The double paceline is here to stay! But, it is much more than cyclist riding side by side for safety and visibility.

The rotating pace line is a thing of beauty. It is the chef’s kiss of cycling and I’m in heaven whenever I get to experience it.

Our chaingang (group) rides are nearly always a single place line. That’s a proper workout and is part of race training. Double pace line is when going easy on a long base mile ride

Old school pace line unwritten rules explained . . . Be smooth, be cool, think about the group behind you and carry on !!! That said I prefer a peloton . . . Great channel Luis !!!

Thank you for the comments and insight. Many years ago my local club had about 50 people so it was easy to split into a few groups according to pace. Run a strict double with pulling off in pairs. Now there are some 200 members and much larger groups. Also, roads are busier so they changed to a double with rotation to not go 4 wide. The problem is often pacing. When a group is visible up the road some want to catch up instead of a steady pace. Resisting the carrot seems too much for some. I tried to run a casual paced group ride at my LBS. It was hard to convince that riding slower and efficient is faster than chase, rest, repeat and not keeping a draft going. If a couple of guys went ahead and we reform then inevitably some would break and chase. Then dropping some weaker riders and having to slow or stop to wait. You get the idea... When I started riding my 20's, I would struggle to keep up with guys in twice my age. I had to learn to be efficient and not waste energy. To relax and let the group dynamic help everyone. Now thirty years later, I want others to benefit from that experience. I am often confused when you see most people riding solo or pairs in gravel races. You are in the middle of nowhere. Why not organize and work together? With a group of 5 or 6 everyone will get there sooner.

Another great video as usual. Thanks for the cameo!!

The space/width between a double pace line is racked up to experience. The double that I ride with is pretty much shoulder to shoulder or a shoe width apart - but these guys are well seasoned. Also, in the 80s we rode in a single line, because #1 there were no dedicated bike lanes, and #2 cars were not really accustomed to bikes on the local roads. You touched on some good points... thanks for the vid!

Nice video! Cyclist & Cycling groups have to practice riding in pacelines! I've seen plenty of cyclists from experienced to newbies that have no idea how to ride in a single or double paceline but will jump in one.

Good disussion. I was putting in my time in the peloton 35 years ago. Being smooth & predictable were the keys to riding well with others. Knowing how much harder to go while rotating through the front or taking a pull was very important. Don't want to over-do it and gap others, nor not put in enough effort and cause everyone to bunch up on your wheel. I was riding well before power meters, so one had to do this all by feel, without any objective metrics to use. My most memorable experience was when riding in a peloton long enough that it became a four-man breakaway that HAD to work together. Too small to rotate, so we took pulls and encouraged each other. It was awesome! A PERFECT technical criterium course that allowed us to get "outta sight, outta mind!" So lucky to have had a great teammate with me. And then coming upon riders off the back was a thrill! The look on everyone's faces in the group when we came up behind them to let 'em know they'd been lapped was classic! That said, they were more than gracious and allowed us up front so we could contest the finish. My teammate led me out like a pro and I got the win - on our rival's campus, no less! And the REALLY cool thing? My teammate and I and one other rider repeated the same thing at regional championships and I got to return the favor and he won it! So much fun!!! Anyone who's become comfortable in the peloton or any paceline is going to be a better driver. Best way to teach kids to drive is by riding bikes. Off-road teaches so much about traction, cornering, weight distribution, braking technique and much more. Then throw 'em on a road bike and into a group and they learn about being smooth, predictable and not over-accelerating or over-braking. Hold your line (lane)! Don't be a squirrel! Nothing like riding with a bunch of new pack riders at the back of the bunch - the yo-yo effect is revealed! And this explains traffic queue effect. From stop-and-go, to fast driving and back again. If you see the accordion effect in action on your bike, you get it. Cycling has so many benefits!

The local Saturday group ride in my town usually is in a double paceline on busier stretches of road, Like you mentioned, when the right side line is too close to the gutter, there's no way to easily get off of the front after your turn. Also, in a group of 30+ riders, the slower rookies who planned to sit on the back inadvertently get into the middle of the group and when somebody starts to get dropped and you're too far back to see it happening, all of the sudden you are behind the split. This will happen on the fast open section and you won't see the front again. I try to just jump across immediately if I see a gap opening up.

Been riding an racing since 85 great information

I’m just getting into cycling I just purchased a bike two months ago I’ve been following your videos awesome this is totally different from when I had a 5 speed keep up the great work you are doing great information you give.

This is a fantastic breakdown of key details with a double pace line that I’ve never hear anywhere else! As always your videos are fantastic. great job. and one day I hope to join you all down there!

A double paceline with experienced riders who can roll turns smoothly even over rises requires precise bike handling and power control. My primary group is mostly Cat 3 or Cat 2 racers who know what they're doing. We ride mostly in peloton-type formations, but do a Z3 ride one day a week with rolling pacelines. The paceline is more for sustained power, we're rolling at about 250+ watts and pulling through requires 400+ watts. The peloton is much more surge-prone, lots of 800-900w spikes and designated sprint points.

Double pace line is what makes car drivers upset. The roads in Florida are busy. You need more bike paths. I been riding for 50 years. On a professional team in France in the 1970s. Cars got faster and drivers are not focused. Bike paths are safe. When I was riding in France recently I noticed how safe it was compared to Florida. In France the cars sit back and wait for cyclist. Different culture. In Switzerland the cars sit back and if they pass move over far away from the cyclist.

great info. and yes those long doble pase rides can turn to the boring side. i personally prefer smaller groups where everyone rotates. don’t like when some pullers hug the front without sharing the fun. and to spice up the double pace, i’d like to see two or three sprinting sections (not just at the end) depending on distance.

Great informative video Luis. I think this an important topic for any rider that wants to improve both their cycling IQ and spatial awareness which is the most important skill in fast and aggressive group rides. I prefer Peloton riding almost always when doing group rides.

Great video. Thanks. In my Group, definitely double pace line. Riders are experienced and speed is fairly fast, 40kph-ish. Lines are close, no half wheeling! Peleton would be unsafe on our usual roads. Low speed uphill is done single line to let cars pass.

Man I wish you could interrupt cyclist scheduled tv shows with that video. Very good. Hope to see you at the MACC One Love. Stay safe out there Bro👊🏾💪🏾

I like Peloton with experienced cyclists and double paceline for my sprint training and training rides. Group rides force me to be stronger. I don't mind being dropped as I will come back stronger.

I'm not as experienced as some but I think the double pace line works better for groups smaller than 15. I personally rather the single pace line. I have yet to ride with a group big enough to experience the Peloton.

Great video Luis - Brasil

You started to describe a proper double paceline at the end. This usually forms out of a peloton, in a break going up the road or a chasing group during racing and hasn't changed since I started racing back in the 90's. I think what you are asking is more like: Is it better to have people riding side-by-side as apposed to in a bunch? However, I think you may be ignoring a more important question to ask: How big of a group ride is too big? And how can we break up these huge rides into smaller more manageable groups?

Hey thanks for the video, super informative. I should join a club in my city as I really want to learn all this but being an older dude who only took up the sport recently its hard to meet people who would be keen to ride tigether and practice

In Italy is basically impossible. More than 2 is illegal so no peloton. More than 5 people together can be dangerous because of the car.

Love your stuff. Ride on.

Very happy to learn the benefits of 'doing a double pace line 'properly' but the guys at the back of those enormous groups are probably just hanging on as best they can. There might be good and efficient cycling discipline up front but at the back? My guess would be less so. Is part of the problem that those groups are just too big? Should they split or will they indeed split through a natural process of attrition? Thanks, as always, for a great vlog. 🙏

Luis, A fascinating discussion and analysis on the double pace line. Keen on hearing your thoughts on a double rotating pace line. Do you configure it as right side advances toward the front or vise versa? What other factors do you consider? Thanks :)

I need to come down there with you kind sir!

BTW - nice catch by the guy in the background @3:26 🙌

Honestly, your local critical mass or bike party ride is a great place to practice riding close to other cyclists. This is gonna vary a lot based on where you live, but in my neck of the woods we gather over a thousand cyclists each month for a casual ride through the city. Great place to build up those skills if you're nervous at full speed.

I mostly do solo riding and have never been in a group doing this weird extra wide double pace line you're talking about. It sounds horrible. Also never been in a group ride that big. Single pace line for groups under 10, everyone gets a good workout. Maybe a rotating pace line system for a larger group where one side moves forward and one side moves backwards. But these groups of 50 or more just seem unwieldy

Still too new and afraid to ride w a group 😅

I like how you didn't ask any white people what they thought. Very revealing. 😁