aidanlynch wrote:

- For the love of God, please do not sprint for position if you're not in the top 10 or have a shot at points/prizes.

Ever done an Omnium? Point races?

I also paid for the race so I'm going to race and not just roll in. I completely disagree with that (and from all the races I've done pretty much the entire field seems to disagree with that).

Ever done an Omnium? Point races?

I also paid for the race so I'm going to race and not just roll in. I completely disagree with that (and from all the races I've done pretty much the entire field seems to disagree with that).

I'm going to be honest, you kinda make it sound like it was (at least partially) your fault based on how you described it in your blog (did not hold your line).

Some general tips for finishing mass sprints:

- For the love of God, please do not sprint for position if you're not in the top 10 or have a shot at points/prizes.

- o yeah, and for the LOVE OF GOD please don't sprint if you're not in the top ~10 going into the Finale

Ever done an Omnium? Point races?

I also paid for the race so I'm going to race and not just roll in. I completely disagree with that (and from all the races I've done pretty much the entire field seems to disagree with that).

Some graphic (mildly) road rash pictures.

How do I keep the rubber down, especially in a sprint?

How do I keep the rubber down, especially in a sprint?

I'll second what everyone else is saying.

Unless it's an omnium and I'm close to the front at the end of a road race or crit, I will not get mixed up in the sprint.

In the last road race I did, I was the last person out of what was left of the main pack to cross the finish line. Guess what? I got the same time as 42 out of 45 of us that survived in the main field.

In Cat 5, there is really no reason to get involved in the sprint. Might as weak sit in and watch it all unfold. I've avoided two serious crashes when I was in Cat 5 by just sitting mid-pack in the run up to the sprint finish. And I learned a lot about where to position and more importantly where NOT to be when the speeds are ramping up.

Anyway, good luck in your future racing. It'll all come together.

nothing wrong with wanting to get the most out of your entrance fees, but there are less risky ways of going about it.. lets see how glib you'll be when you are the one with a broken clavicle or a punctured lung. Most U-35 racers who haven't been involved in serious crashes think of themselves as invincible and are willing to take stupidly high risks.

At the Tour of Lititz yesterday, the last corner in the crit was a downhill that required restraint as it can be easily overcooked. The cat-5 field overcooked it and a few people crashed. The cat-4 field also overcooked it, and a friend of a friend ended up in the hospital.

At the beginning of the cat-3 rider, the importance of not overcooking the turn was reiterated. Come the last corner, the first rider had a gap on the field and would have been the winner had he stayed up, but still managed to crash himself out by overcooking the turn. Afterwards, a friend asked why he did it, to which he responded "i thought i could." Famous last words of people with a false sense of invincibility.

You crashed because you moved over on someone.

You mean this one: http://www.youtube.com/...ed&v=t5PZfEDnvzM

I actually also was having Litiz in my mind when I posted the "ever raced Omniums" because they give 1pt to the winner 2points to 2nd etc... And whoever has lowest points wins. It's apparently pretty common in Track cycling omniums (google Internation style omnium).
Did you race the 4 or 3?

Edit: And this would be the Cat3 racer you mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEEUm_edf2k .

that was a nasty corner, saw the cat 5 crash and the cat 4 (after I was pulled, ugh)

if you do start to race with a team, then of course most of these lone ranger tactics go out the window. as a domestique ( I'm not really good at any real discipline, jsut a decent all rounder) . you might be called upon to attack , take pulls, bridge gaps, disrupt pulls, break leadouts, all when it does'nt make sense to your own chances of victory. then, yes, you'll have to take pulls. you'll have to attack the break, or attempt to form a break. you'll have to destroy yourself for the sake of your team- but heck- it's great fun doing so, and if your team manages to win because of that, you can be proud of a good ride. I find even though I'm not a fantastic rider, and I havent won or podiumed, my competitors and team mates respect the fact that I'm willing to bury myself for my team and make everyone hurt. there is a certain amount of glory in that, too.

I find even though I'm not a fantastic rider, and I havent won or podiumed, my competitors and team mates respect the fact that I'm willing to bury myself for my team and make everyone hurt. there is a certain amount of glory in that, too.