"Moving Up" etiquette during Road Race with Center line rule in effect?
03-28-11, 08:20 AM
#26
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a touch just tells me more than a voice. with a touch i know everything i need to know- "hey i am here" and i can use that info however i want, with a voice i dunno if theyre talking to me or someone else and sometimes cant even make out what theyre saying. just simpler.
03-28-11, 08:35 AM
#27
fuggitivo solitario
OP, you may want to see MDCatV and CDR's extremely helpful comments on surfing wheels to the front on the thread i started last week titled "six weeks of consecutive racing." For your convenience, they are attached to the bottom of this post
I tried to do what MDCatV and CDR recommended regarding moving up. The course was not very conducive to this as we had only one lane to work with, had a hill that shattered the pack (with yours truly staying in the middle of the pack), and a ton of sidewind during which people rode two abreast.
When the action was relatively calm, however, i tried to surf up toward the front. I didn't succeed surfing to 5th wheel, but i did surf from the end to the front-middle of a 40-man pack by going up the middle; however, by the time i did this, it was the final lap.
With the road single lane wide, people were lined up three abreast, which means there should be some space in the middle depending on how far people are riding from the edges. Riders sometimes drift, and it was during these moments i moved up. At one point, the space was actually closing between two riders, but i went through without having to resort to yelling or shoving. CDR's comment about the sphere of confidence is quite helpful, and it's good to realize what yours is.
I saw people moving up by sideblasting, often by crossing the yellow line. Given that I could potentially get DQ'ed for it (and that the opposing traffic had really no shoulder to go on), i resisted the temptation when a teammate offered to drag me up the front by sideblasting.
I tried to do what MDCatV and CDR recommended regarding moving up. The course was not very conducive to this as we had only one lane to work with, had a hill that shattered the pack (with yours truly staying in the middle of the pack), and a ton of sidewind during which people rode two abreast.
When the action was relatively calm, however, i tried to surf up toward the front. I didn't succeed surfing to 5th wheel, but i did surf from the end to the front-middle of a 40-man pack by going up the middle; however, by the time i did this, it was the final lap.
With the road single lane wide, people were lined up three abreast, which means there should be some space in the middle depending on how far people are riding from the edges. Riders sometimes drift, and it was during these moments i moved up. At one point, the space was actually closing between two riders, but i went through without having to resort to yelling or shoving. CDR's comment about the sphere of confidence is quite helpful, and it's good to realize what yours is.
I saw people moving up by sideblasting, often by crossing the yellow line. Given that I could potentially get DQ'ed for it (and that the opposing traffic had really no shoulder to go on), i resisted the temptation when a teammate offered to drag me up the front by sideblasting.
good idea if the desire to race > than the regret you'll feel by staying home. sometimes there is a certain sense of dread when a race is coming up that is outside your comfort zone, i feel it sometimes and think it's normal.
sounds like you're frustrated by results that are below your self expectations, frustrated that some team mates are having greater success than you, and have reservations about your bike handling skills in close quarters. i'd bet the bike handling concerns are the difference between you and your team mates, by blasting around the outside of a pack, getting stuck out there even if on leeward side you're burning matches that others arent, and in the end what you have left is less than what others have left.
so, let's work on mid race goals to improve and be maybe a little more process oriented than results oriented in an effort to improve such that your process leads to results.
next start: wherever you are in staging, make it a goal to get to 5th wheel by the 5th lap, or the 5th minute, or some other broken down increment of time, and do so by not hitting ANY wind. up through the pack, while paying attention for someone blasting around the side to latch onto and let them lead YOU to your position. after you accomplish this, take a drink, eat a gel while maintaining your position. next goal, whatever you lose position wise, make it back up again by resisting the urge to do it on your own but rather in the way i wrote above. next goal, take a breath and attack. sprint from 5th wheel and get a gap, dont look back, and see what happens. be smooth and steady. if you get caught, now you need to work on getting back "in". this is an art, i find the best way is to line up beside someone who has their front wheel opposite the back wheel of the guy whose wheel you want. then accelerate, drift (i.e. slow), accelerate into space. not big accelerations but just a pedal stroke or two should get you in.
if you completed all those, and finish 50 of 50, you still accomplished something to utilize in the future and hence learned something to help you improve, so you had a successful race.
next race, find the guy who you think is going to win, and make it a point to shadow him. get on his wheel as early as you can, and work to stay on it. when you lose it, work on getting it back without using any energy expenditure. use him as your leadout in the end.
