Road Bike Racing - Tactics for a very short race

The first stage of the next Omnium is unlike anything I have ever done. How would you guys handle this race?

The Morgan Construction Devon Grand Prix is a 4 event stage race with overall results calculated as an Omnium utilizing a modified ABA Alberta Road Cup Schedule. The event is sanctioned by the Alberta Bicycle Association.
Friday June 13/08:Stage 1: Devon IGA Downtown Street Sprints
Saturday June 14/08: Stage 2: River Valley Cycle 30 km Individual Time Trial
Saturday June 14/08: Stage 3: Morgan Construction Downtown Criterium
Sunday June 15/08: Stage 4: Devon Chevrolet Genesee Hills Road Race

Stage 1: Devon IGA Street Sprints
First riders off 8 pm
Riders will depart the start in pairs at 1 minute intervals. The course is approximately 200 meters east on Athabasca Avenue, making a button hook turn at the intersection with Erie Street and returning to the finish next to the starting line. The winner will be based on the lowest elapsed time. Drafting is permitted.


The draft-legal part and the turnaround makes this a bit more complicated -for me- than a very short TT.

Do I:
-Go all out from the start, letting the other guy draft off my jump?
-Size up the other guy, and if he looks strong try to play that same card on him. Then again, if I draft a weakling I’m done.
-Attempt to make some sort of plan with the other rider? If so what?

Also, how long do you strongmen think it would take you to finish this? ElJ do you have a super sweet algorithm for this?

WR I bet you are drooling. ;)

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u164/Enthalpic/streetsprints.jpg?t=1212796019

You know...if it weren't based on lowest E/T I'd say stay in the draft until the turnaround and then try to jump the other guy hoping he overgears the turn around.

As it is, it's based on lowest E/T, so I'd say your best bet is to try to get the jump early, and jump again out of the turnaround (duh). For the start, will there be holders ala TT or track, or will you have to clip in? Either way, practice, practice, practice.

For time, you're looking at a 400m course accelerating from a dead stop and ~10mph. I'd say something like 1 minute is reasonable.

Standing start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1AfJSrh1ME

You know...if it weren't based on lowest E/T I'd say stay in the draft until the turnaround and then try to jump the other guy hoping he overgears the turn around.


I know, it's going to take some mental effort to NOT do that; I have a habit of just marking and following until something matters, be it the finish line or a better wheel.



As it is, it's based on lowest E/T, so I'd say your best bet is to try to get the jump early, and jump again out of the turnaround (duh).

Well the "duh" plan is in the lead. :)





For the start, will there be holders ala TT or track, or will you have to clip in? Either way, practice, practice, practice.

For time, you're looking at a 400m course accelerating from a dead stop and ~10mph. I'd say something like 1 minute is reasonable.


There better be holders. Just in case I will be bringing my dual-side entry pedals and shoes.

1min is a good duration for me. :)

My suggestion...Get the jump so he is behind you on the turn around. If he is slow on the turn it can kill your time. 400 meters is nothing and you can go all out. The energy on the draft will not be used. You must be faster than the rest of the field. I would not trust another rider to take that turn as fast as i could.

Assumption: There are points involved here and not just time.

Note: I started racing last year and moved up from cat 5 last weekend. My advice at your own risk.

Standing start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1AfJSrh1ME

I can shift.

hmm double disk wheels. Ok lets add wheel selection to the list, purely for the mental exercise.

Practice the turnaround. That's where you'll lose the most time. Find a quiet street that's about as wide as the course, and find your best speed/line combo.

My suggestion...Get the jump so he is behind you on the turn around. If he is slow on the turn it can kill your time.



Good point




Assumption: There are points involved here and not just time.


Yeah, points and some $. This is an Omnium so non-sprinters can just roll this and it won't effect them.

Little twist, the times are hidden. You will know the order, but they won't broadcast the size of everyones jump.

I can shift.

hmm double disk wheels. Ok lets add wheel selection to the list, purely for the mental exercise.

My point was more the technique. You're basically doing two 200m standing starts back-to-back.

But for a 400m TT, you wouldn't need to shift.

i'd jump from the start solely so that i could enter the turnaround first and not have to worry about the guy ahead of me

...
[I]The Morgan Construction Devon Grand Prix is a 4 event stage race with overall results calculated as an Omnium utilizing a modified ABA Alberta Road Cup Schedule. The event is sanctioned by the Alberta Bicycle Association.
Friday June 13/08:Stage 1: Devon IGA Downtown Street Sprints
Saturday June 14/08: Stage 2: River Valley Cycle 30 km Individual Time Trial
Saturday June 14/08: Stage 3: Morgan Construction Downtown Criterium
Sunday June 15/08: Stage 4: Devon Chevrolet Genesee Hills Road Race ...

