carpediemracing 

Only watched it once but that swarm move up the right side at the end... I wonder if you'd be better off sitting another 10-15 wheels back around the bell or just before. If you're really far forward it's hard to see moves develop, and you have to constantly surf the outside edge of the field, wheel overlapped to the outside, so you can instantly respond to a move (like said move on the right). If you were further back you have to gamble you're on the side that moves, but when it moves you'll be able to latch on and get a ride.

Not that we're Cav but he did that with someone, maybe Gerrint Thomas, for a stage in the Tour. Cav was really far back, knew that whoever would move up hard, and just waited for him to move up. Then Cav launched and won the sprint.

You look like you had a good line in that last right turn but had to ease a bit. You were on the curb/kerb/whatever but then lost speed. If you could have maintained speed that'd have helped.

I assume there was someone next to you during the sprint, and you were probably even with other riders during the sprint, meaning you were side by side. If not then you should move over to get on a wheel, if one exists, before jumping again from said shelter.

Have you tried sprinting in bigger gears? Or were you already in your 11 or 12? A lot of times when you shift up you can do yet another little power peak, another jump. You probably have an idea of your power in that sprint so it may be that you don't have any more to give.

The guy Dennis who won looks like he has a decent sprint. The fact that he's a few lengths clear at the finish indicates to me he has a sprint that is at a different level than everyone else in the field. This means that to beat him you have to deal with him first. Although I normally don't race like this, it may be that you need to actually mark him going into the bell and just follow his wheel. His initial jump may shed you off his wheel but if not then you have a chance to hang onto his wheel and try and get around him in the last 50 meters or so. I have a feeling if you go early he'll be able to latch on and just use you as a leadout.

The other thing to do is to weaken Dennis, but realistically he's either strong enough to go with moves or he'll gamble on a field finish and not chase breaks.

If you have a teammate willing to work maybe you and him can take turns leading out the other. This means you go super hard from about 35-40 seconds out, literally sprint speed, and your teammate takes over when you blow, hopefully as you exit the last right bend (in this course set up). Then the following week the two of you switch roles. What this would do is hopefully string out the field so there aren't too many successful swarm moves. A proper leadout is fast enough that most swarm moves don't work; in fact, in a Cat 3-4 race, a proper leadout might leave 5-6 riders left in contention. Remember that it's relatively easy to move up inside a big field even at a field speed of 35 mph, so the leadout needs to be both fast and long. Fast enough to break 35 mph, long enough to string out the field and reduce the shelter available to each following rider. With all the long curves in the course I think you can go a bit longer since the leadout rider can recover a bit in the curves and the curves will help string things out.

I've seen it take 60 seconds to string out a 70 rider field - the first 30 seconds of serious attacks (by a good ex-domestic-pro) I'm still soft pedaling and taking it easy, but then as things keep getting strung out it puts me in difficulty. Doing a short leadout doesn't do enough because there is plenty of shelter for those 20 riders back. You'd need two teammates to do a proper 60 second leadout (25 sec leadout + 20 sec leadout + 15 second sprint) but that would decisively string out the field.