... and be happy for your team mates, they're working hard too, things just appears to be coming a little easier for them.
sounds like you're frustrated by results that are below your self expectations, frustrated that some team mates are having greater success than you, and have reservations about your bike handling skills in close quarters. i'd bet the bike handling concerns are the difference between you and your team mates, by blasting around the outside of a pack, getting stuck out there even if on leeward side you're burning matches that others arent, and in the end what you have left is less than what others have left.
so, let's work on mid race goals to improve and be maybe a little more process oriented than results oriented in an effort to improve such that your process leads to results.
next start: wherever you are in staging, make it a goal to get to 5th wheel by the 5th lap, or the 5th minute, or some other broken down increment of time, and do so by not hitting ANY wind. up through the pack, while paying attention for someone blasting around the side to latch onto and let them lead YOU to your position. after you accomplish this, take a drink, eat a gel while maintaining your position. next goal, whatever you lose position wise, make it back up again by resisting the urge to do it on your own but rather in the way i wrote above. next goal, take a breath and attack. sprint from 5th wheel and get a gap, dont look back, and see what happens. be smooth and steady. if you get caught, now you need to work on getting back "in". this is an art, i find the best way is to line up beside someone who has their front wheel opposite the back wheel of the guy whose wheel you want. then accelerate, drift (i.e. slow), accelerate into space. not big accelerations but just a pedal stroke or two should get you in.
if you completed all those, and finish 50 of 50, you still accomplished something to utilize in the future and hence learned something to help you improve, so you had a successful race.
next race, find the guy who you think is going to win, and make it a point to shadow him. get on his wheel as early as you can, and work to stay on it. when you lose it, work on getting it back without using any energy expenditure. use him as your leadout in the end.
... and be happy for your team mates, they're working hard too, things just appears to be coming a little easier for them.
These factors indicate to me that your sphere area (protective area around bars/front wheel) is a bit too big. If other riders, with smaller sphere areas, compete with you for space, they'll win. (Of course if you have a smaller sphere you'll be able to get spots).
If you decide to tailgun you shouldn't need to burn a match to get back on after a corner - you may even need to brake so you don't slam into everyone as they straighten out. If it's dicey up front (i.e. uncomfortable for the rider, you in this case) this may be a good tactic.
Moving up inside the pack requires a bit of patience. A lot of times you can't move. The bigger your sphere, the more limited your options.
If you move up on the outside then try and slot in, you need to find room. If you "make" room you end up the bad guy - last week some idiot was elbowing people in the Cat 5s at Bethel and ended up on the deck. You should be able to make subtle and effective moves to take and hold spots. If you can't you should work on them. Techniques for that... that's a 10 page post in itself.
The sphere shrinks as you get used to being close to other riders. Sphere-wise I feel pretty comfortable on my bike. I'm okay until it's a couple inches from my knuckles, maybe 4-6 inches from my front wheel. Tight is contact with arm/hand/shoulder or under 1-2" from the front of my tire, 1" from the side of my tire.
I sometimes try to get my tire between the rear der cable and the spokes of the rider in front of me, i.e. in the little U shaped area just behind the cassette, boxed in by the wheel on the left and the derailleur cable on the right. It's probably a 3"x3" square. To me that's tight - usually I do this on group rides, not races.
It also requires me to be able to recover if the rider moves right suddenly and starts to take out my front wheel. I am semi-confident of recovering at that extreme overlap (1/2 wheel), maybe a 50-50 chance of falling. With a 1/4 wheel overlap I'm pretty confident I won't go down, like 10% chance of falling. One or two inch overlap, not a problem.
So I'd rethink your approach to some of the corners, save all that moving up energy for more important parts of the race (like with 5 to go, but until then tailgun and coast back into the pack after hairpins, with the odd effort here and there to close a gap).
On descents hang off the back until it's closer to the end of the race, then move up and hold position just once.
I'm not a strong rider but I can place in reasonably competitive races. I have sometimes just one or two efforts in my legs - I have to use them very, very carefully.
