Track league - team tactics

gazrichards

I was once told. (Very early on in my track cycling "career") that there was no team work in track races (except the obvious Madison, and team pursuit/sprint etc)
For example at your local evening track league if there are 3 members of one club in a scratch race is it acceptable for them to ride as a team. Can one guy chase down every break for his "team leader"? Can they sand bag and refuse to take a turn if their team mate is in a group ahead?
What are people's thoughts on this?
Was I mis-informed?

Omar Little

Sandbagging is against the rules (its under something like failing to defend your chances) and unlike on the road i've seen riders relegated for doing this. It is obviously a different sort of riding - unlike on the road you couldnt refuse to take a turn and just sit in on second wheel not coming through - the front rider swings up the banking when they want someone to come through. If you are not wanting to work then you would just swing up after them straight away which would be ok but you couldnt sit at the front and try and block things by going too slow. Of course this doesnt mean you work at 100% on the front to close down a break that your team mate is in.

Things like going on an attack with a team mate is ok - but tactically it doesnt make so much sense as in my (limited) experience if you do get away with a team mate then the chase will be taken up very quickly and any gap is unlikely to last, whereas if you go yourself or with some random rider then there is bigger chance of a hesitation in the riders left behind.

oldwelshman

Relegated for sandbagging? Bloody hell hopw the hell did they work out someone was sandbagging and not just riding easy at the front and whats the difference? A rider can always go around.
Of course riders ride as teams, some riders ride for each other even if not in same team.

Jim C

Good post. Nice answers, especially the one about sandbagging , and how would anyone know :-)
Maybe U shouldn't ride as a team. But if U have team mates , or even just mates, then why not. Alliances come and go. Its track league, the aim is to enjoy it. So long as it safe, most things are ok. If your going too slow , they can always ride round u

oldwelshman

Alliances are always made and I have had experience of good and bad. In world masters a few of us brits rode as team in scratch race and got one of us a medal by tactical riding, not really sandbagging. The other riders chose to leave me on the front for 8 laps I also lost UK Masters omnium by being taken out on the sprint in scratch race by a rider (ex pro) who had lapped he field but was "riding" for someone else, he was not in contention for onmium and as he lapped field should not have even been there on last lap!

paddlemyowncanoe

Team tactics are against the rules but comms don't have an easy time enforcing this one. Two teams operate at my local track and are a PITA for the rest of us but you've just got to learn to read the race differently.