SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:

Skating With Bikes
How to train with cyclists

By Debbie Rice
March 28, 2008

If you're lucky, you live in an area with lots of other skaters. That way you always have someone to train with. But that wouldn't describe my situation. Here in Denham Springs, LA, I sometimes seem to be the only skater in town.

So recently I joined a local cycling club. This has worked out great. Not only do I have a friendly group of cyclists for cross-training on my bike, but the club has graciously allowed me to skate in some of their training rides.

Some cycling clubs frown on skaters in their midst. They don't trust us to blend in safely. (Or maybe they just don't like the fact that we can keep up with them?)

Here are some guidelines to follow when skating with cyclists. Following them will keep everyone safe and create an atmosphere of trust and respect.

Join the cycling club

Get to know the members, and before skating with them, accompany them (on your bike) on some of their training rides. Learn the rules of the road for cyclists, the do’s and don'ts of paceline safety:

• be predictable
• don’t make sudden changes of speed or direction or slam on your brakes
• don't overlap your wheel with the wheel in front of you
• and call out any road hazards.

Get permission

Ask the group leader if he or she would mind you skating off the back of the paceline, out of the way of the cyclists. Remember: it is always best to ask permission rather than to jump into the pack, which can cause chaos. Introduce skating cautiously – always maintain integrity and safety for the group. (Remember: that's their main concern.)

Play it safe

At first, stay a bike length or two behind the last wheel in the paceline. This will give everyone some time to learn what to expect and get comfortable with each other. Always let the rider fading to the back of the pack know to rotate in front of you. A skater's stride would surely get in the way of the cyclists. So it's best to stay out of the mix of the paceline.

Call out hazards

When skating at the rear of the paceline, you’re in the perfect position to warn the group about passing cars. If a car is coming, yell, “Car back!” so the cyclists will know a vehicle is approaching.

Be consistent

Maintain a constant and steady speed, and don’t go zig-zagging across the road. Try to be as courteous as possible.

Most cyclists underestimate a skater’s capabilities, so you’re sure to get a few "double-takes" from the riders rotating to the back of the paceline.

---

Debbie Rice doesn't let on, but she owns one of the most amazing resumes in inline skating. For starters, she is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records (or at least was listed when skating had its own category) as the fastest woman on skates. Apparently fearless, she was clocked on a downhill run at 61 mph. Less dramatic, but equally dangerous, was Debbie's stint on the Roller Jam television series in the 1990s. A star of the Florida Sundogs, the petite Texan broke her back in two places when an opposing skater knocked her into a railing. ... A Houston native, Debbie trained and raced on the same team as Chad Hedrick and Cheryl Ezzell and won 15 indoor national championships, in addition to numerous outdoor races. Now 40, she is still racing — and winning! Last year, she won the Texas Road Rash in Round Rock. ... In addition to her day job, she is a Bont sales representative and team manager.

• Debbie's MySpace page

Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating