Always be casually deliberate, even when riding.
You have just attacked off the front to take a town line sprint. It was a just-the-perfect-amount-of-dumb yet successful move. You went deeply anaerobic for a sprint no one else was even mildly interested in, but you did crush them unrestrainedly.
Now, to hide your effort, you deploy the Rule #80 Casual Coast. Left hand on the bars, right hand resting on the thigh, right pedal up to raise the right thigh to armchair height. You coast along as your awesome sprinting momentum eases and the group rolls up. You are a picture of relaxation and confidence. You drift left and regard them as they ride up on your right. Your body language says one thing.
Let that be a lesson, jongens.
My old friend and LBS owner, George “Lefty” Sykes has taught me many cycling things over the years. He invested too much time, swearing and frustration drilling us in the perfect double pace line. The Casual Coast was never mentioned but George was a master of this move. I discerned this posture was as important as riding a double pace line though no one was going to pull me off the road and lecture me about it. This was not a skill, this was just cool. We cyclists don’t do much coasting but this an awesome way to recover and survey your fellow riders from a position of power and relaxed confidence.
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@frank
Gianni scores bonus points by overtaking while smoking a cigarette and throwing out a look that says "hey, any of you recumbent bitches got a match?"
@frank
...blush...I've decided the black kit is very stealthy thus slimming. Team Body Dysmorphia, I'm renewing my contract.
@Gianni
There's 58 also in between in case you forgot.
The gap between front wheel and the down tube is huge. What frame is that?
@TommyTubolare
Regarding the 56cm, I was exaggerating, thinking of Gilbert's small frame for not that small a man.
It's a Serotta, Meivici lugged frame. Here is a more useful photo of it. Does the geometry look weird? I'm big as a house!
Crikey! If we keep this up he'll have to wear a cap 'cause his helmet won't fit!!
Sprint so fast you lost your bidon.....? Or just too casual a ride to carry water?
@Gianni
Gadzooks!!!
@Gianni, that Serotta is too awesome to be allowed.
This is the essence of tranquillo. There is no greater way to demoralize an opponent than to sit up after a huge effort, look back, and quip "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
No mercy. Lighting up a cig isn't cool anymore, though. Gotta save that for when you're ensuring proper hydration après velo.
This is defiantly how you handle Rule #80. As you've already noted, it's super important to be tranquillo when the group finally catches up. If you're dry heaving from the effort, the magic you just created is lost. Probably in close second to the Keeper Approved Position, is sitting all the way up, hands off the bars, maybe having a gel or taking a photo of the group with your cell (and texting it to the guys your waiting on).
@Gianni disappointed you are deploying cheap far eastern fake cigs. A French lot Italian model has far more panache.