Road Bike Racing - Crit racing 101: stuck on the front in the last lap (~1.2mile)

Here is the situation:

I'm a Cat 5, my 8th race, riding solo. I placed 4th/50. The field is stacked with the "home team" (they placed1, 2, 3, me*, and 5 for sure)

As we cross the line going into the bell lap I move from midpack somewhere to 3rd wheel. Guy peals off the front instantly. The second man, peals off 3 seconds later (all teammates). I'm there and say what the hell, I've been sitting in the whole time, and my HR has not hit threshold once yet and I feel pretty strong so I go ahead for a while. I peal off after 20 seconds and immediately notice that my replacement (home team) has opened a small gap so I jump in and what does he do, peal right off...so I'm on the front again. I don't do anything for 400m and at 200m the winner (home team) makes his move and I can't respond well but the field is strung out and I think I can hold for second. I jump with ~100 to go (why not, I'm out front already) and I end up 4th. I lost 3rd (home team) by a wheel and second (home team) by a bike length.

My first thought was Racer Xesque (try saying that aloud!)--attack like a rabid pit bull (or something) but I didn't.

What would you have done? make your answer nice and savvy.

Here is the situation:

I'm a Cat 5, my 8th race, riding solo. I placed 4th/50. The field is stacked with the "home team" (they placed1, 2, 3, me*, and 5 for sure)

As we cross the line going into the bell lap I move from midpack somewhere to 3rd wheel. Guy peals off the front instantly. The second man, peals off 3 seconds later (all teammates). I'm there and say what the hell, I've been sitting in the whole time, and my HR has not hit threshold once yet and I feel pretty strong so I go ahead for a while. I peal off after 20 seconds and immediately notice that my replacement (home team) has opened a small gap so I jump in and what does he do, peal right off...so I'm on the front again. I don't do anything for 400m and at 200m the winner (home team) makes his move and I can't respond well but the field is strung out and I think I can hold for second. I jump with ~100 to go (why not, I'm out front already) and I end up 4th. I lost 3rd (home team) by a wheel and second (home team) by a bike length.

My first thought was Racer Xesque (try saying that aloud!)--attack like a rabid pit bull (or something) but I didn't.

What would you have done? make your answer nice and savvy.

Me? I probably would've finished mid pack because I missed it way earlier.

You? That's where you missed it. So you were on the front pulling at 400m to go while they were resting on your wheel for the sprint.

They're all leeches man! Very well done though I would say. Time for upgrade, sandbagger! :notamused:

Had a similar situation recently at a local crit when I was the guy in second. The lead rider ended up getting fifth or something (I won the sprint, but not the race). The rider I was drafting asked CDR a similar question. CDR's response was something to the effect of, "you're under no obligation to do any work. Go as slow as you want, eventually someone will come around."

He actually said more than that, but that's all I could remember. The bottom line is that you could've peeled off too. Or just coasted and made someone else sprint with 400m to go and drafted them if they dared make the move. You see that gamesmanship at the end of long race stages where 4 or 5 guys are no longer working together and going all are going for the win. How you handle it depends upon your strength as a rider.

I say, next time slow down and force the hand of the riders behind you. See how savvy they are. Or, if you're a badass, go for it as soon as that guy pulled off the second time and see who you caught sleeping. If you have a good jump, you may have created a gap for the win (just ask WR).

I had the same thing happen, I was out front and when I kept slowing down, so did everyone behind me. You just can't win some times. While you're still a cat 5, I say attack. If you don't get a top three result, at least you made it difficult for the donkeys from the swarm team.

I would have pulled off when the guy in front of me peeled out (stayed on his wheel). Then start sniffing for the right time. I wouldn't have much of a card to play with 3 minutes left to race on my own.

I would have pulled off when the guy in front of me peeled out (stayed on his wheel). Then start sniffing for the right time. I wouldn't have much of a card to play with 3 minutes left to race on my own.

