08/10/10 - Bicycle Racing Strategy 103: Blocking, Chasing & Bridging

1) BLOCKING. The support role for attacking tactics is often more important than the work in the break. Blocking tactics are to control the speed of the first 3 to 5 riders in the peleton.
a) Physical slamming. This type of blocking (racing to the front and then slowing down) only angers the peleton against your team, their adrenaline flows stronger, and they end up riding harder than if you had done nothing. DO NOT DO IT.
b) Active blocking. The best blocking technique is to lull the competition into accepting a slightly slower pace. You do this by taking the wheel of the 1st rider chasing the break i.e. the rider at the front of the peleton. As the chasing rider swings out for the next person to pull through – it’s you, but you do not pull through rather just following the wheel as it slows. Ride as if you are going to pass but keep your front axle behind the rear axle of the lead rider. They will feel you there expecting you to pull through and until they look back they will not realize they are blocked. This often leads them to take another pull. Just follow the wheel slightly to the side preventing other riders from pulling through. When the front rider eventually gives up then the riders behind you will soon take up the chase again. That is the next step, ether you or one of your team has to get behind the next chasing rider as the chase starts again. This finesse action must be persistent, as blocking is a seesaw battle, a game of adding and subtracting seconds. You will briefly slow the pack for a few seconds giving the break a one or two second gain, the pack will come around to try and take them back, then you try again. The last one to quit wins. Either you have successfully blocked the pack and the break is gone or you have made the opposing teams work as hard as the break. If you are lucky the pack has let you and the chasing rider go that rider has bridged up - with you on the wheel. If they start to falter and the pack is within sight. Attack the rider – ONLY if that rider will not get there, otherwise just wait on the wheel.
c) Boxing. Often it is difficult to disrupt a well-organized chase. At that time you should try to box out the chase. You do this by taking a position a few riders behind the chasing paceline. Now for the box: Pick up speed slowly in order to allow the peleton behind you (not the paceline) to stay on your wheel. As you pass the chasing group steer the peleton into the gutter smothering or boxing the chasers with the peleton and then slowing down. The paceline now have to dig out of the peleton to reorganize the chase giving the break several critical seconds to add to the daylight..
d) Mock attacking. This requires 2 teammates to coordinate attacks. Firstly one attacks on one side of the group to draw the pack and then the other rider attacks on the right side to draw them back to the opposite side of the road. Neither rider actually intends to go off the front – just slow the pace of the pack by confusing and threatening which draws the pack's focus off the chase and disrupts the front chasing riders. This is a great block for weaker riders to take the mental focus off the chase.
e) Passive blocking: Simply not helping to chase the break