Any pointers for my daughter's first crit race this weekend?
 

She's 14 and this will be her first bike race - a short 10 miles street crit race locally here in a triangular street course with 3 right turns. She does draft legal triathlon and ride with packs during races and practices, so I think she's ok with ride with other in close quarters. Other than trying to stay at the front of the pack to avoid potential crashes, what others she should be paying attention to if she wants to do well? I am a roadie, not a racer, so my usefulness to her is quite limited. Any help would be much appreciated.

Motivation is key in these situations. Tell her if she doesn't win she might as well keep riding because she won't be welcome at home. ;)

I don't race, but crit riders I have spoken with seem to think that it is wise to know who is fast, and when the really fast guys form a break, try to follow.

Tell how jealous some people are that she has a supportive father that helps her compete in sports she loves.

Watch her front wheel, observe others - if she feels good, try and roll off the front and most importantly, have fun!

cheers

She should:
- keep her vision up on the horizon. Look as far ahead as possible
- ride smoothly and be gentle with the brakes
- try and relax. No death grip on the handle bars
- don't worry about winning.
- Have fun and try some different things. Attack off the front etc

Tell her to read this:

http://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bi...s-tip-two.html

Plan to not win, manage the gap on the wheel in front to get into corners without braking.

Glory may be fleeting, but obscurity is forever.

Prepare to be supportive and comforting if she doesn't do as well as she hoped. We all get left in the dust from time to time, especially when new to racing

stay in the front 1/3 of the pack. If you get stuck in the back of a crit you find yourself constantly rushing to catch up in every straight, you get washed off the back that way.

roll out

Go that way very fast.

If something gets in your way - turn!

Does she have junior gears? If it's a USAC race, she'll be limited to 26' (7.9m) of gear development. See Junior Gear Restrictions: Is Your Race Bike legal? - USA Cycling

Tell her the local paper only publishes pictures of the winners and the biggest crashes so if she craves publicity and can't win ... have fun and forget getting int he paper this time.

https://www.youtube.com/user/SprinterDellaCasa These videos contain play by play commentary on crit racing. While I do not race, I find the commentary interesting as strategy and tactics are pointed out as a race progresses. I would guess a new racer could learn something by watching the videos. Sprinterdelacasa posts over on the racing forums. I would suggest to your daughter that winners of athletic competitions are often the smarter competitors.

Professional advice right here. :thumb: (I actually chuckled.)

tell her to stay in the front and to not be afraid to stop pedaling for certain stretches to catch her breath... other than that at 14,the first and foremost thing to tell her is that you love her and to have FUN!

If it looks sketchy or beyond her capabilities, bail out.

https://medium.com/@JeffreyKoontzx/r...s-cfa16ac05871

Tell her to stay in the pack, even if it feels crazy. She'll get used to it.

If there aren't enough people in her category to form a pack, tell her to go off the front.

Thanks for all the good advices... even if some are in jest. We will see how it goes. Is the winner of these races typically a sprinter coming out of a pack or from a breakaway? This is a 15-20 loop course, so ideally where should she be when it gets to the final couple of laps, and the final a few corners?

Slamdance, especially in the corners.

Or create the biggest crash?

All the above advice is very good advice, tell her to follow it. But, make sure to tell her that when she is feeling that she can't do it, say in her own head, "It is my first race, if I don't win, no big deal. I can learn from it!" I don't think the first race is all about winning, or even the first few races for that matter. What she learns from it is what counts most for the beginner racer. To get the best results she must analyze how well she did by thinking what she did wrong or what she did good and what she could improve on. The race will be fine if she is feeling anxious. Everyone gets worried for their first race, some people I think even get scared for every race until they gear their minds to the race. What I mean is that she can use the anxiety to her advantage. She should let it drive her forward rather than letting her give up. Think of it lie a fight with her 'inside voice'. When the 'inside voice' wants to give up, she can say no and finish the race. She will feel good after it that she accomplished the skill the push past her fear.

If she does not feel comfortable doing something in the race she does not need to do it. No abrupt braking and I have read somewhere to 'treat the bike gently, caress the handlebars, don't manhandle them!'. She will be fine! Make sure her cycling gear are washed and proper fit. Because the worst thing is that her cycling gear is uncomfortable and ruin the whole enjoyment of the race and it may even distract her where her concentration really matters!

Good Luck! She will be fine, and tell her she will be fine!:)

The new - last Sunday - SoCal women's Pro 123 crit champ is racing age 14 (I think she is 14).
So, although not as trained, or as experienced, she likely has an undeveloped engine near what the others do.
She should be aware if she is hurting - they are hurting.
In general women race much less aggressive. So the aggressive one that can suffer more benefits. I'd encourage her to forget winning and just go out and mix it up and attack, and attack. and if she blows up - no big deal.

I don't know N VA racing, but women's fields are often small in SoCal.

Sprint most of the times. Occasionally a break works, but I'd say it's very rare. Also, in Cat5 I don't think it is very common to find proper sprinters. Just whoever gets to that last stretch still having some strength will usually take it.

As close to the front as possible without being in the front. Much easier said than done, of course.

Many people have said to try to stay near the front. I've found that to be important in some courses, not so much in others. There are some courses where you can easily sit near the back without doing much work and never be in danger of being dropped as long as you're attentive to accelerations. In others once you fall near the back you'll be in trouble unless you move up quickly. I think it mostly depends on how tight the corners are; the more the pack has to slow down for the corners the worse it is to be near the back.

My advise (as someone with only 15 races or so under his belt, so take it for what it's worth) for the first few races would mostly be to pay attention to what's going on around and try to just go with the flow, making sure to always be sheltered from the wind and do what's necessary to avoid having to do too many hard accelerations. After a few laps, depending on how she's feeling, then different things can be tried. If she's struggling to hold on to the pack then there won't be much to focus on but holding on. In that case the best is probably to find a position within the field where the least amount of work can be done and try to stay there. Always good to find sections where you can coast, find if there are places where the pack tends to slow down and avoid pedaling hard before it only to have to slow down quickly via taking air or braking, better to coast beforehand. If after a few laps she's thinking to herself 'this is not too bad,' then she can take a position near the front and actively participate in the race. First races are about learning so always worth to try something. If she sees someone try a move she could go with it, or she could initiate her own move (if she does, tell her to really push it, I see way too many people just roll off the front slightly faster than the pack. Such move never seems to work.) Alternatively, she can stay with the pack until the end.

The last lap the going always gets tough. Being in a good position is essential, far more important than having a sprint imo. If the last lap is approaching and there is still something in the tank, moving to a good position beforehand (or maintaining her good position, everyone will want to take it) should be the main goal. Then you have to do what it takes to keep that good position, even if it takes much more effort than what feels comfortable. Avoid the wind at all costs. At this point it's basically all about who has what left, so just give it all and hope for the best.

"Where's there's a wheel, there's a way".

When you're dying just focus on grabbing a wheel and hanging onto to it for dear life.

Also, don't give up. In all likelihood, at some point, she'll think this is too hard, I can't keep doing this. When that happens it usually means others can't either, and there will be a lull. The key is just hanging in long enough for things to settle down. Don't think I can't do another 30 minutes of this. Think, I just gotta survive the next minute ( and the next minute)