Crit racing just awful

Triathlon Forum Road Cycling
1

After ten years of doing crits I’m still doing 300 watts for a race and regularly getting dropped cat 3 level.

Ive read all the tips and advice about being in the front part being efficient and I still have no idea. But I go back every season, sometimes i luck in and finish in the bunch, but most limes end up settling the highest power numbers while getting smashed.

What is the secret to this sport

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2

The best two tips IMO are to never ever be at the front of the race unless you have a reason to be there, and to remember that the ideal place to draft is almost never directly behind a wheel, its slightly to one side dependong on what the wind is doing.

Other than that, I’d focus on learning to ride staying in the first 5-10, wheels in a race. Doing a couple races just staying in the pelaton and contesting the sprint instead of doing anythig aggressive are great practice. Also watch all of norcal cycling’s videos if you haven’t

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Think I might just have no idea, I’ve watched all those videos, tried it then race comes people get close to me start moving about and I drop to the back.

I’ve even managed to TT back on to the bunch only to get dropped again in corners and when moves happen.

Yes I know sounding whingey and pathetic, maybe I just suck at this

4

Sounds like what you need is to work on anticipating those moves a bit better, so you’re accelerating when others do. How often do you race, and/or do fast group rides?

5

Race every week in season and bunch fast once a week.

I have no issue in the bunch

6

I beat many of these people in road races with ease

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7

That’s not very relevant. Being a good crit rider is a whole different ballgame than being able to sit in the pack in a road race. Though if you’re getting shuffled back in a crit, I’d say your pack skills are a place to start. Being able to hold your position near front will be a much smoother and less surge ride. Personally I thought the “don’t be near the front” advice was always wrong if it meant being on a rubber band near the back.

I had teammates that made riding a crit look effortless. Skill is a lot of it but so is a willingness to bump bars and not give an inch in order to save energy, and be in right spot for when the action happens.

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8

There’s nothing wrong with opening up that you’re having a shit time. It’s not pathetic, it’s smart.

To say “I don’t know how to do this, do you?” is the first step to learning something, I hope you can find something, perhaps in the tactics of your competitors to emulate and then use as a springboard for your own success.

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9

I loved crit racing and did better in it than in road races. Based on what you said, I have the following thoughts:

  • 300FTP in Cat 3 in California (where I raced) does not win you races if you are around 6ft tall, but it shouldn’t get you dropped either.
  • You say though that you have no trouble keeping up in road races, so this might imply FTP not being an issue, which leaves a few options:
  • Good W/kg but bad W/CdA (do you do better in climbing road races? What’s your body type?
  • Can’t deal with the surges. The first season I switched from triathlon to road races my FTP didnt get a whole lot better, but my ability to deal with the large variations in power output.
  • Handling skill: If you brake more than others and spend more time off to the side in the wind, you will need more power than your competitors.
  • Tactics, reading the flow when to accelerate. When I started racing points races I would compete the first sprints all out and then blow my own lights out until I learned to back off slightly. If you can follow a move with a 95% effort that is a lot better than if you have to put out a 99% effort or 100% effort. Often accelerating slightly slower initially meant someone else was going to jump to close the gap and I could slot in behind them to get pulled to the move.

If you have a friend that is your fitness level but outperforms you during races, try to stay on their wheel for a whole race to see what they do.

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I definitely don’t know how to do this.

If someone bumps or wants that bit of road I back off let them have it drop to back and work my way back up or not

11

You need a change of attitude. If you do not want to bump and defend your position within the top 5 to 10 spots you are making your life very hard racing crits.
When I was a pup racing in the Chicagoland area there was around 100 guys in every cat. They only had 1 and 2s and everyone else was a three. Every race was crazytown till the first corner. After the first corner half the field prolly didn’t know they had zero chance of placing or ever seeing the front again.
I sprinter friend (a trackie) gave me some great advice. Ride in the top 5 to 10 spots even when you are redlined until you blow
then go one more lap.
Practicing getting spit out and off the back won’t make you faster. Good training but not making you a better crit rider.
It is so freeking hard slowing into corners and sprinting to catch the rubberband. If you are in like 25 to 30th place going into a corner the guys at the front get a 5 second full gas head start on you every turn. Very few people can last that long to finish a race.
Road racing if the field isn’t too big you can get away with tail gunning a bit. But when the hammer drops you will have to dig deep and pull a few guys with you. But it is do able. Tail gunning crits is a fools errand. Trust me on that.
I have raced a lot of races and in my opinion in no paticular order the 200 butterfly, the track kilo, 400 meter run and tail gunning crits are about as least much fun as a person can have.

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All fair and true. Think I have chosen to not so crits as its not going to work for me.

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300w, at what body weight? Also what matter more is your 1 min power.
Must be able to keep up with surges or latch back on . Sucks cause i would always get sucked into the front some how at last lap if race. Many guys have teammates which are willing to drop out of a race to help a teammate out.

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77 kg 6 feet 4 have not tracked 1 minute power or thought about it too much, sounds like it could be an issue

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15

Caveat that I’m not a crit racer.

You said that you can hang and get dropped in the corners while putting down the most power. Do you understand the concept of a braking and racing line through a corner?

Find the path through the corner that requires the best combination of slowing and minimizing distance travelled. Brake as little as you need, as hard as you can as late as you can and then get back to pedaling as soon as possible.

Are you doing that consistently?

16

I understand that and can do that on my own.

Anyway I have decided it’s not for me and have given away bike racing at least crits

17

This works great when you’re on your own. Usually not an option in a group. In fact, in the lower categories, people in the middle of the group taking the racing line is the cause of most crashes/sketchiness I’ve seen.

18

Think, this is also part of the challenge, on own great, in a group where lots of people want the same bit of road?

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Sounds like you’re not interested in fighting for space, which is fine, but will definitely make it hard for you. Fighting for road doesnt necessarily mean making contact, but it means making sure you never leave a gap in front of you that someone can take, and not giving space when people try and take the wheel in front of you. Easy for me to say because im >200 lb and always win the fight for a wheel, but still

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Sure, I give up the space as I don’t want to end up in hospital. What is the point of the hold your line principle if everyone fights for a wheel, anyway in time honored ST fashion, I am aware that its me and I have decided to stop doing crits