wsuhoops1000

Cat 5

I was racing today sitting in third wheel and a guy with 3 other team mates was pulling. His team mate was in second. He switched sides of the road and I thought they might be attacking and trying to lose me off there wheel. I followed behind them, then they switched again, and again I followed. Apparently this was my cue to pull. "TAKE YOUR FACKING PULL, BIATCH" This was the guy screaming at me. I smiled and told him he could let his teammates. It was inthe lead pack of about 10.

So my question is, I guess. If I'm without teammates and there are 4 people on the same team in a pack, should I be expected to take anything but short, half mile pulls? Whenever I take a pull even race pace group rides, half the time I am dropped after. I just don't understand getting screamed out when clearly his mates could have helped.

I beat the jerk though and got 5th.

I'm not on a team, by myself from the get go, by the way.

TMonk

/popcorn.jpeg

AzTallRider

There is no requirement nor valid expectation for you to do anything in a race you don't want to do, other than to follow the rules and ride safely. There is also nothing to prevent others from trying to get you to do what they want you to do. Sounds like you just roe your race, which is what you should do.

Diegomayra

If your struggling to keep off the front then I'd work together. If your within a few miles of the finish and the break will hold then sit-in and take the win I'd say.

wsuhoops1000

Thanks, and yeah I should help. But I'm just not strong enough at the moment.

carpediemracing 

If someone moves over after pulling for a while look for an elbow wiggle. If they move left they'll wiggle their right elbow. This is a standard way of communicating that they're done pulling. You go past on the elbow wiggle side.

You have two options - pull through or not to pull through.

If you don't want to pull through you do what you did, or something like it. Follow the guy when he pulls off. Ease up when he slows down. Or just keep on your line but coast so you slow up a bit. The people behind you will get the message that you don't want to pull through.

If you want to pull through you can do so for a short pull, a medium pull, or a long one. A short pull is a "pull through and off" - pull just enough to clear the front wheel of the rider that pulled off before you and then pull off. A medium pull is a typical pull in a group of 4-5 or more - 20 pedal revolutions, which, at speed, can be tough. A half mile pull is a super long pull, appropriate if you're with just one other rider and you two are about to win a race. I don't think I've ever pulled a half mile unless I was going as hard as I could with a teammate on my wheel.

There's no rule that you have to pull. There's no rule that when you pull it should be half a mile. If you want to pull and there's no one ahead just make sure you pull off before you go into the red, else you'll get shelled.

If someone yells at you to pull through then I'd attack them if I could (someone yelling at you for cornering improperly, swerving dangerously, etc, those are, at some level, justified, although there are always exceptions there too - generally speaking the ones that holler in the lower category races are the ones making mistakes). Jump hard, go 15-20 seconds hard, look back and see what's happening. If no one is going then you'll have to make a choice, go or not. If everyone is jumping after you then sit up as soon as they get on your wheel.

Examples of elbow wiggle (go to 6:40 to start):

Also notice how short that pull was? 10 revs or so, it wasn't that long. My teammate Todd, who pulls first, was the Canadian M35 National Cross Champ. The guy that wiggles his elbow is a Cat 2. We were chasing so we were all working together. If we were at the front of the field it wouldn't have been as fast and the pulls could have been a bit longer.

Remember in a crit the first person over the line wins. How long it takes to finish the race isn't important.

asgelle

Did you notice that the OP was sitting third wheel and the lead rider and his team mate in second both swerved expecting the third rider to take the front. I've never heard anyone at any level say they expected the third rider to pull through.

I guess this is what happens when people just jump in to racing. Based on this and the talk me down thread, all I can think of is someone thinking they're ready for Rucker because they spent the last two months shooting alone in their driveway.

Fat Boy

Damn you. Every time I watch one of your vids, my legs tingle and hurt. It's a mental thing, but it's there.

ovoleg

I dont take pulls unless I want to avoid crashes or I'm in the break.

shovelhd

So what is the question?

thechemist

Male or female cyclist pulling in front of you?

TMonk

lame


bingo

chevahh

+1

Homebrew01

1/2 mile is not a short pull, especially with 10 guys. The greater the number of riders, the shorter the pull.

mattm

Yeah. Just pull through, but make it short and sweet.

If the team in question is really going to put the hurt on, they should be trading attacks, not just getting people to pull through.

ancker

I would have jut pulled-through. Just go to the front and immediately, or within a few seconds, pull-off. That's what everyone should be doing anyway. Taking long pulls in a crit is for people who don't want to win.

One of the guys I race with (and one of the strongest) decided to pull the whole 2 laps before the last lap. He is strong enough to do it but he had nothing left for the sprint and got 8th. All the guys behind him sat there for two laps enjoying the tow, then last lap, bang, passed by the freight train. My team had 5 guys in the top 11 though, so we did great. After the race he said he was trying to shell everyone so our sprinter could take it. But our sprinter was too far back at the last corner. He got 5th.

botto 

jsutkeepspining

botto, there's too much leakage now, a finger wont stop it!

Homebrew01

Seems racing related to me.

grolby

Cripes botto, start paying that kid time and a half or put him away.

Racer Ex 

<sigh>

tetonrider

wait...so you had one team member pull for 2 laps before the final lap, had at least 4 other team members there, the best of which finished 5th....and that is a good result for the team? seems like a huge error.

sorry, just busting on ya, but i couldn't let that one go.

Homebrew01

Just like some pros. 1 team will drill the front with 6k to go, then be cooked with 1 to go and the teams sitting in take the podium.

Creakyknees

<cough> GARMIN <cough>

nhluhr

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