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Old 05-26-14 | 10:13 AM
  #1189  
carpediemracing
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Tariffville, CT

Bikes: Tsunami road bikes, Dolan DF4 track

Originally Posted by collin2985
I had a strong race but either I'm a wuss or a great bike handler depending on your perspective.
Personally I think you did a good job staying upright. In hindsight you probably could have made it without moving left as much but in the heat of the moment that's not an easy call to make. I couldn't tell if you could hear tires sliding or anything but that's the big warning sign. It looks like the riders in front of you were able to make the turn so following them could have been an option. Again, though, for me the conservative choice is always a safe one. You and I are not pros, we don't rely on places for our living, and we don't have other people relying on our race results. If you pick the conservative/safe choice all the time you may miss out here and there on a potential podium place but you'll also tend to miss some of the big stack ups. It's a trade off. I'm definitely a conservative racer nowadays.

On such a hairpin turn you should expect riders to swarm the inside and then go wide as they overcook the turn. It's human nature so it happens all the time. It's hard to plan an approach such a turn. For me I leverage my jump and typically follow just outside of the most inside rider (meaning in your race I'd be a foot or two to the left of the most inside rider in front of me). I'd be expecting them to go wide and I'll be ready to go to their inside. I'd be making a later apex turn than the rider in front so I'd be clear based on having an extra foot or two clearance to the curb, enabling me to turn in while the rider in front is still up against the curb.

If you don't have a powerful jump then it'd be best to lead or at least start the turn on the inside. In such a turn, if you're leading, you absolutely want to turn in as early as possible, which is the absolute opposite of "the right line". This is a perfect example of a turn where the "right line" is the worst line you could take. Obviously you don't want to go off the road at the turn out point, but if you start the turn on the inside then everyone behind you has to wait until you go wide at the exit. If you carry enough speed then you'll be able to keep the other riders back until you're about 2/3 of the way across the road on the turn out point. At that point someone might be able to get by you on the inside, but realistically, especially in the lower categories, you're not going to have anyone next to you until it straightens out.

On the other hand I think you did a great move once you realized you weren't in position before the last turn. You used some (a lot?) of your reserves to move up, places that I think you'd have been hard pressed to make up if you'd waited until the sprint. I think you made a good tactical decision at that time, regardless of the outcome.

Overall I think you're making great progress in your racing. You're mixing it up, you're getting into position to contest for a podium spot, you go in with some idea of what you want to accomplish, and you're thinking while you're racing. That's a lot more than most riders can say.
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"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
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