Road Bike Racing - best way to train for Crits???

The Socal race schedule just got release and I was hoping there would be some more road races in there (better at endurance stuff), but NOPE almost all crits. I counted about 25 races in the season that I can do, only 5 are road races. Since the other 80% is crits, whats the best way to go about training for it? I've only been in one crit last yr and rumors around said it was the fastest pace one of the season. I only last about 10 minutes of the 30 minute crit. I didn't know what to expect off the start, I needed a heavier warm up time. Sure my goal is to survive a race, but what should I do to get to that point of doing 25-30mph for that length of time?

just start racing them
do more big, fast group rides
hit the track

Intervals helped me. During some of my longer rides I would do 60 seconds hard/60 seconds rest x 10. This helped with the pace changes a lot.

just start racing them
do more big, fast group rides
hit the track

That about sums it up. Once you have done a bunch and think you still need advice, then come back and ask again. Until then, experience is everything. Now go find some fast groups and get on with it.

Intervals helped me. During some of my longer rides I would do 60 seconds hard/60 seconds rest x 10. This helped with the pace changes a lot.

This is the best way to do it. Also ride with packs to work on your bike handling although it will not be the same on a road ride.

Try to negotiate rain slicked 90º curves @ 30mph. Crash. Repeat.

That is all.

I dont think there's any magic bullet. "Best" way is to follow a training program for bicycle racing, be it periodization a la friel, coggan/allen training with power, whatever. Included in any good training program is a mixture of intervals (long and short), structured and "unstructured" group rides, races/training races, and workouts dedicated to skills like cornering.

That being said, I've found that for me, doing short maximal intervals with = recovery (e.g. multiple sets of 10x30"on/30" off, 5' - 10' of 15"on/15"off, 1'on/1'off) is very effective for handling surges (in both rrs and crits). In addition to that, cornering - practice, practice, practice so that you can minimize your effort coming out of a corner. Acclerations out of corner after corner during criteriums really wears folks down, the less effort you have to put out getting back up to speed gives you an advantage. Prehn describes strategy for this in his book (cant think of the name off the top of my head) better than I can communicate.

Good luck - criterium racing is fun and will make you enjoy road races that much more!

this one?

http://www.pccoach.com/products/books/book_cycl_racingtactics.htm

^ that's the one.

You really want the Magic Bullet?
In addition to group rides?

Motorpacing on a closed course with sharp corners. (school parking lot on weekend evenings, industrial parks on Sunday)
Attack the motor regularly. Try to hop back into the draft when it catches you.

When you get good at it, do it in the rain.

one circuit race my Garmin recorded, demonstrated that in the course of about 40miles, there were 16 times that speeds went from ~20 to ~30 mph.

to prep for that, ive started to do RTM (ramp to max) efforts.

go out for a ride and start at 20 mph. accelerate to 30mph and then coast back down. when you get to 20mph... accelerate again. and again, and again.

do that until your legs fall off.

does wonders.

The Socal race schedule just got release and I was hoping there would be some more road races in there (better at endurance stuff), but NOPE almost all crits. I counted about 25 races in the season that I can do, only 5 are road races. Since the other 80% is crits, whats the best way to go about training for it? I've only been in one crit last yr and rumors around said it was the fastest pace one of the season. I only last about 10 minutes of the 30 minute crit. I didn't know what to expect off the start, I needed a heavier warm up time. Sure my goal is to survive a race, but what should I do to get to that point of doing 25-30mph for that length of time?

The thing about crits and road races that most new racers overlook is that they are going to be decided by how much power you can push, for how long. The positioning thing comes into play a bit more in crits, obviously. Your "endurance" really doesn't matter much, because your races won't be long enough for that to affect the race.

In a crit it's a matter of surviving the initial surge(s) for the 10-15 minutes, moving up or getting off the front in the middle part of the race, and surviving/maintaining position or staying away in the last third.

A road race is similar, but probably easier for newbies. Generally, the only really hard part of the race is the last couple of miles towards a mass sprint, or whatever long climbs you might face along the way. Similar increases in effort to a crit. The draft in a road race really makes it a matter of hanging out till you hit the 5 mile climb, and then it comes down to the all-knowing, all-seeing equalizer: power.

Jeff:

I've never raced a Criterium, so I'm talking from zero experience here...but...if I were training for them, I'd do a few things.

1. Come up with a training course. A mile to a mile and a half loop with no signals, little traffic, variety in ups, downs, and flats, and is within a short distance to where you start so you can get a warmup in.
2. Interval training. Contrary to popular belief, Criteriums are a series of sprints, hard efforts, and recovery periods. Being able to go 30 mph for the whole time is great, but isn't really realistic. You brake into turns (recovery) and sprint out of them. If you're in the pack, drafting is recovery. Work on steady state and short burst intervals.