Yeah, I thought this as he pealed off...I realized my mistake that same second.

what about feigning an attack by giving it a few good strong kicks to draw some action from behind me, then jumping on those wheels? I'm just not sure what that would look like. Would I jump and make that jump a bit wide thus opening the some space on inside lane, or something to this effect?

what about feigning an attack by giving it a few good strong kicks to draw some action from behind me, then jumping on those wheels? I'm just not sure what that would look like. Would I jump and make that jump a bit wide thus opening the some space on inside lane, or something to this effect?

That sounds like a waste of energy. If you're going to attack, attack. Otherwise, don't burn matches that near to the sprint.

OP, if you were on the front and still finished 4th, you have little to improve on. I would say your mistake was jumping back at 2nd wheel. Drift back about 10 places or so, if you can. That puts you in a great position to jump without hanging out at the front.

Since you sat in all race and hadn't done any work, a false attack might have been the way to go. You could have pulled out a few wheels to jump on and you still should have had lots of gas for the final kick.

This all happened in the last km so there really isn't a whole lot of time to think about it. It's a reaction thing.

I'm betting next time you'll play it differently.

slim, I think you did a fine job, 4th is a great result. Yes, perhaps you could have stayed out of the wind a bit, but it seems like it really didn't hurt you.

Was it a headwind where you pulled? It sounds like it wasn't, and if it wasn't, then pulling is not a bad thing. It doesn't help the others too much and at that point in the race position > efficiency, at least at a minor level.

Crosswind you can go to the gutter and put everyone in the wind. That would be ideal for a guy at the front who feels good. Anyone jumping by would immediately shield the front guy, and if the front guy can jump just has hard, he can stay a bit sheltered *and* prevent the windward guy from getting back to the curb. I love crosswind sprints if I'm strong, but if I'm not, I hate them.

Headwind you need to sit up. I go as late as 50 meters to go in a headwind sprint and I can pass gobs of blown up racers in the 7 or so seconds I'm sprinting. I actually keep an eye out for guys flying backwards at me because headwind sprints are deceivingly hard.

It's not clear if you have a jump sprint (me) or a long sprint (WR). If the race was strung out and you just sort of gunned it to get to the line, it sounds more like a long sprint. In that case going for it early (especially in a tailwind) is to your benefit. A headwind sprint would be tough to win unless you got a gap first, but even then it's hard. And it sounds like you'd be a crosswind sprint kind of guy.

cdr

just about everyone who's raced has experienced what you describe in some form or another. I used to find getting off the front one of the most difficult things to do, which never made sense to me, but was an issue anyway. Sometimes I still get the stupids and find myself there, I'm just better at anticipating it happening and either avoiding it or only staying there if there is a strategic reason.

For you to think about:

1 - be aware of your situation and anticipate so you dont let yourself get in that situation in the 1st place. you know who the "home team" is, do what WR says and when they pull off, do same but stay behind them. from your description, you mananged to sit in the whole time anyway (something I would not advocate), so you should be able to do same in the last lap.

2 - if you find yourself in a situation where you're going to be on the front (again, awareness and anticipation), attack just before you get there and never look back, if you get caught that's racin'.

3 - if above dont work, safely but abruptly peeling off to the wide side and simultaneously slowing/stopping pedaling (no brakes) will get you a few wheels backward, just make sure you're in gearing you can accelerate immediately and get back into the slot for the finish. to reiterate, this also takes much awareness of your surroundings so you dont create a dangerous situation.

That happened to me once, but I ended up seven seconds off the pack after being in front into the final kilometre.

Tragic. Tragic.

awsome responses.

Bob, hell yeah I will!

CRD, there was a slight tailwind (<5mph) otherwise I would have placed much farther back. But great observations on the wind direction, I wouldn't have thought about using my physical positioning as a tool in that case. And I'm still trying to figure out my sprint. Because I am new I have not worked much on sprints, I've been focusing instead on threshold and complimentary anaerobic efforts. Well, I guess that because of this I have a longer sprint for now (I'll be working on the jump sprint for superweek, so I have it in the bag).
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MDCatV, #2 was my first thought with ~900m to go and I thought way too long about it (like about 600 meters). That said, at about the 1 min interval pace (7-800m) is when I should have made that move. In this situation the cake goes to the racer who reacts decisively.

