There's no perfect answer to those questions. How a crit plays out depends on many factors, including the size of the field, what tactics the strongest riders choose to employ, and what team dynamics are going on.
Some races are flat out, some are surgy, some are slowish if no team or group of individuals is "controlling the race." Some are won at the start. Many end in field sprints. And there's a whole range of things in between.
If you're talking cherry-popping, I'm going to guess Cat 5 type stuff. So I can give my Cat 5 type advice (downloading all crit knowledge would be book, and I'm not even close to a master tactician).
1) Stay in the top 1/4. It's safer in Cat 5.
2) It's OK to be at the front and "pull" if you find yourself in front, but only do so for a few seconds, and then rotate off. Don't make any "hero pulls". Don't think you're doing to tire anyone out. Just pull through and let yourself rotate back 5-10 spots until you find a good place to chill.
3) Your course sounds a little selective with 5 grades. Being near the front lets you make those selections easier. Crit dreams often end when a split occurs 10 guys in front of you, and by the time you get past the 10, you have no chance of bridging.
4) The first few break attempts usually (but not always) fail.
5) If you know who some super strong guys in the field are, stay near them, and watch them.
6) Watch for smooth, confident people, and be near them. Watch for nervous, uncertain people and stay away from them.
7) If you want to move up, don't move up in a hero move up the side. Be crafty. Follow other people up or work your way up the middle.
8) Know who you are. A typical problem in Cat 5 is everyone thinks they can win.
9) Don't chase down every break, if you miss the break. In crits, you have to be willing to lose sometimes in order to win.
10) If you think you missed The Break, try to jump across to it without dragging the entire field with you (this is hard to do).
11) If you're in The Break, do a little work to help the break succeed, but don't be the Break Hero, the guy driving the break.
I could go on with like another 80 tips, but will stop there.
Remember, if you get through the first crit in one piece and a pack finish you did really well.
Edit: One of my favorite pieces on race tactics is this bit on "narrowing the odds".
Some races are flat out, some are surgy, some are slowish if no team or group of individuals is "controlling the race." Some are won at the start. Many end in field sprints. And there's a whole range of things in between.
If you're talking cherry-popping, I'm going to guess Cat 5 type stuff. So I can give my Cat 5 type advice (downloading all crit knowledge would be book, and I'm not even close to a master tactician).
1) Stay in the top 1/4. It's safer in Cat 5.
2) It's OK to be at the front and "pull" if you find yourself in front, but only do so for a few seconds, and then rotate off. Don't make any "hero pulls". Don't think you're doing to tire anyone out. Just pull through and let yourself rotate back 5-10 spots until you find a good place to chill.
3) Your course sounds a little selective with 5 grades. Being near the front lets you make those selections easier. Crit dreams often end when a split occurs 10 guys in front of you, and by the time you get past the 10, you have no chance of bridging.
4) The first few break attempts usually (but not always) fail.
5) If you know who some super strong guys in the field are, stay near them, and watch them.
6) Watch for smooth, confident people, and be near them. Watch for nervous, uncertain people and stay away from them.
7) If you want to move up, don't move up in a hero move up the side. Be crafty. Follow other people up or work your way up the middle.
8) Know who you are. A typical problem in Cat 5 is everyone thinks they can win.
9) Don't chase down every break, if you miss the break. In crits, you have to be willing to lose sometimes in order to win.
10) If you think you missed The Break, try to jump across to it without dragging the entire field with you (this is hard to do).
11) If you're in The Break, do a little work to help the break succeed, but don't be the Break Hero, the guy driving the break.
I could go on with like another 80 tips, but will stop there.
Remember, if you get through the first crit in one piece and a pack finish you did really well.
Edit: One of my favorite pieces on race tactics is this bit on "narrowing the odds".