The dreaded call, then the agonizing decision. Is the victim one of "us" or one of "them"? Should we stop? How about just ride slowly? Who's going to help? Generally, the GCC encourages the group to stop when there is a flat tire, unless the victim clearly says that the group should abandon him. We do not recommend rolling along slowly and waiting for the victim and helper(s) to catch up. Consider the following:
The group continues to roll at the reduced speed of 15 mph while the flat is being repaired. In the (typical) six minutes it takes to complete the repair, the group opens a 1 1/2 mile gap. After these six minutes the group begins to get antsy, and someone says "Where are those guys?", and the group speed edges up to 18 mph. At the same time the chase group gets under way at 23 mph. After 12 minutes the chase group catches sight of their objective and pushes to the anaerobic limit, increasing their speed to 26 mph. At the same time, someone in the pack says "They must have turned back!", and the group increases their speed to 21 mph. Six minutes later the thoroughly exhausted chase group makes contact (24 minutes after the flat), and someone shouts "Hey, they're back! We can go now!", and the group surges ahead at 25 mph, as the chasers drop off the back.