"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - How do you race safely?

Hey guys, I stumbled across this thread in a search and am looking for some opinions/advice.

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=315550

The thread is mostly about crashes during crits.

I am interested in starting to race cat 5 but my question is slightly different. I have been riding for a little over a year. I have always rode by myself. Haven't done any group rides or races. Obviously if I were to race I would start in Cat 5. My concern is how can I do it safely. My concern may seem like I am scared to crash but what I mean is I am scared to cause a crash. I definately wouldn't try to cause a crash intentionally but being new I can see it happening. How can I get skilled enough to not be able to cause crashes, near misses, or other frustrating circumstances? Having never raced I do lack experience, so is there anyway to work on this or do you just have to go out and race?

i would definatley go on group rides first. im in your position also, i havent started racing yet but doing group rides is a good way to learn how to ride in a pack.

In no particular order:
1. Relax.

2. Practice cornering until you are so supple that you can almost sleep through them.

3. Watch the problem areas where crashes occur. Oddly, the worst crashes are in the straighaways where speeds are high and wheels overlap.

4. Learn to identify "wrong" convergences of riders. (you can sometimes predict crashes by how riders are approaching corners. Learn to see the wrong ones.)

5. Watch out for sudden speed changes. When it slows, it bunches. When it speeds up, everyone is scrambling for a wheel.

6. Look farther ahead.

7. Pay attention later in the race when people start getting tired and sloppy.

8. Relax some more.

9. Practice bumping elbows with your clubmates. Learn that it's not the end of the world.
My teammate and I got to the point where we could slam into each other pretty rough, lean on each other, and recover. Try it. It's fun.

10. Don't change the tire pressure in an attempt to get more grip. That's a fallacy.

Try some group rides, and remember you are racing for stuff that is not worth even minor road rash. ;)

group rides are obvious. Learn how to handle your bike particularly with corners. Practice in a parking lot somewhere. when you race, if you are scared, be near an edge, either one of the sides, on the front or on the back. This way you aren't claustrophobic and you have some wiggle room. Finally, yeah, you don't want to cause a crash, but no one does. They still happen. Experience will be a good thing.

Don't bother with all that bike handling balony! Be "safe" the BF way. Ride mainly TT's, and if you must mass start avoid Crits like the plague. Get in every breakaway, and or get droped off the back. And above all else if you see a field sprint comming try a flyer.

Time Trials.

group rides, group rides, and group rides. Sooner or later you will get comfortable enough NOT to over adjust to situations that arise. Most crashes happen because of over adjustment (at least for beginners). Get yourself comfortable riding in close proximity to other riders.

Time Trials.

Correct. And if you handle a bicycle like a total ****** even this is no guarantee.

As a fellow cat 5'er, here are my tips: Do some local group rides to get a feel for being in close quarters with other riders. Then, just plain go enter a race. Don't try to attack, don't worry about drafting 1 mm off the wheel in front of you, don't chase the breakaway. Just ride in the pack then slowly ease your way up some spots. Go easy and at your own pace. After all, cat 5 is about finding a comfort zone, not winning the race. Heck, you aren't even after points and you won't get any money for coming in at the front.

Sitting near the front is safer IMO. Less bunching into the corners, less acceleration out, making for a much smoother race. Usually the sketchiest riders are farther back (don't be THAT GUY, though). Plus you can see better. But first, do group rides (as if enough people hadn't already said that).

Correct. And if you handle a bicycle like a total ****** even this is no guarantee.
You mean like that Danish fellow MR a couple of years ago?

Get off the front by 100 meters and stay there.

Time trials have some pretty bad crashes.
1. the bikes are built for speed, not handling.
2. morons ride with their heads down
3. more speed than they can handle.
4. too much concentration on technique, not enough on the road.

At least if you crash in a TT, it will be your own fault.

Time trials have some pretty bad crashes.
1. the bikes are built for speed, not handling.
2. morons ride with their heads down
3. more speed than they can handle.
4. too much concentration on technique, not enough on the road.

I think this is all covered by 'bike handling ******'. In my view the most crucial part about riding a TT bike is knowing when to NOT be on the aerobars. Some of these pinheads are worried about shaving seconds instead of the DNF that will result if they CRASH. My TT bike handles as well as any racing bike I've owned when I'm on the cowhorns. When bike handling might be impacted by aero positioning, I use the cowhorns. Those are the handlebars with the friggin brakes on them velo cadets.

