I've always wondered...
 

If everyone knows not to pull during a race...who the hell is doing all the pulling?

Riders/teams who want to attack or drive up the pace of the race. Comes in handy for wearing out the sprinters.

If a team has riders in the breakaway, they'll actually stay at the front of the pack in an effort to bring the pace down.

Often no one is pulling in the sense of putting in a lot of work. But at any time someone might attack and if they do you don't want to be at teh back of the pack, so some would rather do a little extra work instead of taking the risk. (Same re crashes). Then if a hilly or cobble section the chance of a break goes up. ...

+1

I have a habit of pulling(being top 3-5) early in crits so I can be at the front of the according and cover, if needed. I also tend to put a little pressure on after the corners to try to sting some other guys. Once we settle in is when I tend to drop back a little to recover and try to be ready for something that will stick.

Probably not the best strategy but it seems to work ok for me.

I'll get to the front in my USCF races on the climbs simply because I'm faster up them than the majority of the guys out there. If I can burn some people off the back and simplify the race a little, why wouldn't I do it?

In cat 4/5 races and some 3 races, many people do work because they don't realize they shouldn't be doing work.

In Pro/1/2 races and some 3 races, it seems like nobody pulls unless they're responding to an attack. Its been interesting seeing the difference between the higher cats and lower cats.

This doesn't really apply when there are big climbs involved.

accordion?

Actually in a lot of lower cat races there are periods where nobody is willing to pull and do any work and the pace slows to 18-20mph.

Yes, lets hope i proof read my projects better than my posts!

me.

The difference between knowing what you are doing, and still learning how to do it.

That's what I hate about crits. It's riding around then a sprint finish. Which is why US riders struggle against the Pro Tour teams. They sprint. That's about it, really.

You could definitely see that in the Virginia race, even with the difficult weather conditions.

Ding ding ding.

Regardless of where you're in the field, I think it's always a good idea to ask why you are there. If you can't think of a good reason, you prob shouldn't be there.

Some book I read a while back (Racing Tactics for Cyclists t I think?) said that this is why American's are cornering specialists...

Yep, your not supposed to pull, not supposed to be in the back 2/3, be in the front 1/3 but NOT in the front.

That, my friends, maked for a standard Ohio cat 4 race in 2006. 40 mile recovery ride followed by a sprint.

I'm in the front half of the time, the back half of the time and in the middle for the other half.

Hmmm, I disagree. I've been in lots of crits that were as tactical as any RR, with breakaways, counter attacks, etc. I've also watched the "big boys" (i.e. pros, including the CSC team) race crits and have witnessed same. As an 30-something y.o. cat 3 with job/family/etc., I really like crits, if raced they have all the tactics of an RR compressed into a shorter period, plus a greater emphasis on bikehandling.

That's like ... <counts on fingers> ... 3 halves. Your racing an extra half. Stop doing that. ;)

I've seen plenty of crits with successful breaks. It's not rare at all.

I do think that team strategy becomes harder to execute in a crit vs. an RR, and so in most lower cat races it fails. After all, teams do a lot to make a breakaway stick.

it depends on the crit course too.

cat4ever=Yogi Beara:)

Teammates of the guy who is going to win.

I've ended up on the front a few times, not counting the times I'm trying to take one for the team. For instance, last Sunday, I jumped up to a guy who rolled off the front. The whole pack strung out and caught up also. Then the original guy faded off, leaving me in the front. I slowed down, but didn't want to peel off, because I would have ended up fighting to get back on a wheel. In cases like those, I try to slow down just enough to prompt an attack that I will hopefully be able to jump on.

marines.

correct

On the military side, that would be Recon, which was my bag. Not so much on the bike.