This is where a helmet/bike cam would be handy, to review race footage to see where/what/when stuff happened.
*edit* if you ever need to resort to contact, you've already put yourself in a bad position. The only riders I know of that need to force by using contact are already in a poor situation tactically speaking. Good tactics means no contact necessary. You should know how to deal with contact since if you're in good position that implies that others are not, and they may resort to contact to force the issue. Contact is virtually never needed by a good rider in an offensive way; it's primarily defensive contact, like knowing how to bounce the guy back that runs into you full tilt to take your spot in line.
If you decide to tailgun you shouldn't need to burn a match to get back on after a corner - you may even need to brake so you don't slam into everyone as they straighten out. If it's dicey up front (i.e. uncomfortable for the rider, you in this case) this may be a good tactic.
Moving up inside the pack requires a bit of patience. A lot of times you can't move. The bigger your sphere, the more limited your options.
If you move up on the outside then try and slot in, you need to find room. If you "make" room you end up the bad guy - last week some idiot was elbowing people in the Cat 5s at Bethel and ended up on the deck. You should be able to make subtle and effective moves to take and hold spots. If you can't you should work on them. Techniques for that... that's a 10 page post in itself.
The sphere shrinks as you get used to being close to other riders. Sphere-wise I feel pretty comfortable on my bike. I'm okay until it's a couple inches from my knuckles, maybe 4-6 inches from my front wheel. Tight is contact with arm/hand/shoulder or under 1-2" from the front of my tire, 1" from the side of my tire.
I sometimes try to get my tire between the rear der cable and the spokes of the rider in front of me, i.e. in the little U shaped area just behind the cassette, boxed in by the wheel on the left and the derailleur cable on the right. It's probably a 3"x3" square. To me that's tight - usually I do this on group rides, not races.
It also requires me to be able to recover if the rider moves right suddenly and starts to take out my front wheel. I am semi-confident of recovering at that extreme overlap (1/2 wheel), maybe a 50-50 chance of falling. With a 1/4 wheel overlap I'm pretty confident I won't go down, like 10% chance of falling. One or two inch overlap, not a problem.
So I'd rethink your approach to some of the corners, save all that moving up energy for more important parts of the race (like with 5 to go, but until then tailgun and coast back into the pack after hairpins, with the odd effort here and there to close a gap).
On descents hang off the back until it's closer to the end of the race, then move up and hold position just once.
I'm not a strong rider but I can place in reasonably competitive races. I have sometimes just one or two efforts in my legs - I have to use them very, very carefully.
This is where a helmet/bike cam would be handy, to review race footage to see where/what/when stuff happened.
*edit* if you ever need to resort to contact, you've already put yourself in a bad position. The only riders I know of that need to force by using contact are already in a poor situation tactically speaking. Good tactics means no contact necessary. You should know how to deal with contact since if you're in good position that implies that others are not, and they may resort to contact to force the issue. Contact is virtually never needed by a good rider in an offensive way; it's primarily defensive contact, like knowing how to bounce the guy back that runs into you full tilt to take your spot in line.
03-28-11, 09:59 AM
#28
shut up and ride
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03-28-11, 10:06 AM
#29
fuggitivo solitario
03-28-11, 10:11 AM
#30
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Is shoulder to shoulder bumping, borderline shoving pretty standard too? Happened to me once when the field was really bunched early on (first lap out of ~20). Guy really wanted to get by on the sketchy edge of the road, kinda a pointless maneuver at that point since he could have waited 30 seconds for the pack to string out.
03-28-11, 10:28 AM
#31
Tiocfáidh ár Lá
Bumping is normal but shoving is illegal and dangerous. I prefer to move up in the middle, it's a lot less work that way. If you need to get up front in a hurry then taking the outside into the head wind will get you there but you have to work and then when you are on the front you have to maintain your position a bit before you can slide back into the draft. In a race you almost always have to be moving up, you can find yourself at the back very quickly if you don't.
03-28-11, 10:33 AM
#32
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If I put my hand on your hip and push you are going exactly where I want you to go (not to sound like an interwebs tough guy). Try it with a buddy sometime on a group ride. Give him some warning and take turns moving each other all over the road.
