Ok, so I am doing my first stage race this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. www.bikelexingtonstagerace.com
Friday night is the TT, its a 2 mile tt, flat and straight. It is also my first TT ever. Ramp start. How in the heck do I race that? What gear is good to start in? When should I come out of the saddle, if ever? How to warm up?
Saturday is the Crit. I will probably wreck and the cat 5 field will likely be full of first timers helping me wreck. Figure 8 track with 2 hills of moderate size for a crit.
Sunday is the circuit race. A fairly flat boring loop.
Now, I have never raced more than once in a weekend. While I am not concerned with burning out myself in the TT (two hard miles shouldnt be an issue, I hope), I am wondering about the sat and sun races. The sunday race goes off less than 15 hours after the crit is over. Both of the races pay the same, but which do I focus on? If i start to fade in the crit should I just save it for the circuit or climb back on and hope everyone else is beat for the circuit too?
The BikeForums Team
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ASAP after each event, get a leg massage or give one to yourself - key is to rub towards your heart, i.e., rub upwards. Also get a great recovery drink into your system right away, plus a good mix of food within an hour. Sleep well each night.
Can't help you with the TT strategy other than to point out the obvious: if it's only two miles, grab the drops and go like hell.
VosBike
A two mile TT will take more pacing than you think, if you're damn fast it'll be 4ish minutes. It's pretty easy to blow up in less than that.
Do your best to recover starting immediately after the races, you've spent enough time on BF to know what that entails.
Eat during the crit, a gu or whatever equivalent that you like. This helps greatly in not needing recovery.
Go out there and race hard! Wish I had a weekend stage race coming up.
ElJamoquio
TT: warm up, steadily increasing effort for about thirty minutes. Put in two or three hard-ish two minute efforts. Do about ten minutes of cooling-off work. Go to the line.
Start in the big ring, big-ish cog. You shouldn't be out of the saddle.
jkizzle
should i sprint the last 200m or so for the finish or try to stay smooth and tucked?
ElJamoquio
My opinion: If you can do anything faster than the pace you're already at, you haven't gone hard enough.
I finish my TT's at *maybe* 1 or 2 MPH faster than I do the rest of the TT.
Duke of Kent
should i sprint the last 200m or so for the finish or try to stay smooth and tucked?
If one yields a faster speed than the other, yes.
I mean...why wouldn't you want to go from 30mph to 35mph?
merlinextraligh
If one yields a faster speed than the other, yes.
I mean...why wouldn't you want to go from 30mph to 35mph?
Because if you've done it right, there shouldn't be 35mph left in the tank.
Duke of Kent
Because if you've done it right, there shouldn't be 35mph left in the tank.
Interesting. The British 4k pursuit team all (excluding the guy who tailed off on the last straight) got up for the sprint at the WCs this year...setting a world record in the process.
They must be doing something wrong, though.
TRaffic Jammer
For the TT ride the painted lines as much as possible.. slightly lower rolling resistance on paint than pavé. Good for a a couple few more KPH, with the same effort. If it's wet...this is not a good idea unless you've actually practiced it. Two miles go like hell!!!... if you got something left at the end , jump up and give 'er baby!!! Have fun above all!!!! Man this sounds like a fun weekend!
merlinextraligh
Interesting. The British 4k pursuit team all (excluding the guy who tailed off on the last straight) got up for the sprint at the WCs this year...setting a world record in the process.
They must be doing something wrong, though.
and did they raise their speed 5 mph? Also what they're capable of, and what a Cat 5 in his first stage race is capable of may be a bit different.
I'm not arguing with standing and sprinting, my point is you should be going pretty much all out before 200m to go, and if you've got enough to make a dramatic acceleration, you probably weren't going hard enough before that.
Coyote2
and did they raise their speed 5 mph? Also what they're capable of, and what a Cat 5 in his first stage race is capable of may be a bit different.
I'm not arguing with standing and sprinting, my point is you should be going pretty much all out before 200m to go, and if you've got enough to make a dramatic acceleration, you probably weren't going hard enough before that.
True.
jkizzle
well the reason i asked about jumping out of saddle to sprint was that the aerodynamic loss might negate any additional wattage i put to the pavement. I guess since i wont have a lead out to break wind, a sprint wouldnt be too useful if i have anything left. I am hoping to get a good practice run in late tonight or tomorrow night when the street shouldnt have much traffic.
thanks for the paint tip, i hadnt thought about that.
There are still plenty of spots in the race, if anyone is looking for a big purse and a lot of fun + a bike rally before the crit thats supposed to draw more than 1000 riders.
TRaffic Jammer
with 200m left in a sprint ... areo means squat unless you sit up, but this means you've already given up and stopped sprinting.
ElJamoquio
Interesting. The British 4k pursuit team all (excluding the guy who tailed off on the last straight) got up for the sprint at the WCs this year...setting a world record in the process.
They must be doing something wrong, though.
Team pursuit != TT. I don't follow track at all; do *individual* professionals come out of the saddle generally?
VosBike
with 200m left in a sprint ... areo means squat unless you sit up, but this means you've already given up and stopped sprinting.