Ride with groups and just remember one thing-don't overlap wheels, don't overlap wheels.

6. Look farther ahead.



ES posted all great advice, but this, along with being relaxed will help you do the rest.

You can also pick out someone who is a better racer than you, and a little bit stronger, and just sit on their wheel for a few races. You still have to watch out for everything, but they'll be picking the responses to things up ahead, and you'll probably get a better finish than if you rode it on your own. Eventually you'll start to see ways that you could finish better than them. Combined with looking way ahead, you'll learn fast.

Stay near the front and pick out the dangerous people early on. Stay in front of them.

Off the back is pretty safe.

Stay near the front and pick out the dangerous people early on. Stay in front of them.

In 7 full seasons of racing 20-35x annually, I crashed in a mass start race once. The biggest reason for this was I generally tried very hard to race near the front at all times, mainly to stay out of crashes. Doesn't always work, but most crashes do not happen near the front. I've had many crashes *just* slide by my rear wheel. One or two places back and I would have been down.

One of the funniest crashes I've seen was in a TT. Dude takes a turn too hot and slides out. He sits up next to his bike, wheels still spinning. A few seconds later POP! rear tire blows! Like on of those old cartoons where the final brick falls on a characters head long after the rest. Kind of added insult to injury :lol: (guess you had to be there).

Solo breakaway.

Solo breakaway.

Or of course, Pcad's preferred method these days, Solo dropaway.

10. Don't change the tire pressure in an attempt to get more grip. That's a fallacy.

Not so sure about that. A tire under high pressure will tend to bounce and skip where a low pressure tire will deform over objects and maintain contact. I always reduce pressure for tight cornered crits or bad pavement.

Or of course, Pcad's preferred method these days, Solo dropaway.

Do it like me: get off the front, blow up, have the pack blast by, and voila! solo dropaway too.

Not so sure about that. A tire under high pressure will tend to bounce and skip where a low pressure tire will deform over objects and maintain contact. I always reduce pressure for tight cornered crits or bad pavement.

Exactly. I leave the rear pretty high, 120 psi, except in the rain, because a rear slide is easy to recover from, but the front I run about 90 PSI because a front slide is almost always an instant crash.

A sufficient level of velo-boneheadosity will lead to disaster solo, on a group ride, or in a race. There are those prone to this condition. They are dangerous. And they could be toeing up right next to you in your very next race. Pcad developed a keen nose for this affliction early in his career. It continues to serve him well to this day. I generally do not crash, and I try to avoid those who do. I'm usually successful, but not always.

That is all.

A sufficient level of velo-boneheadosity will lead to disaster solo, on a group ride, or in a race. There are those prone to this condition. They are dangerous. And they could be toeing up right next to you in your very next race. Pcad developed a keen nose for this affliction early in his career. It continues to serve him well to this day. I generally do not crash, and I try to avoid those who do. I'm usually successful, but not always.

That is all.

An astute observation. I too have noted this phenomenon. There is such a thing as a cycling s**t magnet. A rider who, regardless of his ability or bike handling skills, is a party too or simply caught up any crash that occurs.

I've known several with this affliction. One rider attempted to shake it by abandoning USCF racing altogether, an otherwise good rider. The very first century he rode in (a melow, non-competitive ride) someone went down in front of him, taking down he and his wife on a tandem :lol:. Not sure if he's still riding or not.

One of the funniest crashes I've seen was in a TT. Dude takes a turn too hot and slides out. He sits up next to his bike, wheels still spinning. A few seconds later POP! rear tire blows! Like on of those old cartoons where the final brick falls on a characters head long after the rest. Kind of added insult to injury :lol: (guess you had to be there).

Yeah, had to be there.

I was once the aforementioned ***** magnet. Three straight races, I was involved in a crash. Since the middle of last summer, however, I haven't touched anything but Michelins to the ground in a race.

Let my surmise the shedding of this electromagnetic phenomena: I got stronger, and was able to fight my way to the front, and stay there. Or off of it. I'd rather blow a corner trying to get away than get taken out being pack fill.

Let my surmise the shedding of this electromagnetic phenomena: I got stronger, and was able to fight my way to the front, and stay there. Or off of it. I'd rather blow a corner trying to get away than get taken out being pack fill.

For a true s**t magnet this does not work. If you are tail gunning the dude 10 in front of you clips a pedal, taking everyone out. If you are in a 5 man break the dude in front of you blows a tire, taking you both into the curb.

