will simulate the act of starting a road race or criterium. By practicing different gear combinations and starting positions riders may be able to improve how they begin a race. Walk the riders through the actual procedure used by officials prior to starting a race. Make sure the riders do not have both feet on the pedals, holding on to each other. Arrange the riders in the road just as they would be for a real race. Have them start and proceed down the road for a short distance at race speed. Repeat this game until the riders demonstrate effective skills. Object of this drill: At the beginning of a race a rider may lose time or position in the field by making a bad start. By practice they may be able to make a better start. The rider must learn not to panic at the beginning of the race in the event that they cannot get their feet attached to the pedals or some other starting problem.

FEED ZONE FRENZY

Minimum number of participants: 6 Materials needed: 2 water bottles for every rider involved. One filled and one empty and one person to hand up bottles for each group of two riders. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Riders are divided into groups of two and each rider is given an empty water bottle. Proper bottle handling technique should be demonstrated and practiced by all. The person giving the water bottle should hold the bottle from the top with their fingers firmly grasping the bottle as it hangs below their hand. The bottle should be held in the right hand, with the arm extended completely toward the center of the road while facing the direction from which the rider is approaching. The rider grabs the bottle in a downward motion from the hand of the person holding it and pulls the bottle toward their chest, to insure a firm grasp. The bottle is then placed in the cage on the bike. This game should not be played before the riders have demonstrated how to ride without holding onto the handlebars. The riders are assigned a feed zone person to hand them a full water bottle as they ride through. Make sure the people giving out the water bottles stay out of the road as much as possible. All the riders must get a full water bottle and give it to the coach at a designated location beyond the feed zone. One group of two will be given the assignment of attacking just before the feed zone, in order to create chaos in the feed zone. Object of this drill: In a race, the riders will have to deal with dozens of people all attempting to get water bottles at once. Dropped bottles and clumsy riders can create a dangerous environment. The riders must be prepared to handle all this and still get their water bottle. A standard tactic is to attack in the feed zone and the riders must be ready for this as well.

THE LAST RIDER WINS DRILL

Minimum number of participants: 2 Materials needed: A flat, well paved parting lot. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Riders will attempt to be the last person to the finish line. Riders may not put their feet on the ground, hold onto objects or turn and go the other direction. Using their brakes, pedaling technique and balance riders attempt to force the other riders into the lead and across the finish line. Object of this drill: To practice the skills needed in a match sprint or a tactical situation that requires switching positions. There will be times when it is strategically better to be behind an opponent.

PICK UP THE WATERBOTTLE

Minimum number of participants: 2 Materials needed: A flat grassy area such as a football or baseball field, a stand that can be adjusted for height or several cardboard boxes that can be stacked and a large waterbottle filled with water. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the riders walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Start with all the riders pedaling in the small chainring and a cog somewhere in the middle of the freewheel. No shifting allowed. Place the water bottle on a stand or a stack of cardboard boxes about 3 feet tall flat in the middle of an open area. The riders approach the water bottle and attempt to pick it up without crashing. Each time the riders retrieve the bottle successfully, the level is lowered by 6 inches. The drill continues until either no one can reach the bottle without crashing, or all the riders can pick the bottle up from the ground. Object of this drill: The idea is to build the riders confidence in their ability to handle their bike under any conditions. If they can manage to ride along the ground and pick up a water bottle without crashing, they will be able to remain upright on the bike during hazardous conditions.

BUNNY HOPPING

Minimum number of participants: 1 Materials needed: A flat, smooth stretch of untrafficked road or a long empty parking lot and a full water bottle to make water lines on the ground. The riders bikes should be equipped with a pedal system that attaches the feet to the pedals. Instructions: Begin this drill by having the rider walk through it first to understand what is expected and avoid possible crashing. Have the riders use the small chain ring and a cog somewhere in the bottom of the freewheel. Make a line of water approximately ½ inch wide and three feet long, running perpendicular to the side of the road. Have the riders approach the line of water riding with their hands in the drops and standing on the pedals. The main difference between this drill and the previous one, is that the riders will attempt to get both wheels over the water in one move. Some riders may feel more comfortable doing this move by lifting the front wheel off the ground first and then pulling the rear wheel up after it. Other riders may feel more comfortable lifting both wheels up together. It is not important which technique is used. The only thing that matters is that both wheels clear the water. This drill requires the riders to ride at a much higher speed than the previous drill, so be sure to give everyone enough room to ride. When the riders show competence getting the both wheels clear of the water on repeated efforts, increase the width of the line of water by making a second line parallel to the first, about 1 inch away. Have the riders increase their speed and continue until one rider can clear a line of water wider than anyone else. Object of this drill: During a road race the riders may encounter all types of debris or potholes. There may be no way to steer around the obstacle and in order to avoid a crash, the rider will have to bunny hop over it.

Smart Cycling Bike Shop, Inc.

1882 Johns Drive

Glenview, IL 60025

Telephone (847) 998-0200

Fax (847) 998-0201

smartcyclinginc@sbcglobal.net