I'm 42, racing now for a year. From the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand) so still racing season here.
I read Bike racing 101 and Arnie Baker's Smart cycling during last year and learned up about how to save energy and not expend excess energy by drafting, not surging. Did this for a year and improved, got put up a category and never got better than a solitary 4th.
This year the bunch i regularly race with includes some skinny hill climbers and sprinters who wheel suck and win - recent race finished with a killer hill, the 45kg (100lb) hill guy won, after not featuring for the whole race. In our bunch there are really only 3 of the 8 doing any work. When the hill guys got to the front they slowed the pace down.
At last Saturday's 42km race I decided I'd try something completely different - Whenever the pace slackened I went to the front and tried to make a break. It was brutal and craziness, but my theory was I'd make them do some work to tire them out so their sprint would be gone. They never let me go and chased all day, I'd sometimes get 100m ahead, but they'd catch me eventually, then they'd slow and I'd go again. I got abused, but led the pack for most of the day, I was suffering so I'm sure they were. Anyway we get to the sprint and they were still with me, but they'd had too much punishment, first time win for me, outsprinted the skinnies. This was hardly the TDF, but is this a stupid tactic to use again? It seems that most of the races I've been in have been made up of guys watching each other, riding within themselves and in the last lap or last hill something happens - What's wrong with attacking like a madman?

Hey, if it works, it works!


Congrats on the win.

Sounds like a good tactic. 45 kilo guys are gonna suffer if you put them in the wind.

nothing. its way more fun. also takes alot of legs.

congrats.

also, maybe try just not doing any work and then sprinting (sitting and sprinting or sitting in and sprinting many call it).....works pretty well as well (as you noticed).

then again, nothing is quite as good feeling as taking a pull up front up a hill, turning around, and seeing the pack decimated, strung out, and gasping for air.....i guess thats unique to us skinny guys (i am ~54kg)

also, maybe try just not doing any work and then sprinting (sitting and sprinting or sitting in and sprinting many call it).....works pretty well as well (as you noticed).

Thanks, I like the sound of that. Will store that in my arsenal and try it on the skinnies some day.

You might also enjoy this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Tactics-Cyclists-Thomas-Prehn/dp/1931382301/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0417514-0075233?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173801651&sr=8-1

Sounds like you need some team tactics in there too.


I'm 42, racing now for a year. From the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand) so still racing season here.
I read Bike racing 101 and Arnie Baker's Smart cycling during last year and learned up about how to save energy and not expend excess energy by drafting, not surging. Did this for a year and improved, got put up a category and never got better than a solitary 4th.
This year the bunch i regularly race with includes some skinny hill climbers and sprinters who wheel suck and win - recent race finished with a killer hill, the 45kg (100lb) hill guy won, after not featuring for the whole race. In our bunch there are really only 3 of the 8 doing any work. When the hill guys got to the front they slowed the pace down.
At last Saturday's 42km race I decided I'd try something completely different - Whenever the pace slackened I went to the front and tried to make a break. It was brutal and craziness, but my theory was I'd make them do some work to tire them out so their sprint would be gone. They never let me go and chased all day, I'd sometimes get 100m ahead, but they'd catch me eventually, then they'd slow and I'd go again. I got abused, but led the pack for most of the day, I was suffering so I'm sure they were. Anyway we get to the sprint and they were still with me, but they'd had too much punishment, first time win for me, outsprinted the skinnies. This was hardly the TDF, but is this a stupid tactic to use again? It seems that most of the races I've been in have been made up of guys watching each other, riding within themselves and in the last lap or last hill something happens - What's wrong with attacking like a madman?

Riders like Vinokourov beat specialists all the time by either repeatedly attacking, or trying something so crazy that he'll either pull it off or blow up. Congrats on the win, as a skinny guy I know I hate having to chase people down on the flats.

Bully for you! Usually only good things happen when you race at the front, plus it is safer. Keep doing this and eventually you'll get two or three others to join you in your breaks. Then good luck to the pack trying to catch you, while you stay away in the break and are assured a podium finish.

This is called "positive racing," and it beats the heck out of the opposite tactic. Where I race, there is a lot of sitting around and waiting for the field sprint, or, worse yet, guys who help teammates get in a break, then spend the rest of the race just covering attacks or even "blocking" on the front.

In fact, I used to race a lot like this when I was unattached. But aggressive riders are often recruited to join teams. Then you often end up working for the good of the team, which can include a lot of "negative" racing.

