Originally Posted by Gramercy

Question about doing a Crit where the first lap or two are at at controlled pace and then the race officially starts.

I did a race a month ago where the first two laps were controlled and people were riding along around 16 or 17mph on the flats for the first lap (1 mile each). Then on the second lap it got a little faster with a few people ramping up the pace and while the race didn't officially start, it seemed people were trying to get to the front and jockey for position. Is there a certain etiquette on these preliminary laps? In the next race I do, should I try to stay at the very front even if I have to exert a decent amount of effort before the race officially starts? Do people ever go too hard on these laps and then get chastised by others in the race? I don't want to get stuck again in the middle where the accoridan effect tires out my legs and lungs before the race is over.