Sorry 2B OT but I thought this was funny, I work for "Morgan Construction" (read:very small oilfield company) and didn't even know we were sponsoring a RR, I'll have to give our pres. a big thumbs up next time I talk to him :D

Having done some street sprints (100 to 300 meters), I can tell you that shifting is a big advantage. If you think you can do well, you should optimize your bike for this event. If not, well, have fun.

1 - compact or similar big ring, or a big inner ring. I figure your max gear could be a 48x11, maybe a 50x11. You should be accelerating in something like a 50x17, shifting under full pressure as you accelerate. Too low and you top out the gear in two down strokes, not good. Figure 3-4 downstrokes per gear if you have a decent jump.

2 - based on the fact that you have to turn around, I think that coasting/soft-pedaling a bit may be better than sprinting all the way to the line. You'll spend more time accelerating than you will going 35-38 mph so it's important to have more for the second acceleration than the last 10 meters of the first sprint.

Note - I'm not a physiologist so I don't know if taking 3-4 huge deep breaths will help the next acceleration. Is there a doctor in the house?

3 - Ideally you should have your jump cogs in the middle of the cassette. I derailed my chain off the big ring when I jumped in a 53x17 or 19 (I forget which). Knocked me out of the running. You won't have as much power at the end so it's fine to have your 11T way outboard.

4 - possibly a wider front tire (and rear?) for better cornering traction. This is a twist, I've never dealt with a turn around.

5 - The turnaround is critical. Practice turning in hard (push on the left side of the bar to initiate a left turn). You'll be able to turn much faster than you think, but when you lose it, the bike goes away like it was never there.

6 - do the whole thing in the drops. You need to weight the front wheel for the turn around, you need the leverage for the acceleration, and you need to be able to throw the bike at the end.

7 - since acceleration is more important (you're spending a lot of time accelerating), I'd think that having super light wheels (rims/tires/tubes) is most important. If they are slightly aero, fine, but light weight is critical.

8 - practice shifting under 100% acceleration. This should be a natural thing for any racer, but if it's not, make it so.

9 - Adjust your bike accordingly. Make sure your chain was/is installed properly. You'll break an iffy chain under intense acceleration and doing a faceplant when your chain snaps is not good.

10 - I drank some caffeinated sugar soda before I rode (I normally do before races). Anything to get your adrenaline up. I think (natural) adrenaline is extremely potent, and training your body into a fight/flight or "get psyched" reaction when you want it is a good thing. I did this for many years, using a certain hand position on the bars only in the closing laps of a crit, the time when I had the most adrenaline. I tried to make it so that whenever I held the bars like that, I'd get the same adrenaline rush.

I'm jealous you get an event like this. Good luck,
cdr

*edit* forgot about drafting. If you're second, turn in very late, i.e. start wide and turn in hard. You will be able to accelerate past him since both of you will get on the power at about the same time. Your goal will be to exit on the inside.

If you're first, take the same line but make sure the other rider is overlapped to your outside (so he doesn't take your inside). You can force the other rider to the outside, preventing them from accelerating until you decide to let him.

If you have a really, really good jump, then slow dramatically into the turn, forcing the other guy to slow as well. You want the second jump to be from the lowest speed possible because you have a good jump.

If you have a terrible jump then you should try and optimize your speed through the turn around. Don't let yourself slow too much because you need to keep your highest speed possible.

Finally, not sure of the rules, but use every bit of road possible. One crit I did ended with two 90 degree turns just before the line. You had to slow pretty hard to make it through the second turn. I didn't slow too much - and I naturally ended up on a sidewalk about 10 feet in from the road. I sprinted down that, jumped back on the road. Didn't do well but no one passed me.

Hm, I think this race will favor those with good 20-40 meter jumps.

7 - since acceleration is more important (you're spending a lot of time accelerating), I'd think that having super light wheels (rims/tires/tubes) is most important. If they are slightly aero, fine, but light weight is critical.

Acceleration is crucial. Acceleration is controlled by total weight and aero drag (a=F/m). The extra weight of a set of aero wheels is so small compared to the weight of the total bike rider package that any aero benefit easily outways that small weight penalty.