If done correctly it is completely safe for all involved. It may be true that less experienced riders may not react well (and some experienced riders don't like it either) but it is the reaction, and not the hand on the hip, that could potentially be dangerous.
03-28-11, 10:46 AM
#34
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03-28-11, 10:51 AM
#35
Senior Member
From what I've found, a touch is worth more than words, but you shouldn't even need the touch; only if you find yourself in a bad position, you touch someone on the hip to keep him from moving over on you.
As for surfing the packing through the middle, concentrate on the space between wheels rather than following wheels. If two riders are shoulder to shoulder, you can safely stick your front wheel in between their back wheels. Neither one is going to move into your front wheel sphere because they'd have to go through the other to get there. Then when one of these people starts moving up, slide over to get on his wheel and look for the next gap to park your front wheel. Rinse and repeat, and practice this often. Everything easy peasy, gentle and slow.
The only etiquette for moving up in a field is that you don't cause a dangerous or unpredictable situation. Every move is smooth, slow, and predictable. The object is to flow with the pack. There are ways to force the issue. I suggest you resort to these moves rarely and only in targeted situations. Forcefully swiping a wheel from someone in, say, mile 30 of a 60 mile road race for no other reason then that you moved up on the outside and can't get back in will not make you any friends.
And there are times when you just won't be able to move up. In a road race, if the last five miles to the finish has no hills, no wind or corners or any other places to string out the field, you just might be locked in, no place to move. This is where some planning needs to happen. If it's centerline to gutter and nobody is taking leadership of the front to string out the field, then you just might be locked into place. The more you are comfortable riding in close proximity to people, the less this happens. You can start pushing people around, and the pros do this sometimes because their livelihood depends on their ability to get to the front, but you won't make any friends this way and it's not good etiquette for an amateur racer. Anyone below an experienced Cat 3 should just not consider this option at all.
As for surfing the packing through the middle, concentrate on the space between wheels rather than following wheels. If two riders are shoulder to shoulder, you can safely stick your front wheel in between their back wheels. Neither one is going to move into your front wheel sphere because they'd have to go through the other to get there. Then when one of these people starts moving up, slide over to get on his wheel and look for the next gap to park your front wheel. Rinse and repeat, and practice this often. Everything easy peasy, gentle and slow.
The only etiquette for moving up in a field is that you don't cause a dangerous or unpredictable situation. Every move is smooth, slow, and predictable. The object is to flow with the pack. There are ways to force the issue. I suggest you resort to these moves rarely and only in targeted situations. Forcefully swiping a wheel from someone in, say, mile 30 of a 60 mile road race for no other reason then that you moved up on the outside and can't get back in will not make you any friends.
And there are times when you just won't be able to move up. In a road race, if the last five miles to the finish has no hills, no wind or corners or any other places to string out the field, you just might be locked in, no place to move. This is where some planning needs to happen. If it's centerline to gutter and nobody is taking leadership of the front to string out the field, then you just might be locked into place. The more you are comfortable riding in close proximity to people, the less this happens. You can start pushing people around, and the pros do this sometimes because their livelihood depends on their ability to get to the front, but you won't make any friends this way and it's not good etiquette for an amateur racer. Anyone below an experienced Cat 3 should just not consider this option at all.
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"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
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"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
03-28-11, 10:54 AM
#36
Senior Member
1+ Not about tough guy talk. It's about the physics of riding a bicycle.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
03-28-11, 10:55 AM
#37
Senior Member
Get used to it. Happens fairly often in the upper cats. By the time you are Cat 3, you should be pretty comfortable with contact of all types.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
03-28-11, 11:06 AM
#39
Announcer
My answer:
A Cat V race may seem to be tightly packed, but I'll guarantee you that a Cat 1-2 field rides in a much tighter formation. As such, there is probably more room to move up through the pack than you currently perceive there to be.
So if you, as a Cat V, can get comfortable riding really close to someone, you can make it through holes that aren't much bigger than your 'footprint'.
Practice threading the needle with two other riders. You'll become adept at touching elbows and brushing handlebars without flinching.
Bob, did you really mean to write it this way?
It's like saying 'crashing into the ground, not jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, is what really causes pain.'
