Pull up or soldier on?

dulldave
dulldave Posts: 949
edited March 2010 in Amateur race
At my first race last weekend I was surprised at the number of people just pulling out because they had been dropped early on. What do you think?

Edit - oh and if you can post up with the reason for your choice that would be great.
Scottish and British...and a bit French

Comments

  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    I would try and get back on, I don't believe that by quitting you will ever achieve your goals.

    If nothing else, you can get a decent training session out of the race, and get stronger, so next time you hopefully won't get dropped. If you get dropped and pull out, what do you benefit from, good chance that will happen alot, and I think it is a waste of £15+.
  • dulldave
    dulldave Posts: 949
    I can see the reasoning for waiting. At least then you'll get the intensity of trying to keep with the group again. But pulling up won't help. It's especially annoying when you:

    - chase down 2 other guys
    - try to get them working together
    - get dropped by them whilst trying to keep them together
    - kick your ass in catching them again

    ... and then watch them both pull up just as you're catching them.

    Not that I'm bitter :0)
    Scottish and British...and a bit French
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    In races on shorter courses(crits), officials will often pull riders who are about to be lapped. If riders are allowed to continue it sort of becomes impossible to tell who's on what lap. Usually if it's just a small club race they let you continue and count on honesty at the end to get placings. As for continuing after you're dropped. Go right ahead, it's
    up to you. Could get lonely out there on the longer courses. In any case people drop out for a variety of reasons, from "I feel sick" to the ever popular and often used "Jeez, I rode too hard yesterday". So have your excuse at the ready when you come dragging back to the start - finish line. Someone will ask why you stopped. My favorite excuse is "Man, my shifter is all screwed up". :wink::wink:
  • dulldave
    dulldave Posts: 949
    Hi Dennis. In the question I mention that it's possible to finish without being lapped in this scenario.
    Scottish and British...and a bit French
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    dulldave wrote:
    Hi Dennis. In the question I mention that it's possible to finish without being lapped in this scenario.

    i think it's up to you. In my experience you tend to see the more experienced riders drop out more than novices. To many of them, finishing is not the odjective. Finishing well is, and if that's not going to happen then they may drop out, save their energy, and fight another day. Newer riders seem to need to prove that they can finish, even if it is way off the back. Nothing wrong either way. Then there are the riders, novices to pros, who have simply had enough abuse. We all have days like that. Nobody finishes everything.
  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    Only enter racer that take you out into the middle of nowhere, so you have to finish regardless :lol:
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    A kid in our club last year attracted the Ire of a number of senior riders by dropping out for a lap with a puncture then having the brass neck to tag on the next time around and contest the sprint, then brag to everyone as to his high placing.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    But you can take a lap for a mechanical in most circuit races - why did this incur the wrath of the senior riders?
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    Bronzie wrote:
    But you can take a lap for a mechanical in most circuit races - why did this incur the wrath of the senior riders?

    I was just wondering the same.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    This was a 20km circuit on a 90km race. He stopped, changed his wheel, waited the 35 mins it took the bunch to come back around and tagged on the back. He'd ridden just over 20km less than everybody else in the race, and had a half hour breather before sprinting for 8th and bragging about it.

    You're not telling me you could do the same in any road race you've ever ridden? Crit type circuit races, I agree, but a normal road race on a longer circuit?
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    This was a 20km circuit on a 90km race. He stopped, changed his wheel, waited the 35 mins it took the bunch to come back around and tagged on the back. He'd ridden just over 20km less than everybody else in the race, and had a half hour breather before sprinting for 8th and bragging about it.

    You're not telling me you could do the same in any road race you've ever ridden? Crit type circuit races, I agree, but a normal road race on a longer circuit?


    Ahhhhhhh. I can see the other riders point. Race official should have had a better handle on things. :roll: :roll:
  • givecyclistsroom
    givecyclistsroom Posts: 21
    I have always finsihed a race I have started (save where officials have made it clear lapped riders should withdraw) even though it has often been total humiliation. Motivates me to try harder.
    More on my blog
    http://thecyclingsilk.blogspot.com/
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    You're not telling me you could do the same in any road race you've ever ridden? Crit type circuit races, I agree, but a normal road race on a longer circuit?
    Ahhhh - if there's no service car then it's game over - he should have been DQd.
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • Slow1972
    Slow1972 Posts: 362
    Not DQ'd, just +1 lap (so last, not 8th) in the results?

    Agree he shouldn't be in contesting the sprint though if a lap down. Same thing annoys me in local races where dropped riders from E/1/2 race come into the 3/4 bunch (races run at the same time with faster group started first) and instead of loitering at the back (as they're supposed to do) they get involved in the front of the 3/4 bunch, thereby influencing a race they are actually no part of whatsoever.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    givecyclistsroom wrote:
    I have always finsihed a race I have started (save where officials have made it clear lapped riders should withdraw) even though it has often been total humiliation. Motivates me to try harder.

