In addition to reducing the risk of getting hit by cars by riding straight, riding in a straight line decreases the actual distance being covered. A few "extra" feet of unstable riding per mile may not be much, but it can be costly if the race goes down to the wire. (Yes, there are RAAM results that are seconds to minutes apart after over 3,000 miles of racing.)
(However, don't hope to always see straight lines from especially the overtired RAAM riders! Holding a straight line takes some energy, especially if the skill is not well developed.)
Furthermore, the ability to eat and drink, look sideways, and reach out for handoffs without rolling off the road (or into traffic) made the job much easier and safer for everybody.
If it is hard to ride in parallel with the white strip paint on side of road or so, the balancing may need some work in order to be well developed. One possible recommend is learning to ride low speeds on rollers without a lot of major corrections.
See more of Sara Bean's photography!
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