A Cat V race may seem to be tightly packed, but I'll guarantee you that a Cat 1-2 field rides in a much tighter formation. As such, there is probably more room to move up through the pack than you currently perceive there to be.
So if you, as a Cat V, can get comfortable riding really close to someone, you can make it through holes that aren't much bigger than your 'footprint'.
Practice threading the needle with two other riders. You'll become adept at touching elbows and brushing handlebars without flinching.
It's like saying 'crashing into the ground, not jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, is what really causes pain.'
03-28-11, 11:07 AM
#40
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I've had the same experience. The better riders are much more apt to put a subtle hand on the hip. It comforts me to know that these guys won't be flinching if I need to do it to one of them later. Another guy I ride with recently did a slick move I hadn't seen before. He gave a gentle tug on my pocket to line up our bikes then put his arm around my shoulder to get my undivided attention. (we were in a small group, not a peloton)
03-28-11, 11:18 AM
#41
**** that
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Is shoulder to shoulder bumping, borderline shoving pretty standard too? Happened to me once when the field was really bunched early on (first lap out of ~20). Guy really wanted to get by on the sketchy edge of the road, kinda a pointless maneuver at that point since he could have waited 30 seconds for the pack to string out.
Otherwise I would only expect that kind of contact at the front in the last few k of a race.
03-28-11, 11:24 AM
#42
Senior Member
In a mixed masters, women's race, I saw a 160 lb masters man try to push a 120 lb Pro woman. She didn't move a centimeter. It was fun sitting behind them watching him try to move her.
03-28-11, 11:29 AM
#43
Senior Member
I've had the same experience. The better riders are much more apt to put a subtle hand on the hip. It comforts me to know that these guys won't be flinching if I need to do it to one of them later. Another guy I ride with recently did a slick move I hadn't seen before. He gave a gentle tug on my pocket to line up our bikes then put his arm around my shoulder to get my undivided attention. (we were in a small group, not a peloton)
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
03-28-11, 11:40 AM
#44
recovering triathlete
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That reminds me of the time I was in a Cat 4 road race once where we were riding on a road with a kind of intermittent shoulder. I was just inside the white line, and the shoulder was disappearing up ahead. All of the sudden I hear a voice to the right and slightly behind say "don't panic" (in a calm, collected tone; not panicky) just as I felt him put an arm around my shoulder so he had room to keep his bike on the pavement. Turned out fine. I didn't panic, he let go of me and proceeded to apologize. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was right, those words "don't panic", said in a friendly and calm tone, are pretty reassuring.
03-28-11, 11:44 AM
#45
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yeah seriously.
i wanna get a t-shirt now that just says, no caps, no exclamation point:
"don't panic."
i wanna get a t-shirt now that just says, no caps, no exclamation point:
"don't panic."
03-28-11, 11:54 AM
#46
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My answer:
A Cat V race may seem to be tightly packed, but I'll guarantee you that a Cat 1-2 field rides in a much tighter formation. As such, there is probably more room to move up through the pack than you currently perceive there to be.
So if you, as a Cat V, can get comfortable riding really close to someone, you can make it through holes that aren't much bigger than your 'footprint'.
Practice threading the needle with two other riders. You'll become adept at touching elbows and brushing handlebars without flinching.
'
A Cat V race may seem to be tightly packed, but I'll guarantee you that a Cat 1-2 field rides in a much tighter formation. As such, there is probably more room to move up through the pack than you currently perceive there to be.
So if you, as a Cat V, can get comfortable riding really close to someone, you can make it through holes that aren't much bigger than your 'footprint'.
Practice threading the needle with two other riders. You'll become adept at touching elbows and brushing handlebars without flinching.
'
), riding in a Cat 5 pack goes something like this (even on relatively flat, straight, no wind terrain) "pedal, pedal, brake...pedal hard, pedal, pedal, brake...pedal hard, etc". So, although it might not be as "tight", I'd agrue that there isn't much more real room to move around due to the sketchiness of the pack, what may "look" like available real-estate one second isn't a second later. But, no doubt I definitely need to practice moving up. Lot of great tips/suggestions. As my "sphere" isn't as small as I'd like for it to be, and hope by the time I upgrade to the 4's (4 more races), I'm hoping to be able to move up thru the middle via a little wheel surfing. I definitely need to be more patient and confident, but also need to "test" some of these suggested techniques as they make sense, assuming I can apply them.
