Bunch Positioning and General Advice
Comments
-
I suffer with similar problems. If the pace is easy enough then I can move up and down the bunch at will and have no problems. When it gets a bit harder, usually due to 2nd cat+ riders being involved then I end up hanging on the back for as long as possible until I get dropped. At the same time I have friends of similar ability but far better race craft who stay near the front the whole race, make it look easy and never get dropped.
I can certainly get fitter but at the same time I'm no slouch, need to use my brain more.0 -
What a difference a week makes! Thanks for all the advice. Spent the whole race comfortably moving around the bunch from front to back on my own terms most of the time. Held my line in corners and made up places regularly and almost finished in the points with a position of about 13th in the sprint! Well chuffed. I knew I had it in me. The last week was very frustrating trying to pour over my previous weeks failings. This has given me a massive boost.
Here's my output again
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/73839848
Off for a few jars now and maybe I'll hit up Llandow for the 4th cats race tomorrow to see if I can gain some points!0 -
Surfr wrote:What a difference a week makes! Thanks for all the advice. Spent the whole race comfortably moving around the bunch from front to back on my own terms most of the time. Held my line in corners and made up places regularly and almost finished in the points with a position of about 13th in the sprint! Well chuffed. I knew I had it in me. The last week was very frustrating trying to pour over my previous weeks failings. This has given me a massive boost.
Here's my output again
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/73839848
Off for a few jars now and maybe I'll hit up Llandow for the 4th cats race tomorrow to see if I can gain some points!
Leave the beers until after your race tomorrow 8)Expertly coached by http://www.vitessecyclecoaching.co.uk/
http://vineristi.wordpress.com - the blog for Viner owners and lovers!0 -
Surfr wrote:What a difference a week makes! Thanks for all the advice. Spent the whole race comfortably moving around the bunch from front to back on my own terms most of the time. Held my line in corners and made up places regularly and almost finished in the points with a position of about 13th in the sprint! Well chuffed. I knew I had it in me. The last week was very frustrating trying to pour over my previous weeks failings. This has given me a massive boost.
Here's my output again
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/73839848
Off for a few jars now and maybe I'll hit up Llandow for the 4th cats race tomorrow to see if I can gain some points!
A very different race to last week. In my view a better one because there weren't any morons on the track. Well done on 13th-ish I finished about 8 behind you after bolloxing myself in the final 15 mins on the front with my team mate.0 -
Nice one, careful racing gets addictiveSurfr wrote:What a difference a week makes! Thanks for all the advice. Spent the whole race comfortably moving around the bunch from front to back on my own terms most of the time. Held my line in corners and made up places regularly and almost finished in the points with a position of about 13th in the sprint! Well chuffed. I knew I had it in me. The last week was very frustrating trying to pour over my previous weeks failings. This has given me a massive boost.
0 -
Sheptastic wrote:
A very different race to last week. In my view a better one because there weren't any morons on the track..
I'm glad you feel that way. I was worried people might get upset with me as I got lapped 6 or 7 times. :oops:
Serves me right for missing the start and then blowing up trying to catch the back of the bunch for the first few laps.0 -
Nightmare! Bad luck, best to get it ou the way in the early season I think.Pokerface wrote:Sheptastic wrote:
A very different race to last week. In my view a better one because there weren't any morons on the track..
I'm glad you feel that way. I was worried people might get upset with me as I got lapped 6 or 7 times. :oops:
Serves me right for missing the start and then blowing up trying to catch the back of the bunch for the first few laps.0 -
Was good fun today
Think I must have been just behind you. sat in the top 10 for most of the race but seemed to get a bit mugged on the last lap
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/738829630 -
Thanks for starting this thread Surfr, and well done today. I say thanks as I've been reading it as the thread progressed all week, and was thinking about all the advice given to you during my first race today.
I managed to get myself in a good position, and finished in the points, I may have been a bit fortuitous as there was a crash behind me on the last lap, but.....
