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Old 09-04-12, 05:23 AM
  #15  
shovelhd
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You didn't say that there were a lot of corners, but that's one place to get lazy and let your cadence drop. You said it was windy, that's another. You may think that you're strong enough to just mash away, but that will catch up with you. Get used to riding in the drops for most if not all of the race, and get used to shifting as the pack speeds change. My normal cadence in criteriums is in the 95-110rpm range, but that will drop to 85-90rpm during a hard, solo attack. Another thing you might be doing, consciously or not, is racing to the power meter. Don't do that. Many here have advocated that beginning racers tape over their computer display to only show speed and rpm.

Try this. For your next race, do absolutely nothing but sit in for the first half. I mean sit in, like in the front middle of the field, getting plenty of shelter, getting used to other riders being next to you, them passing you, you passing them, etc. Let everything go up the road. At the halfway point, move to the front and do whatever you feel like. I suggest that you roll off the front before a corner, not attack like a banshee which will cause the Cat5 Pavlovian response. Try and get away solo or in a small group.
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