Here is a pic from the finish. (http://bp1.blogger.com/_M7ee-fWe_DU/SFcHTsvmP_I/AAAAAAAAACY/Zk-1cKJwvaI/s1600-h/ShermanPark_6:14:08.jpg) Luke from Chicago bike Racing (http://www.chicagobikeracing.com/) took the shot. That is the throw for second at the line. According to him, I led him out perfectly...we were bumping shoulders fighting it out in the final meters. I was digging pretty deep at this point, hence the mean face.
http://bp1.blogger.com/_M7ee-fWe_DU/SFcHTsvmP_I/AAAAAAAAACY/Zk-1cKJwvaI/s1600-h/ShermanPark_6:14:08.jpg

That looks like a pretty close finish to me. Did you throw your bike as well?

As an aside you can always practice throwing your bike. I even did so at Harlem, 33 seconds behind the field. Easy rides are great for practicing, you can "sprint" for every shadow, every crack, every mailbox, whatever. Do it in slow motion first and then practice doing it at real speed. It should be second nature. If you do it right your chest ends up on your saddle, or something like that.

Also, regarding sitting in, although some may consider it poor form (even me - I joke about "flying the colors" when I poke my nose out front), a lot of times it's simply a necessity.

For example, at the last race I did (Harlem), my avg wattage was 200, my normalized power was 223. As pitiful as that might sound, that's about as high as I can sustain for 40 minutes. I drank lots of fluids prior and during the race, but I ran out of water (started with 1 big and 1 small bottle of plain water) with 2-3 to go. Since I ate very little for the next 5-6 hours (400 cal?), I obviously had a lot of fuel. So it wasn't like I was dealing with any unusual deficiencies (bonk, heat stroke, etc).

Normally I like my HR to stay under 160, and 160-165 is where I start faltering, yet at Harlem I averaged 170 for the whole race, 178 for the last few laps. I only had two minor jumps left in my legs at the bell, and I used them both to maintain position (one when the guy in front of me didn't react to a major move, the other to reaccelerate up to speed after two guys almost biffed in front of me). With about 600 meters to go and nothing in the tank, I sat up, probably sitting 10th-15th in the field.

I never saw the front and rarely saw the wind, yet I had nothing left for the sprint. It would not have made sense for me to "go to the front" at all in that race because, simply put, I wouldn't have made it to the bell lap. So don't get intimidated into pulling. You don't have to, and if you're physically unable to, you shouldn't blow yourself up for etiquette's sake.

Now if you're just coasting along in the field, that's a different story. When I was more fit and had good legs, I'd regularly string the field out, but I had a reason, sort of. I did it because I could, but I justified it by thinking I was going to string out the field and weed out some weaker racers. If you can string out a field into single file (it takes a lap or two of hard effort), pretty much everyone has the same amount of protection. No drafting the equivalent of a Mack truck (i.e. like sitting inside a curb-to-curb field). Single file is hard, and if you combine it with some good wind, guys at the back will be suffering. If you have a bunch of sprinters like me who are already on the edge, then 5-10 laps of sustained speed will kill them. Combine it with tactically efficient cornering and you will have a strung out field that is doing a major accordion effect, and the guys at the back will really be in trouble.

cdr

CDR, I "tried" to throw but that was the first time I ever tried and I have no idea if it was even close to right.

On stringing them out, did you have teammates working with you? I imagine that would be invaluable unless there were others that were willing to work.

Next race is going to be fun...

That sounds like my ideal race situation. Ramping up the pace the last lap and then wide open road at 400m. So long as there wasn't a brutal headwind or an uphill finish, I would've just gone....ramped up the pace and then tried to squeeze out a final extra kick. I can't do that take a nap and then jump thing in the last 500-1000m. If going for it at 400m isn't your style, then follow the rotating riders. At least now you know those other guys weren't just leadouts since they finished in the top as well. Still, that's a great result. Good job.

Since you sat in all race and hadn't done any work, a false attack might have been the way to go. You could have pulled out a few wheels to jump on and you still should have had lots of gas for the final kick.

This all happened in the last km so there really isn't a whole lot of time to think about it. It's a reaction thing.