Here's my stats if anyone wants to help interpret them and give feedback on how to improve, it's appreciated http://connect.garmin.com/activity/73871962
MikeWW & Surfr - I notice that your elevation increases as the race goes on. Do you know why this is, when the race is on the same circuit?0 -
hammerite wrote:Thanks for starting this thread Surfr, and well done today. I say thanks as I've been reading it as the thread progressed all week, and was thinking about all the advice given to you during my first race today.
I managed to get myself in a good position, and finished in the points, I may have been a bit fortuitous as there was a crash behind me on the last lap, but.....
Here's my stats if anyone wants to help interpret them and give feedback on how to improve, it's appreciated http://connect.garmin.com/activity/73871962
MikeWW & Surfr - I notice that your elevation increases as the race goes on. Do you know why this is, when the race is on the same circuit?
Well done on the points. No idea on the elevation change0 -
Hammerite you had a very easy race from your HR trace... not much else to say unless you attacked at any point during it, in which case you didn't go hard enough. Be more aggressive next time to knacker the less people more for the finish.
The elevation changes because the Air pressure was dropping as the race went on.Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0 -
hammerite wrote:MikeWW & Surfr - I notice that your elevation increases as the race goes on. Do you know why this is, when the race is on the same circuit?
Good question. I'd been wondering myself. The course is nigh on pan flat, and usually only registers a couple of meters elevation per lap. Not sure what has caused the cumulative effect. I've started using Garmin training Centre to pull data from the device rather than using Garmin Connect browser plugin directly. Perhaps that's related?
Glad you found the info useful. I certainly did, and I hope others will too. It's good to know it's not always fitness holding you back
0 -
Apologies if something like this has already been said but in terms of fitness, it sounds like you aren't so much lacking in fitness, more specific fitness. Time trialling requires the constant and measured application of force and requires you to sit more or less at the same hr. Crit racing on the other hand is going to involve a lot more jumps up and down in both speed and heart rate, so being tt fit doesn't necessarily translate to being good in a crit.
An over simplified example of this would be Cav, great in the sprint but crap on the TT, or in reverse cancellara, can pull the peleton along at 50 km plus but you dont see him racing cav for the green jersey.
Sounds like you need some interval training to give yourself a bit more of a jump so that you can go with the breaks and stay with the pack. Try something like 4x 30 seconds on 30 off, 5 mins easy, 3 x 1 minute on 1 off, 5 mins easy, 4 x30 secs on 30 off, then 2 x 90 secs on 90 off. Make you you do a hard warm up to get the legs firing.0 -
Started todays race and found myself leading into the first corner. Nobody came past for 4 laps, eventually coming past like a steam train, and I hopped on at mid pack. I'd have a gap of 30 meters at one point but somebody obviously reeled it in. Spent the rest of the race in mid pack until launching another attack with 2 laps to go. I'd worked too hard at the start to have a good sprint left in my legs so I tried working for my clubmates instead. Somebody pissed themselves laughing when I launched, probably thinking that I thought I could stay away for 2 whole laps (no way). Clubmates secured 3,4,5 positioning I think so it worked in our favour. Lots of fun and good to try another new circuit.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/740856920 -
jibberjim wrote:Hammerite you had a very easy race from your HR trace... not much else to say unless you attacked at any point during it, in which case you didn't go hard enough. Be more aggressive next time to knacker the less people more for the finish.
The elevation changes because the Air pressure was dropping as the race went on.
Yes I did have quite a comfortable race effort wise. But it being a first race I just wanted to see what it was all about. There were a few attacks but I doubt anyone managed to get more than 100yds in front before being hauled in, so it put me off. I did go to the front on a couple of occasions for the odd lap just to see how hard work it was, and see whether I could hold the pace.
Before the race I really did think I'd be shelled out as I'd not done any specific training - main aim is AdH tri this summer. Although once it's out the way I might knock the swimming and running on the head and concentrate on the cycling. I enjoy the racing a lot more.
Good effort today Surfr.0
