First Crit this weekend... Pointers?

Triathlon Forum
1

Hello All,

Well, i’m racing in the Cat4/5 division for a Crit coming up this weekend. Other than “don’t crash” any good tips? I’ve raced in numerous road races… All training for tri’s. Here’s what i’ve picked up from chatting with the roadies on training rides:

  • Corners are key… always be ready to accelerate out of them. People get in trouble by losing time on the corners. Anything further?
  • Always make every effort to stay in the front half. Usually the group that are suffering are on the back and it is where most of the crashes/pile ups occur

Anything further? It should be fun!

2

I would definetly second both of those comments. In 4/5’s staying in the front is going to keep you out of a lot of trouble. It’ll be harder cause you’ll probably have to take a few more pulls, but STAY IN THE FRONT! MY last crit there was a crash on like lap 2 that let the ONLY other strong riders get away. I pulled to and three laps at a time trying to bring them back because all the other riders were pussys. got close but they were just too strong and working well together.

If your strong, or stronger than most of the other riders, they will tire out quite a bit so the extra work that you put in to stay in front will be a wash.

Also, dont be afraid to talk. Dudes just sit there tight lipped and nothing gets done and crashes happen.

Dont be afraid to use your hands. If some dude is creeping on you, GENTLY PLACE your hand on his hip or shoulder to let him know your there. You can open up some hole that way too. DONT PUSH!!! it’s just to let them know “hey, rider here! dont put me in the gutter.”

Oh and one more thing. For best results, finish first. In 4/5’s, a long sprint will generally catch the riders off guard and they wont be able to suck your wheel and come around on the line. I like to go a few hundred meters before the last corner. Generally I can get away before the last bend and from there its all over… but only if your stronger than the others.

3

Warm up. I mean really warm. My warm up for crits is about 40 minutes, minimum. I’ll get a few laps on the course early to figure out wheree the tight, technical sections will be. Then I hit the trainer. This includes 3 x 3 minute repeats building past threshold. I’ll stay on the trainer until the last minute. When to go to the start line is a hard decision. I want to stay on the trainer as long as possible, but I also want to be on the front row.

When the referee says, “Riders ready”, start. Don’t wait for the whistle or gun or whatever. Be the first to the first corner and set your own tempo for the first half lap. This allows you to take corners on your own line, at your own speed. Remember, though that you have to be going fairly quickly to maintain your position. After this let 2 or 3 guys come through to get you out of the wind.

The first 3 or 5 laps will seem insane. It’s better to be on the giving end than the recieving end of this insanity. Usually, things will then calm down a little after this.

Remember, the winner of the race isn’t usually the strongest rider or the rider who does the most work.

-Scott

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http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=346146;search_string=first%20crit;guest=3590425#346146
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i did my first cat 4/5 crit just a couple of days ago and i definitely can second all of the above except for the finish: i was in the position where i was one of the strongest riders so i was out for some upgrade points and gave myself a 50/50 chance of winning the race. it has been my observation that unlike in many road races where people tend to slow down before the sprint riders seem to get way too nervous during the last lap and start there sprint too early. then they fade just a few yards short of the finish line making it easy to sweep by.
try to get a good look at everybodies faces during the last lap - i guess in most races you should be able to see who is out for a good sprint finish and who is already smoked.

but on the other hand i guess there is no such thing as reliable rules in crit racing. that’s what i liked about it - it pays of to ride intelligently

6

I second/third/fourth all of the previous comments and add one more-

when you are up front pulling, leave the Superman cape at home. Don’t be a hero and pull one second more than you have to. I’ve blown up many times trying to show everyone how strong I am only to blow up and struggle to just catch back on and recover from my effort for three laps at the back.

One of these days I’ll learn.

Where on the east coast are you?

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Never, ever do any work for anyone unless it will benefit you or a teammate. Always, always get some other sucker to do the work for you: it’s amazing how many people will respond if you yell “GO GET HIM!”, and they give you a free bridge.

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it has been my observation that unlike in many road races where people tend to slow down before the sprint riders seem to get way too nervous during the last lap and start there sprint too early. then they fade just a few yards short of the finish line making it easy to sweep by.
Agree with this in general - the 4/5 races out here (Northern CA) have had some really strong riders - no one overpowering, but just a lot of strong guys, so an early break seems pointless unless you are leading someone out for them to get points. I’ve learned this the hard way - timing that last sprint is going to take some time to refine.

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My pointer is: don’t crash. Beware of getting stuck in the middle of the pack esp in corners.

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You’re going to be an individual among a bunch of teams. And there may be others like yourself in there. Don’t try to form an alliance with a team, because they’re just going to try to use you for pack fodder. You’d just be playing a role in helping one of them win or place.

As for contact – if someone is creepin on you, do NOT take your hands from the bars. You shouldn’t even be in a position that some one can come over on your wheel. Four safe positions relative to another rider, and only four: Directly in front, directly behind, elbow-to-elbow, and elbow-to-hip. Anything else is risking a crash. Keep the elbows loose so that “incidental” contact doesn’t trranslate into your front wheel, let them act like “cat’s whiskers”, and that contact will serve as the notice to the other rider. A lot of Cat 4/5 riders will panic and tighten up when this contact happens. Don’t let that be you.

I could go into a lot on tactics… But it would be voluminous. I can just give you some pointers on when you might be able to take a flyer. As a triathlete, I’m guessing that you’ve got some TT ability, and maybe strong climbing, and maybe like a lot of triathletes you suck at sprinting (that was me in spades).

