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A Study in Casually Deliberate: Start Properly

Sarah Ginsbach demonstrates perfect mounting style. Photo: Allen Kuo

I was recently asked how one is supposed to handle the delicate situation when departing a traffic signal and you are unable to clip in immediately. The obvious answer is that you’re supposed to clip in right away (use your toe to position the pedal and then pop your shoe into it) but I admit that this doesn’t always work out as envisioned. Should you find yourself in a traffic intersection, flailing about trying to clip in, the simple fact is that you are to remain Casually Deliberate at all times: take your time, don’t express any sense of feeling rushed, and possibly pretend like there might be something wrong with either your cleat or pedal.

This brings up a greater worry centered around how we as a group set about starting off initially on our rides. Being bipedal organisms, we struggle with setting a flight on two wheels. In my observations, I have noted that many of us tend to straddle the bike (itself an inelegant maneuver), grasp the bars with both hands, stare longingly at the first pedal as it is engaged with the cleat, before pushing off – an act not without risk given the likelihood of slipping on our cleated shoe – and wobbling about as the other foot is clipped into the pedal. This act is – inexplicably – normally followed by a sprint to get up to speed as if to prove that despite our failings in starting properly, we can still crush fools.

Cyclocross is a sport of savages; it combines the elegance of Cycling with the stated objective to dismount and run over obstacles, as if some mad nutter crossed Cycling with Miniature Golf. Which is not to say that I don’t love Cyclocross (because I do). The sport does give the road Cyclist excellent bike handling skills, not to mention a disciplined approach to remounting the bicycle while in full flight.

This is an art that the ‘Crosser must master as part of the sport and one in which I have failed miserably in for the simple fact that when I go out training, I cannot abide the idea that I would stop riding my bicycle just so I can practice climbing back on it. Be that as it may, the expert rider is able to fluidly run alongside their bike and swing swiftly aboard the thing as though they were about to take a swim in bath of warm jelly.

Whenever I race CX, I am humiliated by my remount, losing dozens of meters at every attempt. That said, I have practiced it just enough to do it properly from a standstill, a skill which serves me well when setting off on any of my road rides.

One is never to straddle the bike prior to setting off. Instead, hold the bars casually with both hands and stand on the left (non-drive) side.
In one swift move, pivot on your left foot while swinging your thigh onto the saddle.
Allow your thigh to slide over the saddle and use it to slip your rump to where you ultimately endeavor to sit.
Simultaneously, push off with your left foot to set the whole operation into motion.
Allow your feet to dangle for a moment while you find your pedals, flip them into position with your toes, and clip in perfectly before casually pedalling off as though it took no concentration whatsoever.

A few notes of caution. Do not try to go all Air Jordan and attempt to get up in the air; you will crush your boy or lady parts. Instead slide onto the inner thigh first, and then slowly engage said crushable parts. Also, if you still fail to engage the pedals, simply use your momentum to roll along as though it were deliberate and take your time to clip in one foot at a time. Also, try to watch where you’re going so as not to roll into oncoming traffic and get killed.

Vive la Vie Velominatus. Please see below for an excellent instruction by GCN.

And, for the world’s fastest bike change:

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

RobSandy says:

Dec 10 2015 at 12:07 am

@pistard

@wilburrox

Maybe I’m just not good at riding bikes, as I’ve only been doing it for 40 or so years, but there are two things I do not do on my road bike. One is track stands and two is wheelies.

Agreed. I’ll track stand on a track bike, where I can pull it off, but rarely on a road bike. A perfectly still, effortless track stand can be as casually deliberate as anything, but jerkin’ back ’n’ forth is not. (Devo reference intended.)

One of my riding buddies pulled off a perfectly motionless track stand while we were listening to the coach the other night. I was really quite impressed. Returning to topic, he's a Crosser.
frank says:

Dec 10 2015 at 10:06 am

@PT

No harm no foul.
minion says:

Dec 11 2015 at 5:24 pm

https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/CS0t5pnUcAA7Qci.mp4

Not sure if the link is going to embed properly but it is why track standing is useless.

PS won't track stand at lights - seems like a pointless and quick way to fill your legs up with lactic acid. Will track stand if cut off or obstructed while riding, cos it's normally safer and quicker to be able to spin off as soon as the cager gets out of the way without having to clip in again.
frank says:

Dec 12 2015 at 9:58 pm

@minion

https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/CS0t5pnUcAA7Qci.mp4

Not sure if the link is going to embed properly but it is why track standing is useless.

PS won’t track stand at lights – seems like a pointless and quick way to fill your legs up with lactic acid. Will track stand if cut off or obstructed while riding, cos it’s normally safer and quicker to be able to spin off as soon as the cager gets out of the way without having to clip in again.

That is the best video and the best descriptor of why I am so reluctant to strack stand for more than a few seconds only when I know the light will change so soon it seems a waste to unclip.
pistard says:

Dec 13 2015 at 12:25 am

@minion

@frank

Useless? It's tactical and in the video it works, forcing the second rider to take the lead. (Although he should have been disqualified for moving backwards.)

It's also limited to two times, max 30 seconds each in a match sprint by UCI and USAC, but here's Hoy and Wolff standstill for several minutes at a German Six Day, where the first rule is to encourage beer sales:
minion says:

Dec 13 2015 at 1:05 am

There was a lot of back and forth with the commissars about whether he should have been dq'ed for going backwards, but because Hoogland used the tactic to take the lead it was allowed.

You can understand why, with an evening's racing to schedule, a house full of punters, and a lot of match sprint heats, the track stand got the boot. Having said that, this is one of my favourite match sprint vids for the massive hook that gets thrown by Golinelli
frank says:

Dec 13 2015 at 5:17 pm

A note of caution. When doing this mount in the rain, take care not to hook your shorts on the saddle, requiring a cleated wobble into the street. Very tough to keep it all Casually Deliberate when this happens.

Theoretically.
chuckp says:

Dec 14 2015 at 7:58 am

@frank

I was recently asked how one is supposed to handle the delicate situation when departing a traffic signal and you are unable to clip in immediately. The obvious answer is that you’re supposed to clip in right away (use your toe to position the pedal and then pop your shoe into it) but I admit that this doesn’t always work out as envisioned.

One word: Speedplay. Double-sided entry means no need to use your toe to position the pedal. Just find the pedal with you cleat and step in/pedal to engage. Even if you're off a little, easy to maintain casual deliberateness as there's no need to look down and all you need to do is just keep pedaling so no wobbling involved. Another word: Spartacus.

Not about clipping in to start, but how casually deliberate was Sagan's clipping back in after coming unclipped on the Governor's climb en route to winning the Worlds? 1:10 point in the vid.
frank says:

Dec 15 2015 at 8:27 am

@chuckp

Totally.
Ron says:

Dec 15 2015 at 8:56 am

Not a bad suggestion, Chuck. However, the thought of swapping pedals on all my road bikes AND swapping cleats on my numerous pairs of shoes means I shall never, ever let the thought of Speedplay Reassignment Therapy enter my mind.

I'd be broke and delusion from setting, resetting, and tweaking the cleat adjustment.