That's pretty much it. You know how to handle a bike from your mountain races, and you know how to gauge your fitness from training for those. You probably just need to focus on power over endurance right now.

ps. Go out and do simulated Crits with Chucklehead. He'll edumacate you.

I dont think there's any magic bullet.

+1 on the MB.

For crits, you are going to want to concentrate on your handling skills, and your jumps the most. Speed goes up and down constantly in a crit. You need to be able to accelerate quickly to be able to hold your wheel coming out of a turn.

Also be prepared to go all out right from the gun. Get a good warmup, as you're gonna need it. :D

... Brad

Try to negotiate rain slicked 90º curves @ 30mph. Crash. Repeat.

That is all.

you need to move to california..

you need to move to california..

Them Cali boys didn't fare so well in the rain at Downers this year...

:lol::lol:

The best thing for me was to go out on the local hammerfest (ask in the SoCal forum or at your LBS, if you don't know) and work on your pack skills. Get a feel for how much effort it takes to match the accelerations, learn how to red-line it and then recover at speed, get comfortable elbow-to-elbow.

From my whopping 2 races and those that have done them allot....

there is allot less surge in the front 3rd of the pack...

The Socal race schedule just got release and I was hoping there would be some more road races in there (better at endurance stuff), but NOPE almost all crits. I counted about 25 races in the season that I can do, only 5 are road races. Since the other 80% is crits, whats the best way to go about training for it? I've only been in one crit last yr and rumors around said it was the fastest pace one of the season. I only last about 10 minutes of the 30 minute crit. I didn't know what to expect off the start, I needed a heavier warm up time. Sure my goal is to survive a race, but what should I do to get to that point of doing 25-30mph for that length of time?

also....ride with ben more.

As already mentioned, interval-training really helps build the type of fitness needed for crits.

The other often overlooked part of crit-success is mental-skillz and tactical strategies. You want to have automatic bike-handling up to the limit and beyond. Practice cornering and knowing exactly how far you can lean to scrape the pedals 2-3x in a corner. Practice cornering faster than that by holding your bike upright so you can continue to pedal around the corner. Being able to start pedaling 5-10ft ahead of the others coming out of a corner means you can move up 2-3 positions without much hard work at all.

Another energy-saving tactic is to open up a 4-6ft gap going into a corner by coasting early. Then instead of braking like the guy ahead, just go through at full-speed and close up that gap. Right as you're about to rear-end him on the exit, cut in slightly tighter and start pedaling. You'll make up 2-3 positions instantly and will have saved energy compared to the others.

Learning to pick out the likely winners of the race really helps. If you can do practice-crits in the area you're racing, you'll learn who these guys are. Just follow them around in races and they'll move you up to the front at the right time for primes and finishes.

For me, the mental tactics have played a much bigger contribution to results than pure-fitness. There have been times when I was in tip-top shape being able to TT 40Ks in under 55-minutes and sprint up to 39mph solo. But I ended up finishing mid-pack because I got too overconfident and missed out on the opportunities. Then there's been other times where I was sick and barfing in the porta-potties and I still won because I felt weak and took every chance I could to draft and conserve energy and found the perfect people to follow.

The best thing for me was to go out on the local hammerfest (ask in the SoCal forum or at your LBS, if you don't know) and work on your pack skills. Get a feel for how much effort it takes to match the accelerations, learn how to red-line it and then recover at speed, get comfortable elbow-to-elbow.
+1

Speed is your friend.

I've watched many bicycle riders get into racing and found one common thread between all new racers - lack of speed. They also had a LOT of endurance - a lot of them could probably out ride me. New racers almost always have tons of endurance.

If you've ever driven on a 65 mph or faster highway and then get to a 55 mph section, you know what it's like to change from a higher speed to a lower speed. This is what you want racing to feel like, relative to your max speed.

Your maximum speed needs to be higher than your racing speed. For many new racers, this is not the case. Ask a new Cat 5 to go 35 mph and you'll get some incredulous looks. But when the race is going 30 or 35 mph, even for a few hundred meters, if your top speed is only 30 mph, you'll be in a world of hurt.

As a side note, in a standard, flat Cat 3 race (New Britain, for all you CT people), the field will move along at 32+ mph on the main straight without getting strung out - check out 5:35 on in the following clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-gqK3VKNqs
Notice all the coasting? "Fast" on that section would mean 38-40 mph - and even then it'll take a while to get things really strung out, maybe a few minutes at that speed.