I'm betting next time you'll play it differently.

I like this move, make somebody else play thier cards first, it's sorta like a check in poker. If its the same dudes next week, pick the right wheel and stick to it.

I would have pulled off when the guy in front of me peeled out (stayed on his wheel). Then start sniffing for the right time. I wouldn't have much of a card to play with 3 minutes left to race on my own.

This is probably what I would have done then jumped somewhere around 200-250 meters. Sounds like you did well yourself. A few more races like that and you'll land a win.

400m... i'd just attack right when the pull off

CDR, I "tried" to throw but that was the first time I ever tried and I have no idea if it was even close to right.

On stringing them out, did you have teammates working with you? I imagine that would be invaluable unless there were others that were willing to work.

Next race is going to be fun...

Throwing the bike is worth 2-3 feet, and once you practice it a bit, it'll be second nature.
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2006/12/sprinting-throwing-your-bike.html

The best way to see how a throw works is to do one next to a riding partner who is not throwing their bike. Do this at some normal speed, 15-20 mph, and practice throwing the bike. Your body will end up a few inches behind theirs but your bars (and most importantly, your front wheel) will end up way in front.

Stringing them out - I didn't have too many teammates and in a couple races my maneuvers ended up dropping the only teammate I had in the race. It was more an ego/fun thing, not something designed to win a race.

cdr

Here is a pic from the finish. (http://bp1.blogger.com/_M7ee-fWe_DU/SFcHTsvmP_I/AAAAAAAAACY/Zk-1cKJwvaI/s1600-h/ShermanPark_6:14:08.jpg) Luke from Chicago bike Racing (http://www.chicagobikeracing.com/) took the shot. That is the throw for second at the line. According to him, I led him out perfectly...we were bumping shoulders fighting it out in the final meters. I was digging pretty deep at this point, hence the mean face. Simple, next time, sit on the wheel of the guy that won and make him take 2nd instead. In a situation with a team-effort, just sit behind all of the team-guys and see what they're up to.

Another thing to do is time your pack-placement on the last lap and do what it takes to maintain that position:

1000m to go: top-10
800m to go: top-8
600m to go: top-5
400m to go: GO, GO, GO and stay 2nd-4th
200m to go: 2nd behind leadout-guy
100-50m to go: GO, GO, GO ALL OUT AND PASS UP THAT GUY (remember to accelerate in the draft)
Or some such variation depending upon your max-speed and time you can hold the lead-outs and sprints.

If you find you're further up than needed, when a guy pulls off, PULL OFF BEHIND HIM, then immediately move over when the guy behind you gets his bars even with you. You're backing up into the guy behind him and shoving him off the wheel you want. You basically maintain the same position by swapping guys you're following.

Another tip is to be quick and decisive with your moves. If the guy behinds you jump, don't wait for him to clear your front wheel before you jump, you'll be 20-30ft beind by the time you get up to speed. Instead, as soon as you hear him move and see his front-wheel out of the corner of your eye, you move too. But you can't get behind him because he's next to you. Instead, jump around the OTHER SIDE of the guy ahead and get on the wheel after you've both passed the guy ahead. So if the guy behind you goes up the right side, you immediately jump and go around the left side of teh guy in front. You won't have to accelerate as hard and can fall right in on his wheel when you've both passed the guy in front.

Be aware of the entire situation. Record the numbers of all the guys that won the primes; they'll usually be around for the finish. Best if you're behind them watching what they're up to. Use your ears and listen for the up-shifts when someone behind you is about to jump. Look under your armpits to make sure you know what's happening behind you. Have fun! :)

excellent advice, Danno. Lots to think about.

excellent advice, Danno. Lots to think about.

Yeah, once you get Danno, CDR, WRocket (and a couple others) to chime in, you're done. You've got the info, all you need is the legs!

You've gotten good advice here. The only other thing to add is that you just gotta keep on it because with experience you'll learn which wheel you actually want to be on (e.g., which rider is actually going to be the one going for the win).

Yeah, once you get Danno, CDR, WRocket (and a couple others) to chime in, you're done. You've got the info, all you need is the legs!

yep...oh, so true.