Frist Road Race Ever!!

[Grog]

I never raced but I've trained with lots of racers and we rode in pacelines which were much closer than those pictured on that photo. About half that distance I'd say, I could easily put my hand on the next person's shoulder/neck area.

Some new-ish riders would make me quite nervous and I instinctively went down into my drops. Even if my bars are narrow, I guess handlebars could lock if the other person arrives at an angle. In any case I preferred to be safe than sorry.

In crits obviously it'd be all in the drops.

One thing I've found in riding with tight packs is: please don't stop pedaling. It sends me the message that you're going to stop, makes me feather my brakes and creates a chain-reaction throughout the whole group. If I feathered my brakes for whatever reason I would keep moving my feet even if it was without actually putting pressure on the pedals... or be yelled at by our coach!! (Unless you ARE stopping of course but that's another matter.)