Originally Posted by steaktaco
well... sounds like this IS a practice crit—no real pressure; get back on when they come around. so besides fast group rides this is a good way to get comfy in the pack.
That's what I thought, too. Since this was not a class start and he didn't even say anything about getting a one day license, it sounded like a "line up and let's go" deal. And since the lower cats and newbies will not be able to keep up with the better riders, it all sorts itself out in the end anyway.
It sounded like a perfect deal for a new racer wanting to get experience.
BTW...one of the biggest mistakes I see made consistently by riders is not understanding how to ride a course from different lines at speed.
When an auto racer goes out to qualify, they can drive any line they want, but they want the fastest one. Their car is set up in a different way than for the race where the other cars might dictate the line they can take. So, they practice running different lines, especially through turns for race setup.
Bike racing's the same. In other words, if you ride the course for a warm up mostly alone, you'll ride whatever line you want. Suddenly, in a pack you are forceed to take the line from the inside at 25mph and realize that you might not make it. So you practice that before the race...taking five or six different entry and exit lines through turns at racing speed so that you are capable of doing that in the race. If you realize you can't do a particular entry point safely, you set that up BEFORE you get into the turn, and avoid falling and taking a bunch of people with you.