    Our local race club runs crits, time trials, and road races every Thursday night mid April
    through mid September. One of our rules is that all corners and traffic intersections must have a safety marshall or the race is cancelled. So far none, but I digress. This requires that marshalls be out there for maybe a couple of hours. On the longer courses, 6 to 10 miles, we tend to pull riders who are well off the back BEFORE the lead group sees the one lap to go sign. This allows us to get the marshalls off the course and on their way
    so they don't have to wait around for another hour for few "stragglers". For lack of a better word. On a very few occasions someone will voice a complaint about "came out here to do the whole thing, not part of it", so we say go ahead, but there will be no marshalls or finish line people. We're all going for margaritas and Mexican food. See ya when you get there.
  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    A kid in our club last year attracted the Ire of a number of senior riders by dropping out for a lap with a puncture then having the brass neck to tag on the next time around and contest the sprint, then brag to everyone as to his high placing.

    Or you can do what some of the top placers in the NE divs did last year, and take a short cut across the circuit because the marshalls didn't turn up, and instead decided to ride around the circuit the opposite way to get a nice viewing of the race. Fuckers.
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Bronzie wrote:
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    You're not telling me you could do the same in any road race you've ever ridden? Crit type circuit races, I agree, but a normal road race on a longer circuit?
    Ahhhh - if there's no service car then it's game over - he should have been DQd.

    Probably a commisaire's decision as to whether or not he could rejoin (as a lap down), but defo shouldn't contest sprint if he was indeed legally let to continue. I think any commisaire who was paying attention wouldn't have let him rejoin - and rightly so.


    Pretty sure he should have been pulled at that point.

    Getting a lap out only applies to circuits of 3KM or less I think.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Pokerface wrote:
    Bronzie wrote:
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    You're not telling me you could do the same in any road race you've ever ridden? Crit type circuit races, I agree, but a normal road race on a longer circuit?
    Ahhhh - if there's no service car then it's game over - he should have been DQd.

    Probably a commisaire's decision as to whether or not he could rejoin (as a lap down), but defo shouldn't contest sprint if he was indeed legally let to continue. I think any commisaire who was paying attention wouldn't have let him rejoin - and rightly so.


    Pretty sure he should have been pulled at that point.

    Getting a lap out only applies to circuits of 3KM or less I think.

    Commissaires pulled him to one side after he tagged on the back and told him he was ok to continue but had to sit at the back and not get involved. He ignored all of that and just charged to the front and started marking moves etc. finished off with the sprint at the end. He was marked as last finisher.

    He got a dressing down from the comms and a rollicking from 2 or 3 of the senior riders.

    They got their revenge later in teh season when he was DQ'd from a win for swearing as he crossed the line. Arf.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    They got their revenge later in teh season when he was DQ'd from a win for swearing as he crossed the line. Arf.

    I definitely don't remember that rule in the book! F*&king Commisaires!! :P
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Pokerface wrote:
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    They got their revenge later in teh season when he was DQ'd from a win for swearing as he crossed the line. Arf.

    I definitely don't remember that rule in the book! F*&king Commisaires!! :P

    When I became a U.S. Cycling Federation official I was told that I was God out there on the race course and what I said or ruled on was the way it was going to be. I a way I learned that that's the way it must be. It became immediately apparent that there were racers that were, to put it bluntly, just f**king **sholes and needed to be dealt with
    in a way they could understand. Hench officials being God, so to speak. Some of these people seem to want to argue for hours that they finished 16th instead of 17th.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    dennisn wrote:
    When I became a U.S. Cycling Federation official....


    Back in the 1920's? 8)
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Pokerface wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    When I became a U.S. Cycling Federation official....


    Back in the 1920's? 8)

    Close. :wink:
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    my answer to this changes under different circumstances, if you are racing once or twice a week and working the rest of the time then i would say keep going and get a good ride in, however a few years ago i went to france with a mate for about a week to race a few times during that time and in the first race, a crit he was at the front(ended up winning it) i got lapped a several times but carried on for majority of the race. Come the end he said to me "you would have been better off pulling out and saving yourself for the next race two days later."
    Which makes sense as i was just ridding with a few others for very minor places.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,468
    I've never bothered much with circuit races so the waiting to get lapped bit hasn't applied very often. When it has I've always found it hard to get back up to speed and sit back in. However, on many road races I have been dropped (sometimes very early on :oops: ) and I used to generally complete the race on the basis that I'd paid my entry so may as well use it as a training run and also when you drop out it starts to become an easy option.

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