Cat 4/5 races tend to be pretty twitchy – no one gets away. When I was racing cat 4 (before there WAS a Cat 5), I could get some good solos by picking my moments. Just after a prime sprint, when every one is settling down is a good time. Go with the guys gunning for the prime, but go at 90%. Draft them. And when they sit up gasping after the line, keep going.

After those first frenetic laps when the pace settles a bit, you can try one flyer.

At any time you try to go, wait a bit and take a QUICK glance behind you (coming out of a corner is a good time to do this, and you want this quick so that you don’t look desperate). If you’re just stringing the pack along, swing close out of the corner and let a few riders by and get back in line.

It’s going to be a shock. Road racing and crits are very different. Use your first few to learn. It’s a rush and a ton of fun, and WILL improve your bike speed.

11

when i was browsing the literature on bike racing tactics back in the old days (april 2005 :wink: i found “the one and only rule of launching an attack” that helped me big time winning and placing top3 in road races:

“always attack when the race is hard!”

on a climb, after a prime sprint, after hunting down an escape group or - the triathlete way - going into a stiff headwind.
i actually won the second race i did (after bundling all the popular triathlete mistakes in the first) by following that rule - i attacked in a huge headwind. the pack has a clear advantage in any non-tailwind situation, but roadies generally don’t like the wind and are very reluctant to put in any effort at the front to hunt somebody down against a stiff headwind. 5 guys made the bridge a few minutes later. when they got me they where all red zoning so i took off again for the win.

i like that rule!

12

“You’re going to be an individual among a bunch of teams…”

In a Cat IV/V race? Usually, your teammates are your own worst enemy. If someone get’s away in a break, I can guarantee that one of the chasers will be a teammate of one of the people up the road. Why? Mostly because a typical Cat IV rider who hates sprints thinks that they can chase up to their temmate without dragging everyone else up. Wrong. Use team dysfunctionality to your advantage and make them do the work for you.

I don’t know where you’re racing, but in the midwest, Cat IV racing is very negative; attacks are brought back, but no one has the nerve to immediately counterattack. That being said, I wouldn’t worry about breaks that get away about halfway through the race. Unless they’re caused by a crash or some other incident to split the field. They’ll either be brought back or it’ll be small enough that there’s still something worth fighting for at the finish line.

As far as corners. If you’re riding next to someone and approaching a corner, get your handlebars ahead of his, you’ll own him then.

13

In the PacNW, Cat 4’s often DO ride as teams. Especially the Zoka/S3 guys. And even when I was racing, my team did very well with team tactics. I guess it’s just the territory…

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Thanks for the tips everyone,

A number of follow-up notes:

  • Power shouldn’t be a problem… Experience will play in though! Coming from a power sport (hockey) before tri’s. Although, i’ve spent the last 5+ years working on endurance for triathlons. I can still be found hanging out at the squat rack at least once a week.
  • When I used to road race, I would get dropped like the fat kid that I am during a climb at about mile 40. So I think (i’m hoping) the intense style of crit race will play to my strengths. The first race will definitely be for the experience though
  • Thanks for the link Jason D. I’ll read that thread over as well
  • I generally don’t get skittish when I get touched / bumped. I’ll keep that in mind though as well as the points about positioning.
  • I think i’m going to print this thread out and read it over the weekend

Thanks again everyone.

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this should go well for you then. strength will be required. search my posts for some interesting commentary from someone who doesn’t have it.

you’ll be in a better position than i was. basically what I found was that if you’re towards the back and all of the sudden there is 6 ft in front of you… it might as well be six f’ing miles.

good luck

Burns

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Keep the cadence up (relative to your operating range). This will help you respond quicker to any sudden changes in pace, or acceleration out of the turns. If the course has any kind of rise coming out of a turn, I sometimes even drop down a gear just before entering the turn so I can exit it with my cadence up and accelerate up the rise without loading the legs up instead of just powering through it.

The final lap or two is where things might get interesting. There are often constant attacks that you’ll need to be ready for, or you’ll quickly find that you’ve slipped back 10-20 places stuck with some of the riders you might have been towards the front just minutes before. You can get swarmed during this time, and you’ll want to be observant, and put yourself in a position to leave your group and quickly jump on the wheels of the attacking group. This could happen multiple times, so you’ll need to stay aware and react quickly. Don’t wait until they have passed your group. A brief hesitation could mean missing the one opportunity to stay in the running.

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“In the PacNW, Cat 4’s often DO ride as teams. Especially the Zoka/S3 guys”

I’m going to forward this on to a couple of my buddies on this team - it will make their day!

.

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Stay up with the top 15 riders. You’ll accelerate/slow down less and it will keep you fresher and more aware of whats going on. If things are technical and you’re worried about your handling take the lead. you’ll have more room and everyone else will have to fall in behind (you may not be popular but you won’t get dropped). Unless you want a good result and you can sprint don’t get involved at the end. The final bunch havoc ain’t worth the potential injury…

19

Here is advice only race what you can afford to replace. Cat 4/5 crits are sketchy and I can’t wait to be done with them (awaiting an upgrade to 3 now). There will be a crash in the race, someones bike is going to get really messed up and there will be some road rash, just hope you are lucky enough to escape the day.
Also be aware of any inclines, someone dropping a chain while changing gears can cause a big pileup. Stay to the front or on an inside or outside line. In the middle of the pack is where the problems start.
Good luck and have fun

20

The single best criterium advice:

Defend your position at the front.

If you are among the top 10 positions you are racing. If you are in the remaining positions you are a passenger.