Team Pursuit

Get two teams of 4 riders on opposite sides of the track. (When turn-out is low, go with just one because teams need to rest between efforts.) Give the riders some laps to get comfortable. As they ride make sure they are doing their exchanges correctly. Riders should be going up to touch the yellow line mid-way between the turns and coming down right on the wheel of the last rider in the line. Coming down too soon is better than coming down too late. Riders should also be coming down on the steep banking, which maximizes the speed they can pick up and so gives them more of a rest. The brief period changing the lead should give the rider a rest, not result in an additional effort required to sprint onto the back of the group. This takes practice. As the teams get comfortable, have them slowly pick up the pace to pursuit speed. Again, it is important that no one sprints. The group has to stay together, and no one should tire too soon. This means picking up the speed gradually. Once the riders reach pursuit speed, have them hold it and keep doing laps until people start to tire and drop off. When the first rider drops off, everyone who notices, including the rider dropping off, should shout “three.” This alerts the remaining riders that they should only be going up to the blue on relief. Likewise for when only two remain, in which case the relief rider only goes up to the red. The drill ends when the 2^nd last rider drops out. As a variation, riders can do a pre-determined number of laps and practice a proper pursuit finish. As they come out of turn 4 on the final approach to the finish, the lead rider moves up track to just below the blue, the second rider moves up to just above the red, and the third comes by underneath. The three riders try to cross the finish alongside another, but this should not be done by anyone slowing down. Riders 2 and 3 need to catch up to 1.

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