patentcad

Why don't you ask me how many races I've ever won in my entire life?

patentcad

It's because you know the answer, isn't it?

patentcad

And that's why some of us can enjoy racing even if we're never going to be podium guys. Because we can help the more talented team mates win. In reality, I think Gary would have gotten many or most of his results without the team support, but he certainly has more success with the team working for him, and we have a blast supporting the team leaders. It's a team sport no matter how you slice it, particularly in the 35+ races. We do have a good cohesive team that works well together and gets along, and that makes the sport much more enjoyable. Hell, the weather in March is so horrific some days that the only thing that gets me to drive to NY City @ 5AM is the knowledge that the other guys will be there, I feel compelled to show up. If it was just me, I might bail on some of those cold, windy, rainy races.

oneradtec

I didn't win any this year because I didnt race. Last time I raced, I won a crit as a cat 5, and also won a few primes. I upgraded to cat 4 and then left the sport for a few years(regrettably). I'm planning to race again in '09(and beyond)....and race a lot!!!

merlinextraligh

My best race this year was working to make sure a 2 man break with a team member stayed away. Unfortunately we took 2nd. But it was really a great team effort. And no one understood in the office Monday morning. To them it just sounds like BS for why I finished 19th.

But I thoroughly enjoyed actually working the team strategy and making it work.

brianappleby

But what if you are in a break that's so far off the front that it would stick anyway, and you have a teammate in the peloton, blocking or chasing bridge attempts. Your break would have won with or without the teammates help, but he was still there working.

What then?

merckx89

Won 4
podiumed in 7
won my first and only mountain bike race
won my first and only cyclocross race

carpediemracing 

I was thinking "Zero" until I read your post. Then I remembered - oh, yeah, I raced track!

So, Zero crits. I didn't do any road races or TTs or circuit races.

3 match sprints. Out of four rounds, unfortunately.
2 err mass start track races. Scratch race, that's what it's called.

I think that's it on the track. Since that was sort of sandbagging (I was in the lowest class due to my total inexperience in track, but it didn't take into account my general experience in cycling), I'd still say zero.

None of my teammates have won in a race where I contributed anything.

cdr

ElJamoquio

3.

EventServices

You likely needed his help in getting the gap established. You're suggesting that he hit a home run in the first inning, but you hit the game winner in the 9th. A team is a team.

But here's something else to think about:
Breakaway Law #354: When the breakaway is clearly away, then it becomes your teammate's job to initiate a second breakaway.

Let's say that you're in a two man break. That means that 1st and 2nd are locked up.

OK, so if 3rd place is the best we can get, then 3rd place becomes the new 1st place, and we should try the same strategies was worked before.
Shame on them if they just sit back and accept 1st place and call it good. They should try to stack the podium/placings with teammates.

People think this is wrong. They'll say it's bad to chase a teammate. Wrong.
If I get in a chase group with two guys, I'll work hard enough to stay away, but I won't work hard enough to bridge the gap. When we get close enough, I'll attack and try to get across without them. Now we have 2 guys in a three-man breakaway. If we don't get close enough, we've still got two guys in the top five.

Racer Ex 

40 wins for the team in races I was in.

You'll miss a lot in the long run.

ZeCanon

I was trying to prove a point, nothing more. I don't think any team goes into a race with only one guy who is allowed to go for the win. But it's usually pretty obvious who is "on" that day or who is best suited to the course.
I'm not going to duke it out with a teammate for position at the end of a race - one of us is going to sacrifice for the other. That isn't saying that the one who sacrifices couldn't have won. He may be ecstatic that he didn't win (but his buddy did). He still didn't WIN though. He just likes the guy who did, and likes feeling like he accomplished something more than riding around in circles really fast for an hour.

zzzwillzzz

i got three third places leading out a team mate who got first or second near the end of the season. it was really satisfying after racing alone for months.

Racer Ex 

If your point is that the guy who won the race won the race, that's a yes and no. Sometimes you can do it on your own. Sometimes you can't. Go into a race by yourself when the entire field is racing against you once and you'll get that.

BTW a lot of teams go into races with one main guy, pro and am. Better to go in with multiple weapons and don't make it obvious who's "on". If it's obvious to you, it's obvious to everyone else. Start putting a bunch of different guys on the top step and everyone benefits. Well not everyone. Drives the other teams nutty.

Ahhh. Crit guy. Never mind then

caloso

Hey, I like this. I had one RR where I spent quite a bit of time on the front. Two teammate got into a break with 15 to go. When a rival team took after them, I hopped on their wheels. My buddy was a monster and with 6 to go, he attacked the breakaway group and won with a beautiful solo effort. My other buddy finished 3d, and I finished 7th. At the time, I was kind of disappointed because I couldn't bridge to the lead break, but it was an awesome result.

I'd like to think I helped. And it was a fun, hard, awesome day on the bike.

DrWJODonnell

It's the ones I lost that I remember...

patentcad

It's that nerdy car of yours that I remember Will. Unfortunately, now we all want one. On the other hand they were selling regular unleaded in Mahwah for $1.61/gallon on Saturday, so maybe it's time for one of those spiffy new Ford F-150 pickups.

gsteinb

You were right around the corner from the stag hill climb. Just sayin,' Holly Hobby.

Racer Ex 

A great race mechanic was once asked why he stood head and shoulders above the others in his field. His reply:

"I'm standing on a pile of broken parts"

cmh

Even if you count team wins it is more analogous to winning a softball tournament than a softball game because there are generally more than two teams in the race.