Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
The crash after the finish - someone go straight or turn off or something?
I was talking to the guy that went down first after the race. He said he remembers seeing a crack in the road and a rock then the next thing he remembers is getting up off the ground. The guy behind him locked up brakes.
Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
Stick to wheels better, as you say. Even if you're off to one side 1-2' while being 1-3' behind, it's better than being 5'-10' behind. A lot of times one side will be more sheltered than the other, so for example if the wind is slightly from the left then sit 1-2' to the right side and slide up as close as possible to the rear wheel. For my helmet cam clips if I can't see the whole rear wheel on the screen then I'm in about the right territory. If you can find someone trustworthy to follow it might be worth it just to sit on their wheel for 5 laps at a time and try to stay closer. You want someone that stays seated most of the time, holds a good line, and doesn't panic easily. When I was learning it was one of my bigger teammates, he didn't have any jump so he was perfect to follow. He stayed seated almost all the time so that was also good - in fact he almost never made out of saddle efforts until we started racing together collegiately and I taught him how to rock the bike more.
From what I remember (I will upload the rest of the race tonight) I was sticking to one or 2 riders wheels for a few laps at a time during the race. I will have to watch the video to be sure but thats what I remember. It is something that I am definitely working on. I was a lot better at the end of my cat 5 season and the beginning of last year, but after a guy slammed his brakes in a corner taking me out last May, it has taken me much longer than I anticipated to get comfortable again close in the pack and shrink my "sphere", especially in turns. By the end of this race I was starting to feel pretty comfortable.
Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
Also if the inside is clear on a turn don't be afraid of cutting the corner. It looked like there were a couple turns where there was no one to your inside. You could have taken a much more aggressive line, like one you'd take if you were riding alone, and been closer to the wheels at the turn exit. The "turn parallel to everyone else's line" only applies if they're next to or behind you. If you're clear of them then forget it, you can dive a corner. Just check to make sure you're clear first.
I kept telling myself this everytime I did that. There were a few times where I took an unneccesarily wide line.
Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
A good thing is that you don't seem to look down. Either that or your camera is pointed really high
Seriously, though, you're riding with your head up. It's better than me, a lot of times my footage is all butts and ankles because I'm so redlined.
When I first got the helmet mount for my camera earlier this year I had it set way too low then I saw a picture I think of you and moved it back.
http://www.shellhamerphotography.com.../RtB-991-L.jpg
As long as im not off the back I try to keep my head up (for obvious reason)