The key is to increase your top speed. You want to be racing and feel like you're in the 55 mph zone, not a 65 mph zone. 55 is nice, comfy, manageable relative to a 65 mph zone.

Although these links are tips on sprinting, sprinting is max speed work.
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-to-working-on-sprinting.html
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/03/how-to-increasing-maximum-rpms.html
There are more but the main idea is to increase max speed. The endurance comes naturally from all the riding an enthusiastic rider will do - the speed is something you have to work on.

+1 on group rides. They are good but with one caveat - when doing group rides, don't worry about finishing the ride. Bring a map so you can find your way back. Work on not getting dropped. As soon as you get dropped, well, you're not on a group ride anymore. Now you're just riding on your own.

+1 on tactics. I struggle to maintain 200 watts/hour but can place in Cat 3 races in the area. My training rides typically average 15-17 mph. But when I work on speed, I work on speed. And then crawl home. Those are 12-14 mph rides.

hope this helps,
cdr

^^^ 38-40 mph. Does this mean a compact crank is contraindicated?

I ran a 51x11 sometimes - so a 50 would be fine. But given the choice, on that course, I'd run a 53 or 54 (11 in back). I would sprint in a 53x14-12, maybe 11 (shift up during the sprint). The 11 would come in handy when moving up while the pack is at speed (i.e. it doesn't require tons of power, just pedaling fast). A 54x11 will let you almost soft pedal through the field, even at speed; a 50x12 would require some fast spinning and therefore effort. I prefer not to make efforts unless necessary.

The guy whole lined up behind me (or rather I lined up in front of him - he's the one cracking jokes about getting in my pedals quick) runs a 55x11 and he won the race one year after leading out the field for a whole lap. His leadout guy blew up at the bell and he just went faster and faster. Unbelievable. I was about 10 guys back and waiting for him to blow up - he never did.

cdr

Them Cali boys didn't fare so well in the rain at Downers this year...

:lol::lol:

downers what? us cali boys keep it real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-gqK3VKNqs
That sprint just shot up my HR :eek:

D shaped office parks are a much easier pace. A crit thru city streets however with 5 or 6 turns can be brutal, especially back third of pack. That's 5 surges a lap X 30-40 laps, so like 150-200 hard surges for a 40 minute race and your legs are shot. There is no recovery time in those, you just suffer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-gqK3VKNqs
Is that guy running a disc at just past 7 min?

my new location is really hilly... i figure if i ride as hard as i can up steep hills, when it comes to a wussy FLAT crit around a business park, i'll pwn the entire field with an average pace of 60kmh.. i'll keep everyone posted on my genius training plan.. if the crits don't work out, i can just become the next alberto contador and win the tour..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-gqK3VKNqs
That sprint just shot up my HR

that vid was a let down in the end! do cat 3's really go that fast?? a steady pace of 32, final 2 laps at 38, leading out at 42mph??? real racers are fast!

that vid was a let down in the end! do cat 3's really go that fast?? a steady pace of 32, final 2 laps at 38, leading out at 42mph??? real racers are fast!

that course was very flat with no real turns worth mentioning, so it is not unbelievable that a cat3 field could maintain an average like that. heck when i was a cat5 on similar courses, we were averaging 26.

I had a couple of 40 and 50 mile crits average 27+ this summer. I surfed my sprinter up to the front for primes at 32 and I was barely going. Crazy what that ol' draft will do, eh?

As zzzWillzzz mentions, find fast groups and people to ride with. You might get dropped the first few times, but the way to get fast is to ride with faster people. On your own you can do interval training. Warm up for 10 min, go hard for 2-3 min, recover for 2 min and repeat 4x. Recover another 10 min and do it all over again. Increase your "go hard" times as you progress in fitness. In the crit you will doing alot of go hard and recovering (by drafting off others). You will just need to put together a good plan for the race. Have a goal for the race too.

You really want the Magic Bullet?
In addition to group rides?

Motorpacing on a closed course with sharp corners. (school parking lot on weekend evenings, industrial parks on Sunday)
Attack the motor regularly. Try to hop back into the draft when it catches you.

When you get good at it, do it in the rain.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT do this. I do not want a bunch of fast riders to compete against. Continue with whatever your current program is, but DO NOT do this.

That sprint just shot up my HR :eek:
I started shaking with adrenaline watching the clip :) I suppose that ultimately I made those clips for me - I watch them regularly (full size clips so nice quality). I like the music (they're almost all my two brothers playing in their various bands), I love the races, I love the close quarters racing. I just love racing I guess.