One of my observations from the last coupleo of Cat 5 races is that the back half of the pack seems very content to stay in the back, so there is very little fluidity/movement in the back half, but once you cross into the front half, its very fluid. So, if I find myself at the very back, I may need to move up via the side and then get into the flow in the front half, working my way back up after drifting to the back of the front half. Note: this isn't applicable when the race is strung out or going uphill (which is when I've been taking the opportunity to move up - I haven't had any problems in those situations).
I haven't yet been offended by the "hip touch", as I view it as a "hey dude, I'm over here", and typically its followed with a gesture to move in front of the toucher. I've interpreted the "hip touching" as very non-aggressive, so I don't have any problems with that contact. Now, I do get a little jittery when "touching" (or near touching) happens closer to my front wheel/bars, something I assume will decrease with experience.
Last edited by StefanG; 03-28-11 at 12:01 PM.
03-28-11, 12:31 PM
#47
Senior Member
...
But, no doubt I definitely need to practice moving up. Lot of great tips/suggestions. As my "sphere" isn't as small as I'd like for it to be, and hope by the time I upgrade to the 4's (4 more races), I'm hoping to be able to move up thru the middle via a little wheel surfing. I definitely need to be more patient and confident, but also need to "test" some of these suggested techniques as they make sense, assuming I can apply them.
One of my observations from the last coupleo of Cat 5 races is that the back half of the pack seems very content to stay in the back, so there is very little fluidity/movement in the back half, but once you cross into the front half, its very fluid. So, if I find myself at the very back, I may need to move up via the side and then get into the flow in the front half, working my way back up after drifting to the back of the front half. Note: this isn't applicable when the race is strung out or going uphill (which is when I've been taking the opportunity to move up - I haven't had any problems in those situations).
...
But, no doubt I definitely need to practice moving up. Lot of great tips/suggestions. As my "sphere" isn't as small as I'd like for it to be, and hope by the time I upgrade to the 4's (4 more races), I'm hoping to be able to move up thru the middle via a little wheel surfing. I definitely need to be more patient and confident, but also need to "test" some of these suggested techniques as they make sense, assuming I can apply them.
One of my observations from the last coupleo of Cat 5 races is that the back half of the pack seems very content to stay in the back, so there is very little fluidity/movement in the back half, but once you cross into the front half, its very fluid. So, if I find myself at the very back, I may need to move up via the side and then get into the flow in the front half, working my way back up after drifting to the back of the front half. Note: this isn't applicable when the race is strung out or going uphill (which is when I've been taking the opportunity to move up - I haven't had any problems in those situations).
...
When you become a 4, don't race 4/5s if you have the option of racing 3/4s. If (when) you become a 3, don't race 3/4s if you have the option of racing 1/2/3s. If you have a training race series, don't focus on winning so much as focus on moving around through the pack. Practice getting to the front different ways. Practice sitting in different areas of the pack. Practicing moving up through the middle. Do a race or two where the sole purpose of your race is to expend as little energy as possible while finishing with the field.
__________________
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
03-28-11, 12:45 PM
#48
shut up and ride
Join Date: Nov 2005
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03-28-11, 01:16 PM
#49
Senior Member
A subtle touch is okay if the rider is indeed close enough to touch. For me that means that the rider makes a motion like they're rubbing their eyes, but they touch someone's hip instead.
You shouldn't need to lean anywhere to touch someone. It's more like being so close you could hug them if you wanted to, but you just touch them instead.
You shouldn't need to lean anywhere to touch someone. It's more like being so close you could hug them if you wanted to, but you just touch them instead.
03-28-11, 01:20 PM
#50
Senior Member
A subtle touch is okay if the rider is indeed close enough to touch. For me that means that the rider makes a motion like they're rubbing their eyes, but they touch someone's hip instead.
You shouldn't need to lean anywhere to touch someone. It's more like being so close you could hug them if you wanted to, but you just touch them instead.
You shouldn't need to lean anywhere to touch someone. It's more like being so close you could hug them if you wanted to, but you just touch them instead.
__________________
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter