it seems to be pretty easy for teams to stay together on foot, but on the
bike it's tempting to blast through a downhill or just keep cranking in your
own little world on an uphill. More than once we've seen someone stranded by
the side of the trail with a broken widget or flat tire, then passed their
teammates much farther down the hill wondering where the heck their other
person is. Got someone slow on the down hill? (for pete's sake, DON'T tow
them!) put them in front and stay behind them. Also, you don't ever want to
separate the navigator from the team beyond 'eye-shot'. Not to mention that
it's a common thread in adventure races that teams are not supposed to
separate. If someone does get out way ahead and you need them to slow, stop,
come back - keep your whistle handy - work out some simple communications
plans
Warn Them of Obstacles
On gnarly single track, or in low light conditions, it's good to give a
shout to folks behind you about odd or hard to see obstacles, as well as sharp
turns. also, give a shout if you are about to stop. Because you are travelling
close together, or should be, the person behind you has their view blocked by
your rear end - and might not have as much time to react as you do. But don't
travel too close, you don't want to run over your teammate.
Push Them
It works well on wide trails and roads, and it doesn't require any fancy
hookups!
Tow Them
Why tow? Its not to embarrass the slow one on the team. It captures
the excess energy from the frustrated serious biker on the team who would
otherwise spend several minutes waiting at the top of every hill, and passes
that energy along to a teammate that is killing himself/herself crawling up
those hills. Instead of having one person exerting 40% effort (and spending a
lot of time sitting idle), and another giving 100% (and moving like pond
water), you can have two people giving about 90% effort and moving out at an
amazing clip. It really works! Another reason to tow may be for a "mechanical"
that either can't be fixed, or just doesn't make sense to stop for at the time
(like a broken chain with one mile to go, etc.). My team for the upcoming
Salomon X is comprised of all very strong bikers, yet each of us will be
equipped with a tow device...
The common feature in any tow device (that won't get you killed) is a
semi-rigid stem or pole to keep the lines from wrapping around your wheels and
other moving parts. This tow device is based on the "Rocket" designed by Team
Epinephrine. Its simple, lightweight, and the components come from one trip
each to any hardware store and your local outfitter for under $15. The red
accessory cord at the left is attached to seat the post. The mini biner
attaches to a section of shock cord that is threaded through a 1 inch section
of braded kitchen hose (which keeps the shock cord from dipping down into the
moving stuff). The hose is fixed to the "fishing pole" with cable ties. The
loop of red cord at the right end (an extension) will be clipped with a second
mini biner to a bungi tied around the headset of the tow-ee's bike.
The stuff you'll need: Duct tape, plastic wand (discard reflector if
you don't want to look too much like a dork). 3 to 5 feet of 4mm accessory
cord, 3 to 4 feet of shock cord (or bungi or surgical tubing), a small section
of 3/4 inch hose, cable ties, a small screw type hose clamp (for fixing the
wand to a seat rail), and two mini biners.
This is the "Whip", my prototype tow device (before I saw the
"Rocket"). It's not as simple to make, but works well (particularly if you have
a less confident tow-ee that likes to keep a fair distance back from the tow-er
- see picture at top), and it is pretty much indestructible. It also allows the
pole to be angled up above handlebar level to ease the hookup process. The
mount is carved from a block of wood (no problem if you do a lot of carpentry),
rubber coated, and attaches to the seat post with a hose clamp. The "fishing
pole" (seen folded above; extended below) is a two-piece hollow fiberglass tent
pole (available as replacements at places like Gart Bros.). The real pulling
force is transferred by a long loop of braided steel cable that runs through
the hollow pole, through the mounting block, and around the seat post.
Here the pole is extended (almost 6 feet in length). At the lower
left you can see the loop of cable that will go around the seat post. At the
upper right is the loop that will be clipped into the mini biner / bungi
combination attached to the tow-ee's head set.
