THE PACELINE AS LIFE METAPHOR

So, what exactly is a ‘paceline’?  And what could possibly make it a metaphor for life?

Paceline is a cycling term.  It refers to a line of riders following one another closely in order to overcome air resistance more efficiently.  How closely?  Certainly less than a bike length - often as little as six inches!  How much more efficiently?  In a head wind, up to a 30% reduction in effort for riders behind the leader.

Why metaphor?  A metaphor is a figure of speech that identifies something as being the same as some unrelated thing for purposes of comparison, thus highlighting the similarities between the two.  We humans are social animals.  Riding with my buddies, I reflect on the congruence between what makes a successful paceline and the principles that apply to a life well lived.

I started riding with a group of guys - the Over the Hill Gang - in 2004.  In the eleven plus years since, we’ve logged close to 40,000 kilometres together.  That’s about equal to the circumference of the Earth!  A couple of the group’s members have left us along the way and others have joined.  We’re what I’d call ‘serious recreational riders’.  We ride together three times a week, personal schedules and weather permitting.

Current members of OTHG are Ira Birt, Richard Birt, Russ Melanson, John MacQuarrie, Kent Wood, Mark Grimmett and myself.  Others who’ve ridden with us over the years are Gerry Ridgeway and Graeme Carr.

These basic rules of paceline riding apply equally to life.

1.    Relax

Learn to move with the flow of the group and you soon realize that it has a certain dynamic to it.  Find a spot in the paceline that’s quiet and away from the wind.  Be calm, focused and observant. 

2.    Hide your suffering

Use your game face to gain a psychological advantage. 

3.    Work smart

Do only as much work as the rider working the hardest; never more. 

4.    Watch for erratic riders

Avoid riders who are dangerous.  A rider who isn’t holding a straight line, who’s taking his hands off the bars, who won’t keep a constant pace, or who isn’t looking ahead is trouble in the making. 

5.    Look ahead

Always keep your eyes on the road; not on the rider ahead of you.  A paceline is no place for blind faith. 

6.    Be predictable

Don’t make any sudden move that might put the rest of the group in danger or reduce the efficiency of the group.  The leader is responsible for everyone behind him.  When at the front, don’t brake.  (Kill the damn squirrel!) 

7.    Be loyal

Show up on time, and always pay for coffee when it’s your turn. 

8.    Don’t coast

Don’t soft-pedal when you’re on the front.  And don’t be afraid to ‘hammer’ sometimes when you’ve got good legs. 

9.    Don’t give up

We all have bad days.  The paceline will make sure you get home.  And the best cure for a crash is to get right back in the saddle. 

10. Don’t be a ‘wheelsuck’!

A guy who won’t take a turn up front is the lowest form of life! 

In life as in the paceline, the most important principle is trust.  Surround yourself with people you trust.  They’ll help you get through the tough times and the good.

 

Here are a few images from memorable OTHG rides.  The first is from 2004 - Russ Melanson, Ira Birt, Gerry Ridgeway and me getting ready to tackle Smokey on our three-day ride around the Cabot Trail.  It rained most of the way, we nearly froze in our tents, and the wind always seemed to be in our faces.  But we had a great time!

The next was taken at East Point in 2006 after we’d completed the 271-kilometre Tip-to-Tip ride from North Cape in the very respectable time of 8 hours 11 minutes.  From left to right: Joan and Richard Birt; Graeme Carr; Gerry and Phyllis Ridgeway; Tom from Calgary who rode with us and took his share of pulls on the front; Elva and me; Ira and Liz Birt; Russ and Sandy Melanson.

In October of the same year, Russ, Ira, Gerry and me traveled to France to climb the redoubtable Mont Ventoux, a 6,000 foot monster featuring a 21-kilometre climb with an 8% average grade.  Richard and Joan, traveling through Europe for five weeks, met us there.  The first shot shows Russ and Richard with the Géant de Provence in the background.  The second shows Russ, me, Gerry and Ira at the Tom Simpson memorial near the summit.

In 2011, we rode the Middleton, NS, century (160 km.) together.  This magnificent shot was taken by a professional photographer working for the Chronicle-Herald - Russ Melanson, me, John MacQuarrie, Ira Birt and Gerry Ridgeway.  MacQuarrie is looking like “There’s nothing to this!”  The rest of us were dying.

In 2012, we had one hell of a sweet ride from Cap-de-la-Madeleine to Saint-Augustin in the Grand Fondo Louis Garneau, an event that drew some 2,000 participants.

The following year saw us in Niagara Falls - what one of our group called “Every new bride’s second-biggest disappointment” - to participate in the inaugural Niagara Gran Fondo where we were awarded the prize for fastest team!  The photo shows the start of the event at 6:30 am with the mighty falls in the background.

Last year’s treat turned out to be our toughest challenge yet: the Gran Fondo Forillon.  We’d trained for the 126 kilometre route featuring 2,000 feet of climbing and hills with grades ranging from 12% to 16%.  But, you can’t train for rain!  It took us five hours to finish, but finish it we did.  The shots below show us in a paceline under grey skies with the mighty St. Lawrence River and the Gaspé mountains in the background. 

Last Saturday, five of us rode 80 kilometres through the Bonshaw Hills and along the Cumberland shore.  It was one of those days where the Island’s beauty just takes your breath away.  The two youngsters in our group chatted away while us old-timers struggled to keep up.  Talking in the paceline is something we elders just don’t do.  I thought to myself: “Must be a generational thing.  Just like making love, I suppose!”  God I love riding in a paceline…