First and foremost, thanks to everyone who cheered. I’m sorry I couldn’t get there earlier to watch everyone else race. And since I barely finished even a third of either race, this isn’t go to be much of a race report, but I did learn/ re-learn a lot this weekend that may be of help, so I’m going to share my thoughts.
General
Make sure your race bag is packed with all the clothing you will need for any weather situation.
This means shoe covers, leg warmers, knee warmers, arm warmers, long sleeve jersey, 2 short sleeve jerseys, 2 pair bibshorts, rain jacket, wind vest, gloves, long finger gloves, sunglasses with clear, red, and dark lenses, visor cycling cap, helmet, shoes, and 3 pair of socks (thin, medium and warm).
This seems like a lot of redundancy but you never know what the weather is like 1-2 hours away and storms can blow through pretty fast too.
Warm up longer for shorter races, and always warm up. Don’t be afraid to warm up a lot before a 60-90 minute race (or even longer) Think of your hard weekend rides, say the Vino Velo or whatever. It’s a three hour ride that can end pretty hard like a race. You know you can finish strong after all that. So you’re not gonna ruin your legs by warming up for an hour before a race.
Remember to eat and drink. But most importantly, find what works best for you and practice it. Know what food and drink you need before during and after races and make sure you pack the night before.
Always find at least one positive thing from your race to commend yourself on. Even if it seems really lame, like lasting a whole five minutes longer that you did the day before. There’s always plenty of negative, even if you win, so just don’t forget the positive points too, because you’ll learn from these points as well.
Weekend Races Specific
Crit was damn hard, having to sprint from the start to the 90 degree turn and then the 100 meter climb. Position at the start was key, and this was something that I blew. Probably wouldn’t have made a difference, but still. Make sure you do whatever you can to get good field position at the start; and don’t blow it by not being able to clip into your pedals and sprint at the gun. Maybe you should practice doing this.
Practice cornering at speed. Read how-to manuals, watch videos, race your friends. Cornering is a skill that can be developed. It’s not your bike, your fitness, your wheels; it’s your mind. Take your hands off the brakes, put your outside foot down and look through the corner and steer your bike to where your eyes are looking.
If you get gapped sit up and wait for the group behind you. Recover and be ready to get in behind them as they pass. Theres almost always someone behind you and you’ll be happier at least continuing and trying to finish than just quitting the race.
The circuit race was very dynamic with short risers into a strong headwind while the downhill section on the backside had a strong tailwind. It’s important to know where the wind is coming from and this is something you should always ask yourself until it is second sense to you. “where is the wind coming from, where is the draft, which way should I pull off the front”. Once this is second nature, you’ll be amazed at how much of a better rider you are in the pack.
So in a headwind the bunch slows down because no one wants to work. The pack spreads across the whole road and you can’t pass anyone or get stuck as riders jam on the brakes. And when the pack gets to the tailwind section the pack gets back up to speed and you’re hanging on for dear life. So how do you ever change position in the pack?
Corners- take the inside line and sprint up the inside. Works best when the wind is coming from the other side of the field.
Tailwind- There will always be someone else trying to advance their position. Hop on their wheel and follow them as far as they go and pass them to advance further if necessary. This may be the only time the field is narrow enough to not be spread across the whole road and your only option. Of course, if you’re strong enough, you can do it with out drafting.
If it is a cross tailwind, try to advance on the side of the field where the wind is coming from. Working with teammates, you should offer to help advance a teammate to get them to the front, especially if field splits are happening. You don’t want to be left in the field as the escape group heads up the road without your team in it.
That’s about all I have right now. It’s a good exercise to write your thoughts down after races and review them before the next race. Then you can set goals based on the previous experience to try to improve.
Thanks again and keep on getting better.
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