Is that guy running a disc at just past 7 min?
That guy is Paul Curley, a gazillion time national champion. JDisc - it's a mylar cover over a normal wheel. He uses it all the time. Discs are legal and so are covers, at least for non UCI races. JDisc has been gone for a while. Coors Light used them in the Tour Du Pont to great effect - Stephen Swart, Dave Mann, Davis Phinney, Alexi Grewal, etc.


that vid was a let down in the end! do cat 3's really go that fast?? a steady pace of 32, final 2 laps at 38, leading out at 42mph??? real racers are fast!

Avg is more like 26-27. Course has a short hill in it - we go up it in maybe a 53x15-19, 22-25 mph, fast would be more like 28-30 mph. There are slow laps at 22-24 mph when everyone is looking at each other. The last two laps are usually ridden under pretty high pressure - but as you could see the field wasn't strung out so it was way too easy for the racers involved. Well, not the guys at the front. Everyone else though didn't seem like they were suffering too much. For an example of a harder finish, check out the 2007 Hartford Crit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtcUmptsA_U) - I was blowing at the bell but thought I might be able to recover by the finish. No such thing happened.

The crash in the sprint sucked. Curley actually went down so it was a "real" crash - if a super skilled 'cross racer goes down you know it was a bad scene. Someone hit a mostly empty 55 gallon drum (I just missed it - it's to my left when I go off the road) so hard it flew above the riders. His knee was a bit swollen after that.

Pics from the finish line:
http://www.mjstuart.com/nutmeg_07/index.html (you have to go to #140-145)

cdr

lots of 1 min intervals

warm up 30-45 minutes. 2 or 3 sets of 5x 1 on, 2 off 5 min between sets. 15 cool down.

you'll be beat after that

you need to move to california..

I hear there are no problems whatsoever in California.

I hear there are no problems whatsoever in California.

hehe.

caloso -- where are the fast group rides around norcal where i can get dropped like a little red-headed *****?

Me want to race. have you heard anything about the early-birds?

In Sacramento it's the River Ride. Saturday morning, 10 am. Leaves from the alley behind City Bike Works (25th and K in Midtown). Heads to the Garden Highway via the bike trail past the Blue Diamond factory at 20th and C. Stays on the Garden Highway north past the airport, where there's a sprint. Turns around and heads back into town.

hehe.

caloso -- where are the fast group rides around norcal where i can get dropped like a little red-headed *****?

Me want to race. have you heard anything about the early-birds?

are u referring to the early bird crits in fremont? they have em every year in January. they usually have 4-5 crits in January each consecutive weekend that don't count for points but do count for experience if ur cat 5. the last crit, usually in February, does count for points.

are u referring to the early bird crits in fremont? they have em every year in January. they usually have 4-5 crits in January each consecutive weekend that don't count for points but do count for experience if ur cat 5. the last crit, usually in February, does count for points.

I will be doing the EB's, but the schedule is not out yet.

the fremont early birds are what i'm talking about. that's the info i wanted. thanks guys

the fremont early birds are what i'm talking about. that's the info i wanted. thanks guys

here is the link from last year
http://www.velopromo.com/ebcr-ent.htm

I hear there are no problems whatsoever in California.

well...it is california, things are just better here. I grew up in upstate NY so i know your misery.

Hi Jeff (jsigone),

There is a lot of good advice in here. Just to reiterate, speed and endurance are generally two different things when you're getting started in road racing. Some new racers have both but most do not.

Since SoCal is land o' crits, you'll need to work on your speed -- sometimes at the expense of endurance. If you are very disciplined, intervals can work to build speed. Otherwise fast group rides up the coast will provide good training.

As others have said, the best way to get better at crits is to just do them. If you really want to get into this crazy sport, do as many as you can -- weekends and mid-week training series.

We'll see you out there. :)

ohhh...and i'll be out there with ya learning too jeff...we'll be good...to bad there isn't much climbing in crits.

i think you would be fine in a CAT 5 crit tomorrow at your current fitness level...i am way stronger now than August and i did fine in the summer's end GP and that was a 27mph average....

Just get out there and bump some elbows bro!

The club I'ven been riding with has a good pace, seems their average in the paceline is 27-28mph with pushes up to about 35mph for a minute then back down to high 20's to recover. I have no problem keeping up til later in the day, I'm also up near the front and take my pull when needed. I just can't climb as fast so those guys, longer climbs then a mile that is. Short roller stuff I can power over and still be in the mix. I have a prob keeping up with some of the accelerations towards the end of the ride, usually past mile 40 and all the climbing.

Lately I'm been concentrating on "jumping" from 22mph to 30 mph, hold then come back down and repeat til I can't jump anymore. I've also been doing a couple all out sprints from a 26mph to WOT and hold for as long as I can the repeat.