I've only known two "True" SM's, both were very strong riders with otherwise acceptable bike handling skills. There was just something else going on ...

Yeah, had to be there.

It was funny, really :D

Let my surmise: I got stronger, and was able to fight my way to the front, and stay there. Or off of it. I'd rather blow a corner trying to get away than get taken out being pack fill.

More likely, you developed a sense for how to identify crash situations. Experience is a great teacher.

Stronger, probably. Smarter, definitely.

Smart will get you farther than strong.

I didn't see don't strike a pedal.

This is the kind of thing that clubs should be teaching. Some teams are known for boneheaded riding ;)

Of course, sometimes there is not much you can do, such as when a guy is sprinting with his head down [as happened to a forum member recently]

Of course, sometimes there is not much you can do, such as when a guy is sprinting with his head down [as happened to a forum member recently]

Hey, that sounds like me. :D

And if you crash, hold onto your bars tightly. Don't reach out for some invisible object to hold onto.

Here's another tip: GUARD YOUR FRONT WHEEL. That means if two wheels touch in a paceline, the guy who crashes is almost inevitably the guy in BACK whose FRONT wheel touched. The guy whose rear wheel made contact is typically not effected. So you can draft close and you can overlap wheels, but if you do not pay attention to this Cycling 101 Law of Physics you're going down. This is undoubtedly the #1 cause of crashes involving more than one bicycle.

Yet another reason to keep your eyes FORWARD and not worry about what's behind you. In cycling what's behind you generally won't hurt you, and if it's going to, you're F'd regardless. So don't look back. Look AHEAD.

How do you race safely?

Here's (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=2604861&postcount=1) a link, that will provide ample information.

I don't think anyones mentioned it, but don't use your brakes! It only slows you down and it really pisses off the people in back of you.

Has anyone tried using tires like MAXIS Fuse, which seem to be a little more grippy. I'd think that these would allow better cornering, but the disadvantage would be the increased rolling resistance. Correct?

Has anyone tried using tires like MAXIS Fuse, which seem to be a little more grippy. I'd think that these would allow better cornering, but the disadvantage would be the increased rolling resistance. Correct?

You can have an AWD bike with ABS friggin brakes, and if you ride like a pinhead, you're going down. This topic is not about gear. It's about attaining basic riding skills.

You can have an AWD bike with ABS friggin brakes, and if you ride like a pinhead, you're going down. This topic is not about gear. It's about attaining basic riding skills.

You are truly the enlightened one.

I think I have now seen the light!

You are truly the enlightened one.

I think I have now seen the light!

In my case seeing the light can always be an LSD flashback, so I don't get too inspired.

Here's (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=2604861&postcount=1) a link, that will provide ample information.


lol maybe its time to bump it up again. dont ever let that thread die.

In no particular order:
1. Relax.

2. Practice cornering until you are so supple that you can almost sleep through them.

3. Watch the problem areas where crashes occur. Oddly, the worst crashes are in the straighaways where speeds are high and wheels overlap.

4. Learn to identify "wrong" convergences of riders. (you can sometimes predict crashes by how riders are approaching corners. Learn to see the wrong ones.)

5. Watch out for sudden speed changes. When it slows, it bunches. When it speeds up, everyone is scrambling for a wheel.

6. Look farther ahead.

7. Pay attention later in the race when people start getting tired and sloppy.

8. Relax some more.

9. Practice bumping elbows with your clubmates. Learn that it's not the end of the world.
My teammate and I got to the point where we could slam into each other pretty rough, lean on each other, and recover. Try it. It's fun.

10. Don't change the tire pressure in an attempt to get more grip. That's a fallacy.

+100

7. Pay attention later in the race when people start getting tired and sloppy.



An interesting illustration of this, a significant number of crashes on the Track occur after the finish.

1. Simple, not easy: Pay attention.

2. Ride some trails/woods.

An interesting illustration of this, a significant number of crashes on the Track occur after the finish.

I think I've only seen one of those recently, but it was a doozy-- guy made a right turn at the end of a keirin and t-boned the wall at the top of the corner. Remarkably he was just a little scraped.

When we run a 4/5 field there's almost always one race where they take the neutral lap too slow and a bunch of guys slide off.

An interesting illustration of this, a significant number of crashes on the Track occur after the finish.

People throwing fixed geared bicycles always has the potential for something interesting. That, and the immediate left hander, that they're oxygen starved to comprehend, looming in front of them.