Pace Groups in Gravel Cycling at the Gorge Gravel Grinder – by Linda English

“I was so busy meeting the people in my pace group that I forgot to be nervous,” commented one of the cyclists at the Gorge Gravel Grinder. 

The idea of pace groups is nothing new to those of you who came out of the running world. Large running events offer up designated runners who have signs to show the pace they are running (For example, the nine minute miler group).

This helps out in two ways, people who get sucked out in the initial adrenaline of the race can stay calm and run with their pace group. And it helps people through the jitters of running a race; so many people are terrified of the “I am going to be last” syndrome.

But could the “find your tribe”  concept work in a bike race; would this encourage more people to enter Gravel Grinder events?

The idea came from Colleen Quindlen Cook of Breakaway Promotions.  Colleen was specifically looking for how to expand the field of women who participate in gravel races and wanted to bring the spirit of camaraderie and support she found at the Danskin Triathlon, where she was a coach for years. When she surveyed cyclists in the Women Gravel Cyclists Facebook group, she quickly saw two barriers for women trying gravel racing: they didn’t want to be last, they didn’t want to bike alone.  Pace groups, led by encouraging and experienced cyclists who would cheer riders on and give tips, could be a key to help take the anxiety and intimidation out of the ride.

So she pitched the idea to Breakaway Promotions owner Chad Sperry, who gave her full support to run with it.  She set up pace groups in the Gorge Gravel Grinder.  

The outcome?  67 people signed up, with an even split between men and women, and even more jumping into the groups during the ride. 

How did this work? Nineteen pacers were assigned different speeds. Thirty minutes before the start of the event, the pacers met their participants. Each pace group had a lead person (called the engine) and a sweep (called the caboose). Pacers were given easy to identify jerseys.

Kevin English, from Dirty Freehub who helped coordinate the event and pick the right group.  “With a hilly but fast course, trying to decide which pace was challenging.  So we encouraged people to select faster groups then drop into slower groups.”

Pacer Mary Fanelli commented, “I was so nervous about how to lead a group.  But really we had a good time.” 

Several participants admitted they would have never tried a bike race without the pace groups. Several pacers said they weren’t sure what to expect, but had fun watching the participants succeed.

Did the groups stay together? Pacers reported that the groups were pretty dynamic. People split off and rejoined the individual groups throughout the event.

Could this be a new way to get more people into trying out gravel events? Could this help bring in specifically more female riders? Or get racers to calm down at the start?

Article by Linda English, Executive Director of Dirty Freehub