Crit racing advice needed

Stay toward the front as much as possible.  Hold your line through the corners and be prepared to accelerate out of each one.  If you are in the back, it will be much harder on you as the accordian goes through each corner.  Keep your cadence high so you can accelerate quicker.  STAY IN THE DRAFT at all costs, you lose it, race is over.  Don't chase every yahoo that tries to make a break.  But if 3 or more guys go, try to get onto them asap and take your turn pulling.  NEVER lead the bunch if you are by yourself without a team.  If you end up at the front, take a 30 second or so pull and fall off.

And keep the rubber side down ..........

hate to do this, but check this out:


http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Pointers!_How_to_avoid_been_dropped_on_1rst_ever_crit_race._P2344964


great info on ST.  if you have to search for it search for 'how to avoid being dripped on 1rst ever crit race'


and this one:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Thoughts_after_getting_SMACKED_DOWN_in_first_Crit_P2335203

"thougts after getting smacked down in first crit"



http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Why_do_roadies_keep_dropping_my_ass_P2331738


never done one myself but would love to.  As soon as i get a roadie (which I should have done, in hindsight) I'll start racing crits.  they just sound like a ton of fun


Izzy

In addition to Rick's points:

* if possible, stay in the drops - especially when/if you are sprinting
* keep your elbows out slightly - this will protect your handlebars from other riders and allow you to absorb the shock of any bumps from other riders
* things will start very quickly - you need to think like a bike racer and be ready to go hard for as long as you need to not get dropped
* inside pedal up!
* do not let yourself get boxed out; if you are stuck behind someone when a break goes you are either stuck in the chase group or TTing up to the leaders
* be prepared to react; this will come with experience but in a bike race, you can't debate whether or not to go with the break; you either go or chase

Shane

Edited by gsmacleod 2009-06-23 10:43 AM

Also watch your front wheel.  You can get bumped on the arms or hips and recover, but if someone hits your wheel, pretty much game over.

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Yeah, everyone else has given you great advice for your first crit. To try to stay near the front, for every rider that passes you, you need to pass 2.

Different courses make the dynamics quite different. We have training crits twice weekly in Vancouver. On Tuesdays, they have an uphill & downhill and on Thursday they are quite flat, so the dynamics will be different.

You are just going to be learning for your first few races. Just have fun. Try attacking the group, just to see what it is like, try bridging up to a break if there is one, take some pulls at the front, ride at the back too, just to see how it is. All these things will make you better for the next crit.

Edited by jeng 2009-06-23 11:27 AM

To train for them, add a couple fun workouts:

WU 15 min, then do 8x1min ALL OUT, hard as you can go, eyes-bleeding intervals with 3-4min recoveries. CD 10-15min.

Or the real fave, "microbursts:" 15sec max effort sprint, 15sec recovery, go for about 10min. Best done with a power meter, and target for the bursts is 2-3x FTP.

Crit racing is tough, but it can be fun. Around here there are a few too many yahoos, and crashes (often bad) are not uncommon, so I gave it up.

Great info...thanks for the heads up!

I've done more than I can count .... and let me tell you.  In the 1/2/3 field they are anything BUT fun.  They hurt ..... a lot ..... and that is even when you can stay with the pack!

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Not much experience here, but I have started a cat 4/5 crit and got dropped less than half way through, and done one practice crit where I finished with the field.  Us triathletes are diesel engines -- we race steady state for whatever the distance is.  Crits are a whole different animal.

Be prepared to feel like you are going to puke!  I don't think it's possible to work out as hard as you will push yourself when in the race.  Absolute 100% efforts with coasting mixed in for a bit of each lap.  Just don't give up unless you really are going to puke.  You may find that just after you feel like you can't keep up, the pace will ease a bit as everyone else is in the same boat.

All the advice above is good.  The ST threads are good too.  Post tomorrow to let us know how it went!

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Man...that was probably harder than my TT last week!  I had been warned that I'd get dropped at some point and not to get down about it...just use the learning experience and gain from it.  Well, I never got dropped but I definately did too much work.  I had also been told that you should take breaks and tuck in behind others...however, don't get too far behin others because you'll get blocked out when stronger riders make breaks. 

Well, I didn't follow every yahoo that went for it, but if there were 2 or three, I joined in almost every time.  As a result I think I led about half the laps...I was leading into the final lap and decided to hold off...I followed the main break with about .4 miles to go and it was way to soon.  By the final turn I was gassed and just hung on for dear life.  I haven't checked the results but I was around the top ten.

It was an overall success and I learned alot!  I also learned that those things hurt!!!  But overall a great time and I'll be back out there in the weeks to come.  Thanks for all the advice...it really helped out!

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Congrats!  Now that you have your first out of the way, the others will come easier and you'll get better at them.

If you are going to race more crits learn who the strong and/or smart riders are that race often.  Going with every group of 2-3+ is going to waste energy.  If there is a strong local team that works together (too many lower category racers race as individuals even when they have 8 teammates in the race) let them do the work to bring the group back....that is of course if they have nobody in it.  Learn to play off of others numbers.  If you are a single person team do not burn all your matches before the final sprint.  In Cat 3 races I would actually sometimes sit at the back during the middle of the race to kind of just chill out.  You will learn after doing the same courses over and over and over and over again which ones are good for breakaways and which ones will more than likely end in bunch sprints.  My take on crit racing was that the first 5 laps and the last 5 laps where always the hardest times of the race.

And I agree that the pain from crits is fun. 

I actually am on a team...but I focus primarily on Tri's (we actually bought tri kits this year).  But either way, most of my team are Cat3 and up so there wasn't really the opportunity for much organization.  They pointed out a couple of the stronger riders before my race...but I guess since it was my first one, I was just a little ancy from the jump.  I talked to a couple of the stronger guys afterward and got to know them a little better...I'll definately show more organization as I progress.  Thanks.