You might look at the wheels chosen by track sprinters to see which way the riders with the greatest accelerations go.

Having done some street sprints (100 to 300 meters), I can tell you that shifting is a big advantage. If you think you can do well, you should optimize your bike for this event. If not, well, have fun.

1 - compact or similar big ring, or a big inner ring. I figure your max gear could be a 48x11, maybe a 50x11. You should be accelerating in something like a 50x17, shifting under full pressure as you accelerate. Too low and you top out the gear in two down strokes, not good. Figure 3-4 downstrokes per gear if you have a decent jump.

2 - based on the fact that you have to turn around, I think that coasting/soft-pedaling a bit may be better than sprinting all the way to the line. You'll spend more time accelerating than you will going 35-38 mph so it's important to have more for the second acceleration than the last 10 meters of the first sprint.

Note - I'm not a physiologist so I don't know if taking 3-4 huge deep breaths will help the next acceleration. Is there a doctor in the house?

3 - Ideally you should have your jump cogs in the middle of the cassette. I derailed my chain off the big ring when I jumped in a 53x17 or 19 (I forget which). Knocked me out of the running. You won't have as much power at the end so it's fine to have your 11T way outboard.

4 - possibly a wider front tire (and rear?) for better cornering traction. This is a twist, I've never dealt with a turn around.

5 - The turnaround is critical. Practice turning in hard (push on the left side of the bar to initiate a left turn). You'll be able to turn much faster than you think, but when you lose it, the bike goes away like it was never there.

6 - do the whole thing in the drops. You need to weight the front wheel for the turn around, you need the leverage for the acceleration, and you need to be able to throw the bike at the end.

7 - since acceleration is more important (you're spending a lot of time accelerating), I'd think that having super light wheels (rims/tires/tubes) is most important. If they are slightly aero, fine, but light weight is critical.

8 - practice shifting under 100% acceleration. This should be a natural thing for any racer, but if it's not, make it so.

9 - Adjust your bike accordingly. Make sure your chain was/is installed properly. You'll break an iffy chain under intense acceleration and doing a faceplant when your chain snaps is not good.

10 - I drank some caffeinated sugar soda before I rode (I normally do before races). Anything to get your adrenaline up. I think (natural) adrenaline is extremely potent, and training your body into a fight/flight or "get psyched" reaction when you want it is a good thing. I did this for many years, using a certain hand position on the bars only in the closing laps of a crit, the time when I had the most adrenaline. I tried to make it so that whenever I held the bars like that, I'd get the same adrenaline rush.

I'm jealous you get an event like this. Good luck,
cdr

*edit* forgot about drafting. If you're second, turn in very late, i.e. start wide and turn in hard. You will be able to accelerate past him since both of you will get on the power at about the same time. Your goal will be to exit on the inside.

If you're first, take the same line but make sure the other rider is overlapped to your outside (so he doesn't take your inside). You can force the other rider to the outside, preventing them from accelerating until you decide to let him.

If you have a really, really good jump, then slow dramatically into the turn, forcing the other guy to slow as well. You want the second jump to be from the lowest speed possible because you have a good jump.

If you have a terrible jump then you should try and optimize your speed through the turn around. Don't let yourself slow too much because you need to keep your highest speed possible.

Finally, not sure of the rules, but use every bit of road possible. One crit I did ended with two 90 degree turns just before the line. You had to slow pretty hard to make it through the second turn. I didn't slow too much - and I naturally ended up on a sidewalk about 10 feet in from the road. I sprinted down that, jumped back on the road. Didn't do well but no one passed me.

Hm, I think this race will favor those with good 20-40 meter jumps.

Thank you.

* Even better after your edit.

Acceleration is crucial. Acceleration is controlled by total weight and aero drag (a=F/m). The extra weight of a set of aero wheels is so small compared to the weight of the total bike rider package that any aero benefit easily outways that small weight penalty.

You might look at the wheels chosen by track sprinters to see which way the riders with the greatest accelerations go.

That was what I figured.

FYI Reportedly I have a huge jump, hence my interest in this event.

Honestly, with your big jump, you might consider how I'd approach it. In another thread I mentioned that my AWC gets chewed up in the same amount of time if I'm pushing 1400W as if I'm only pushing 900W. I'm just as tired at the end either way, so may as well unload.

