Skating in citizen classic races

I think there is probably a lot going on in the lead pack that is not
apparent. Switching lanes to ride the inside of the curve is very
common, for example (i.e., for the running folks, it's running the
tangents). But, there's a lot more in terms of jockeying for
position, or if you are leading to try and put someone else out in
front. You always want to be near the front (to be able to react to
moves and to avoid the accordian effect) but not right at the front
(grooming the trail and blocking the wind for those behind).

Cheers,
Brian

In article , John
O'Connell wrote:
What I did notice in the TV coverge of the leaders (top 60 or so) in
the Vasaloppet was frequent lane shifting for no apparent reason, that
does give you the legal option for a quick skate to get over to the
next track...it seemed to be part of a strategy. At that level the
transition is so smooth and powerfull that I believe it did allow for
some acceleration.