Closing The Door
Example of good lead/drag bike practice

Courtesy of Keith Grantham
 

As just one more example of how an experienced drag bike can add considerably to the safety of a group ride, take the case of your group riding along and seeing a sign that shows that either the right or left lane is about to be lost.

Normally, the lead bike will position the group so that they are in the remaining lane well before the other lane collapses. The danger, of course, comes when some vehicle tries to sneak ahead of the group by racing along that collapsing lane and runs out of road. He has no alternative then but to jam his way into the middle of the group.

An effective lead-bike/drag-bike team cures this problem before it happens. As soon as either of them realizes that one of the lanes is going to disappear the drag bike is asked to, or merely announces that he is going to, 'close the door'. While the group is positioned into the continuing lane, the drag bike rides, by himself, in the collapsing lane. As soon as the collapsing lane has disappeared, the group is once again 'family'.