I'd explode off the line in my 53-21, upshifting all the way to the turnaround. I wouldn't even consider the other guy unless he was in front of me. Out of the saddle until the coast-in. As others suggest, practice the turnaround, and figure out how many gears you need to downshift. I'd probably come all the way back to my 19, maybe the 17 coming out of the turnaround.

I'd be surprised if it takes you more than 45 seconds.

If the other guy is in front of you, get everything you can out of the draft on the way out. Then, pull an Apolo Ono: start the turn way wide, and hit the apex in your outbound lane. Hit the turnaround marker/curb, pointing down the finishing straight (e.g. cut WAY inside). That should get you ahead of the other guy without impeding him.

Man, what fun.

This actually reminds me a lot of the parking garage crits we do at lunch sometimes. Probably a shallower turnaround, but similar idea. Just explode like crazy, and wait to brake. When you do brake, brake HARD and get the turn started once your speed is back under control.

damn that sounds fun.

Dont overgear at the start... that and the turn around will be the two spots you can lose/gain time

I can't wait to watch the Onmium's Pro Crit saturday. Love that course. Last year's Twilight Crit Downtown was a great time, Navigators dominated.

ElJ do you have a super sweet algorithm for this?

Well, I guess the answer is no; as the underlying assumption behind my algorithm (normalized power) is grossly violated with such a short race.

Even if it was still valid, it would tell you what you already know: go hard from the start, go as fast as you can around the hook, and push yourself as hard as possible once you turn the corner.

Experiment with gearing. I ran an 11-23 cassette, tried jumping from the 23, 21 and both I think were too low. I'd be spun out on 2-3 down strokes, i.e. I can't pedal round enough to keep up with the pedals. I jumped in the 17 I think. I had the fastest warm up sprint (cop had a speed gun) but I screwed up all the real sprints. A bummer.

cdr

Good tips above.

Do you have mtb experience? How comfy are you with full-on braking whilst diving into a sharp turn? One of my regular routes has 2 corners that are nearly u-turns so I get practice and about half the time can get the rear wheel off the ground and set it down for a faster turn. Scary but fun.

Okay, to expand on this a bit. Tomorrow I have a 1 Kilo outdoor sprint for the Police and Fire Olympic Games. I've got traditional spoked PT wheels, HED Bastognes, Dual Stinger 60's and Dual Stinger 90's.

What wheelset would be optimal? The 90's for most aero I'm guessing? It will be a fairly flat run, just a couple feet of elevation change. Two years ago I did a 1:14, I'd love to break 1:10, but I haven't really been working much on the hard sprint, so I'm just wishing.

Ex would:

Do a bunch of practice runs and dial in your gear selections and braking point. Good braking and corning technique will maximize your exit speed. Classic racing line through the corner (unless there's a hazard or debris you need to avoid), use a bit of modified Moto GP english with the upper body (see late career Kel Carruthers) as you go through to help keep the bike a bit more upright and protect from clipping a pedal on the exit.

Otherwise pedal as hard and fast as you can and don't worry about the other guy unless he comes around and you've got a draft. If you're trailing going into the corner keep your front wheel to the inside of the other rider so if they fall or clip their pedal you won't be affected.

Good luck!

Bah, they changed the course. I'm guessing the ABA had issues with the plan and made them change.

Now it's just a straight 300m TT with no drafting... boring.

Well, that could still be really fun, but not nearly as interesting.

Well, that could still be really fun, but not nearly as interesting.

It will be ok, and much safer. The other course would have been much more fun to watch, however.

bummer. only time I've ever seen a similar format was back in the 80's at a crit, where the sprints were like a bonus race. a nice long straight drag down a slight downhill, 2-up I think, maybe 3.

practice the turn around, in both directions, until you can do it in your sleep. i would say hammer out the first 100, if the guy is still with you let him pull you out of the turn and drop the hammer. ive never done anything this short though, thats just how id play it.

i know when i did a 2 mile TT, the turn around was what killed me, i took it too fast, knowing that fractions of seconds mattered- ended up almost wrecking and placed towards the bottom of the results list.

The sprints did have the turn around after all, and it was made incredibly tight. You had to go around a pylon and stay on the same side of the road. The winner of the 1-2 men skidded his rear tire around and came out of the turn in a bar-turned wheely. Insane.

Sprint: I bungled the turn, no points.
TT: windy, hard, hills, point scraps.
Crit: Not pulled, no points.
RR: 2nd place in sprint finish.
Omnium: 8th for $80.