Crits are all about positioning. you do less work on the front then you do in the back, because the pack accordions in the corners. Most crits with tight corners are 5 laps long, if you can survive the first 5 laps, things settle down and you should be able to make it to the line. The first 5 laps are usually apeshit (or on our series here, laps 4-8, since the first 3 are controlled speed virtually neutral laps). Typically if you aren’t moving forwards, you’re moving backwards, so you have to remain alert to what’s going on and opportunities to move up. It’s also easier to move up when following someone’s wheel, so rather then wasting alot of energy to move up, if you see someone near you start moving up, tuck onto their wheel and let them do the work. On the same token, if you are working to move up, try to drag a few teammates up with you (if you ride with a team).
Other keys to the races, regardless of category. Hold your line in the corner, if you chop people you will either crash, or get stuck at the back, because nobody will let you in. In your first few races, be open to criticism from other riders, they’re probably right, but that’s how we learn. Don’t break in the corners, unless you want black tarmac tatoos and road rash… Break before the corner, and amke sure you’re in a gear that allows you to accelerate out of the corner. Inevitably the field always hammers our of the corners, and if you’re caught in the wrong gear, you’ll lose spots or fall out the back of the pack. Look for room, if a hole opens up, move into it. Never lose the wheel in front of you, it takes less then 2 bike lengths to lose a significant draft, and it’s 3x as hard to close that. As you race more crits, you learn who you should and should ride behind or near. You’ll learn who the squirrels are, and who have tendancies to lose the wheels around them. On that token, when you’re new, it’s good to let the odd rider into the pack, even if it means losing a spot. if people don’t know you, you will not be let in, but by offering the courtesy to others, the sooner people will start letting you in, which can put you in a great position.
When it comes to breaking away, it’s very similar to a road race, but a little harder due to the speeds and the corners. If the course has a hill, it’s the easiest place to get a gap. If you can hammer the hill you can usually get a 10-15m gap right away, or at least split the peloton, and take a group off the front. On a flat course you have to stay near the front and watch the pack speeds. Often the best time to go is from 5-6 spots back just as the pack slows while catching a break, countering is the easiest way to get away. You can also luck into a break, in my last crit, I was sitting towards the back of the middle of the pack, and I jumped onto someone’s wheel as he moved up the pack, and followed as he moved up to the front and then past everybody and into a break with one other guy, we didn’t hit the gas hard enough to open a large gap and were caught within a minute. In the same race, with 4 laps to go, I was near the back (the pack had thinned majorly) and half the road opened up in the straightaway, so I made a move along the side to move up, the pack had slowed, and my whole team was moving to the front of the peloton to control the race and to set up the sprint. I started moving up and realised that I was moving 12km/h faster then the peloton, so i put my head down and gave’er. My teammates told me later all they saw was a blue/green blur go shooting down the side and instantly get 50m on the field, at which point they feathered the brakes and made others come around to chase. Of course it was too soon, since i am not good enough of a time trialist to stay clear for 4miles in the finale of the race, but I made it a mile and a bit before blowing up, and having to wait for the pack to catch me. I caught back in (despite being sure I’d go Mexican, out the front and then out the back…) and actually was feeling Ok to sprint, and was on my teammates wheel coming out of the last corner (he ended up second by about 2 inches, but he was actually trying to lead me out) but the rider to my inside caught air off a manhole cover and crashed, forcing me wide onto the grass and out of contention.
Crits are fun, your heart rate is often very high, but it’s a very different challenge from tris. The biggest difference from a Tri/TT is the gas/brake/gas/brake style of racing rather then steady pacing. You need to be able to go into your red zone and then recover quickly for the next bout…