Road Bike Racing - So, Yeah, I'm a tactical genius, turns ouot

Lap 4 of a 7 lap cat 5 race and the pace is painfully slow, 17mph into the wind and the pack has been squirelly as hell.
So I see everyone just taking it easy, chatting back and for and I'm thinking "I should just take off for the hell of it"

So I stand up and sprint, get it up to 30mph, sit and spin around 26mph, look back and there's one guy on my wheel and we have a nice little gap to the pack. It's a long straight with a tailwind so maybe we could have made it stick but my hr is maxed out.

End result, I get caught, finish last :lol:

Better than sitting in for a slow group ride.

As Bob Dopolina once said, "It's called racing, not waiting around for shiat to happen."

It's really hard to make a break stick at PIR, especially when you're facing a killer headwind on the straight.

The place to attack is entering the S-curve and hope that you get enough of a gap on the field before either the front or back stretch. But usually, the field will mow you down on those long stretches.

It's really hard to make a break stick at PIR, especially when you're facing a killer headwind on the straight.

The place to attack is entering the S-curve and hope that you get enough of a gap on the field before either the front or back stretch. But usually, the field will mow you down on those long stretches.

We were going the other direction so the home straight had a tailwind of sorts.
My break was on the back straight right before the S curve, another reason I decided to go for it but as I took off I was thinking "No way in hell is this going to stick..."


Better than sitting in for a slow group ride.

As Bob Dopolina once said, "It's called racing, not waiting around for shiat to happen."Yup, plus it was fun as hell :D

No worries. Off the front or off the back. And sometimes, both. :)

It seems like going CCW is more conductive to breaks. Going the other direction, there is almost 2km of front straight, basically directly into the wind; the backstretch is shorter.

http://www.portlandraceway.com/images/stories/PIRmap2sm.jpg

The only times I've seen a break stick is 1) when the guy off the front is a total sandbagger or moving up quickly through the lower Cats and just rides everyone off his wheel, or 2) in the 3/4 race, when the break gets a significant gap and the field gets neutralized by the 1/2/3 field.

Because of the neutralization trick, you wouldn't believe the number of attacks being made as the 1/2/3 field approaches from behind.

MONGO: I take it that this was yesterday during the Master's races. Are you going to be out there today?

It seems like going CCW is more conductive to breaks. Going the other direction, there is almost 2km of front straight, basically directly into the wind; the backstretch is shorter.

http://www.portlandraceway.com/images/stories/PIRmap2sm.jpg



MONGO: I take it that this was yesterday during the Master's races. Are you going to be out there today?
Yeah, yesterday in the novice masters. I don't think my legs have another race in them today.
What's the opposite of a sandbagger? :p

Yeah, yesterday in the novice masters. I don't think my legs have another race in them today.
What's the opposite of a sandbagger? :p

Cat 5 ;)

Where is the median between blowing a race apart and very likely not placing, or sit in, do nothing and try to go for a placing or win.

You got some experience off the front ... good for you!

... Brad

It seems like going CCW is more conductive to breaks. Going the other direction, there is almost 2km of front straight, basically directly into the wind; the backstretch is shorter.

The only times I've seen a break stick is 1) when the guy off the front is a total sandbagger or moving up quickly through the lower Cats and just rides everyone off his wheel, or 2) in the 3/4 race, when the break gets a significant gap and the field gets neutralized by the 1/2/3 field.

Because of the neutralization trick, you wouldn't believe the number of attacks being made as the 1/2/3 field approaches from behind.

MONGO: I take it that this was yesterday during the Master's races. Are you going to be out there today?

In the P/1/2/3 and 30+1/2/3 races breaks stick fairly often. They tend to go right after hot spots when the sprinters and their teams need to recover. They usually will only stay away to the finish if there are 5 or more guys in the break, and it really helps if one or two are pros. Sometimes breaks will go off with 2 or 3 miles to go to the next hot spot and sit up after getting the points. These are hit or miss, but can work if the sprinters all look at each other hoping the others will chase.

Good for you for trying to make something happen. Racing would be a lot more fun and a lot safer if everyone didn't think they were some superstar sprinter who had to sit on someone's wheel until the final 100 meters.

Sometimes you have to poo or get off the pot.... Raced in the Arkansas state crit this past Sunday and did something very similar as you did... 1k to go and the pace slows to 25 mph as everybody is looking at each other waiting for somebody to go so I "drope teh hammar" and gave it all I had..... Too bad I could only hold it for 800m and half the pack passed me at the line.

Sometimes you just gotta go :)

^
Thats been happening to me more and more lately.

If you are not a sprinter, and I am not, this is what I love to do in a crit. And it will stick more than once. Go at a random time. 1.2 laps to go. 1.9 to go. Depending on the length of the lap. It confuses people. Most assume you won't make it. Also do not look back. DON'T DO IT. Until maybe you know you are free. There is nothing like watching guys sprint for second after rolling solo across the line.

If you attack, you lose. If you don't attack, you lose.

There is nothing like watching guys sprint for second after rolling solo across the line.

+eleventy million

Turns out I'm a tactical genius as well. Last night at PIR (sister race to the Monday series the OP rode), I went out on a breakaway with a few other fellows. Stayed away for two laps (3.8 miles) and got caught right at the start/finish line entering the bell lap. Had no legs for the sprint after that. Got lucky 13th at the line.

Turns out I'm a tactical genius as well. Last night at PIR (sister race to the Monday series the OP rode), I went out on a breakaway with a few other fellows. Stayed away for two laps (3.8 miles) and got caught right at the start/finish line entering the bell lap. Had no legs for the sprint after that. Got lucky 13th at the line.


Nice, I caught the end of that race, we were out riding around there and stopped by.

Are you a 3 or 4?

I'm a 4. Were you one of the guys sitting in the grass on the backside of the course?

I'm a 4. Were you one of the guys sitting in the grass on the backside of the course?

Wow, impressive, that's a big field.
Do you have any stats from the race? Av speed?

We were by the bleachers where you get to the car park but we weren't around for very long.

Average speed was about 26mph. Max was 38mph, probably on the finishing sprint (wind at the back).

We had, I think 61 in the field (this was the 3/4 field) and I think it was pretty smooth, or maybe I'm just getting better at the whole peloton thing and moving up through the middle of the pack. No squirrels today, though there was one crash when someone, somehow, managed to hook his handlebars into someone's wheel. Figure that one out :wtf:.