Good work man! maybe i should try your strategy at my next race. I'm sick of being pack fill...

Good work man! maybe i should try your strategy at my next race. I'm sick of being pack fill...

oh are you? good i'll keep an eye out for you on whilst riding my canadian-stallion.:cool: muhaha.

wingnut...i've only been into really competitive racing for less than a year, but i've got this to say: its good to change your style up, try new things, shake up the bunch. You're not a pro, and you're not riding to make a living. If your legs feel good and you feel like being insane, then more power to you. There's alot of glory to be had by making an attack like that, and it definately makes for a good story to tell your teammates after the race. Ride hard, and be unconventional....you'll continue to improve exponentially because you're continually making it alot of fun for yourself

Yeah...I'm friends with an experienced racer that got me into the sport, and he told me once that "if you blow up, you should do it off the front"
He thought that you'd improve faster really challenging yourself rather than being pack fill. My other friend, must follow this strategy, because I've often seen him way off the front in early season races only to later blow (sometimes it works though). He's quickly gone from being a noob to one of the fastest guys in Quebec in about 2 seasons. He also trains a lot though....

then again, nothing is quite as good feeling as taking a pull up front up a hill, turning around, and seeing the pack decimated, strung out, and gasping for air.....i guess thats unique to us skinny guys (i am ~54kg)


all my best results have come with hilltop finishes...I lovee the feeling of the pack just shrinking away behind me, even though I'm still 152lbs at my skinniest.

Since the tactic worked.. i'm gonna go out on a limb and say it was a good one. I would do it exactly as you explained... jump off the front, make them pull you back then take a little time to recover and do it again. Much more effective than just going to the front and upping the pace.. only gonna wear yourself out that way. I recently was put in a position where I ended up in a break about 15 miles in to a 60 mile rolling hill race. Break started out with 4 then a 5th bridged across early (field of 100). I was at my limit as we were pulling the gap and had to make a decision to continue on with the break knowing that if we got caught.. my day would be done...or to drop back to the field and hope we could pull these guys back in like all the other early breaks. I dropped back...break stayed away. One guy ended up dropping the others and winning solo. I've been kicking myself since, knowing I made the decision so I could preserve a "good" finish, rather than going all out for the potential win. Won't ever do that again.

Since the tactic worked.. i'm gonna go out on a limb and say it was a good one. I would do it exactly as you explained... jump off the front, make them pull you back then take a little time to recover and do it again. Much more effective than just going to the front and upping the pace.. only gonna wear yourself out that way. I recently was put in a position where I ended up in a break about 15 miles in to a 60 mile rolling hill race. Break started out with 4 then a 5th bridged across early (field of 100). I was at my limit as we were pulling the gap and had to make a decision to continue on with the break knowing that if we got caught.. my day would be done...or to drop back to the field and hope we could pull these guys back in like all the other early breaks. I dropped back...break stayed away. One guy ended up dropping the others and winning solo. I've been kicking myself since, knowing I made the decision so I could preserve a "good" finish, rather than going all out for the potential win. Won't ever do that again.

Why not just sit on the break instead of dropping back. You could pull when the gap was established or if nessary just tell the other you won't contest the finish and will work when you can, never just sit up out of a break. Now if you got dropped by the break thats a different story in that case simply sitting up and waiting for the feild was the right move.

I wouldn't say I got "dropped" but I was on my limit. Unfortunately, the strongest guy in the break was on my wheel, so everytime I would pull off the front he would come through and put the hammer down and I would be hanging on the back trying to recover. I started to skip a pull when i could, but after 10-15 minutes I had all the pain I wanted. The other problem that day was a very big crosswind so the draft was almost impossible. There were times when the pack was strung out single file in the gutter with 100 guys...everyone in agony just trying to hold a wheel. The reason i dropped back in my mind was I didn't think I could sustain that pace for 35 more miles...not that I was getting dropped at that very moment. Looking back though, I should have stuck it out because the field sat up once we knew they were gone and out of sight. Lesson learned. I have to admit also that im planning to upgrade shortly, and figured dropping back to the pack I could beat everyone there for a good top 10 finish. Turned out I ended up 14th after a couple more guys slipped away right before the finish and I got boxed in around the last corner dropping from 3rd to about 25th and having to come back around all those guys in the last 100 meters. I was really kicking myself after that happened, and to add insult to injury...t hey placed 12 lappers between the break and the bunch and screwed everybody but the winning break!