ngchi

Why?

rkwaki

We said it best in another thread. I'm just too lazy to look for it.

grolby

In short: in crits everyone is on high alert all the time, so more attentive, crashes usually happen at lower speeds, races aren't as long, the course is totally closed. In road races, people zone out, crashes often happen at high speed (downhills or fast flats), the races are a lot longer = more time for bad things to happen, courses are usually not closed. It's possible that crashes are more frequent in crits (not sure, though), but serious injury is probably less likely.

shovelhd

Read the sticky.
Search for and read the 1,295 other posts just like yours.
Ask specific questions in this thread.
Race both if you can.

I strongly believe in the progression. Ride, group ride, fast group ride, race. That's not always possible, so dive in head first. If there is a Cat5 clinic in your area, or if you can join a club that has a racing contingent with mentors who can help you, by all means take advantage of it.

One question. At 15, who is taking you to the races?

shovelhd

We did bumping drills at last week's clinic. Nobody wanted to lean hard on me until I made them do it. One kid was really scared of contact. I worked with him for half a lap until he would repeatedly bump me. The first few times he shook his bars back and forth so hard I thought he was going to run into me.

ngchi

I'm not disagreeing, saying something is idiotic isn't the best argument though. Just wondering why he feels this way.

island rider

Ok, so how do I make sure I get into your group? I'd ask if you're going to be there Sunday... but is anyone?

Jandro 

Bumping drills are amazing. I was first introduced to them in track clinics and they do wonders.

In one of my first crits, I was at the front going into a wiiiiide right hand turn at around 23mph (out - in - out). There was a guy on the outside of me that decided he wanted to go out - in - in. I have no idea why, maybe he zoned out, but instead of following the line back out to the opposite curb from the apex, he basically rode right into my lefthand side. I felt him and saw him out of my peripheral vision right before contact and was able to just sort of relax, lean into him, and sort of lightly push him off of me. No fuss, no muss, and I didn't feel out of control at any point. No crash but I think it spooked him - I didn't see him for the rest of the race.

In my limited experience (10 races) there have been just as many crashes in road races as crits. The road race ones seemed worse - thankfully I wasn't in any of them and most happened behind me.

Not trying to discourage you, though. Go race. It's ridiculously fun and anything you can do to increase your bike handling skills will pay off immensely.

island rider

That was the collective wisdom of the exchange on crit v rr. I think one of those exchanges started when a wise, funny and handsome newbie asked a question about different bikes for different things. Back before he got schooled up (or just schooled, depending on what we are talking about.

OP - Try it, if you are in the mix great, if not, pedal until someone tells you your (or the) race is over. If the group comes up from behind, hold your line and relax, they'll get past you quick.

caloso

I still remember the skills I picked up at a team clinic when I was new. Shoulder bumping, wheel rubbing, how to properly take off and put away a windvest or jacket.

shovelhd

I plan to work every clinic.

There are four BF33 members that are coaches at the Bethel clinics. I would ride shoulder to shoulder through an off camber 120 degree potholed corner with any of them. They are all highly experienced, safe racers. I'm the guy on the Felt FC with the blue and pink kit. The bumping drills are in the first clinic, which is repeated every week for those who did not attend the first clinic. If you were not there last week then I can request that I take the repeat group so that you can work with me.

rkwaki

Gives a whole new definition to bumping uglies...

chasm54

The contact stuff is interesting. Kids adjust to it very fast if sympathetically coached. I posted this in another forum a couple of weeks ago...

I was helping run a training camp for young racing cyclists last week. On one of our rides I was at the front of a long paceline, riding two by two with a (very fast) 13 year-old girl beside me. She wasn't concentrating on the route, I didn't remind her, and as we took a right turn she just kept going; so I (weighing over 190lbs) turned right into her (weighing under 100lbs).To her immense credit she didn't panic, just leaned into me, holding her position, and we rode along leaning on one another for maybe fifteen yards while braking to a safe stop. Both of us stayed upright, it was absolutely fine. Contact, even quite solid contact, as in this case, can be managed but it is counterintuitive. If she had done the instinctive thing and thrown her weight to the right, we would almost certainly both have gone down, possibly with me on top of her. A credit to her coaches.

rkwaki

Listen to Renehaw discuss the head contact on the run in for the sprint at the tour a couple years ago (when he got ejected)

chasm54

Yeah, I remember. He shouldn't have been DQ'd, imo. Entertaining to watch, though.

caloso

That's good stuff.

rkwaki

But man that baby Farrar was crying about it.