I am reviewing my races from last season after I was promoted to 3rd Category. The races are:
0:00 Swindon 3/4
3:14 Odd Down 3/4
6:23 Hillingdon
They all ended badly for me, but on reviewing the races I am starting to feel a little more positive about where I am at.
See what you think? What else could I have done better?
16 Comments
Good breakdown of the pitfalls, thank you
Nice vid! Can't tell if it's the camera position or the sharp turns in some of the courses, but could you have made it more of a focus to slot in and hold wheels a bit better? You seemed to be off to the side for some time in the last race. And it's interesting that just before you get dropped, around 9:45, the rider in the white jersey notices the gap forming, puts in a burst of speed, and takes a more aggressive line to stay with the group. Not sure if following that move could have been an option for you given the riders around you, though.
2:00 your cornering was good… I think the only issue is that you didn't move up and tuck yourself into the pack 0:27… 500w for 3 seconds here would save you a whole race of chasing on.
Nice video Rich!
I've only tried this kind of racing a couple of times and I got dropped big time! I don't have a clue what to do and it's very much dependent on position and holding a wheel, which I'm not good at… It doesn't help that I'm not too keen on being boxed in.. makes me very uncomfortable and I tend to stay on the outside… Not ideal 😂
Well done for sticking with it Rich.. keep practicing and I'll learn from watching your videos 😊👍👏
124bpm on the startline? Nervous much? 🙂
On a more constructive comment – and you might not like this – but youre doing CAT4 power here. 170bpm at 300 watts? You want to be competitive in CAT3 you need to be 350w+. Not the end of the world for flat circults like this, but it means your skills need to be 100%. You need to be 100% focused on using as little power as possible.
Second – and a few guys have said it here. Dont be hesitant. Bridge gaps IMMEDIATELY. Go deep if you have to. And your wheel discipline is more CAT4 than CAT3; you need to be much tighter to the wheel in front and for much longer. And your lines through some of the corners was pretty poor; youre losing speed, youre in the air and youre not committing.
Impressive amount of travel there 😮
First point is bunch racing is hard. I got dropped in my 1st race, probably 2nd as well and many more, but went on to win races like this and up to cat 1. It happens to nearly everyone at some point.
In the first race I'd say the biggest mistake is you're not in the draft. The draft is your friend. You need to stick on the wheels and I mean stick – less than 1meter. You should never take the wind if at all avoidable. Your objective should be to finish whilst you gain more confidence and experience. Get out on your local chain gang and get comfortable riding in a group through and off to help with this.
You also ride at the back, which makes everything harder. 2nd/3rd race you start further up but let the gaps open again and people come though as you move out the wheels. Try picking a wheel or a big guy (more draft) and make your objective to sit on that wheel. That means you follow that line, don't let the gaps open etc. Acceleration is much easier towards the front but as the elastic stretches becomes harder at the back.
Otherwise you seem to corner well and certainly have the power to survive and even compete in races like this. It's just your using up all your power in positioning mistakes.
Might also be worth trying a real road race. Less corners so less brutal accelerations out of each turn and you'd get more confidence.
Don't give up. Most of us have been there
Just do more races and learn from the competition. With improved cornering and positioning you save a ton of energy. Good luck!
Promoted to cat3 last year, dropped in both cat3 races I entered as well. First one was just my 2 minute power, I just couldn't hold on to a long surge. Second one was being too far back in the pack when we got strung out and caught behind a split. I feel your pain, my first goal this year is finish in the pack.
Iʼm no expert, but I would say in the early laps you need to be much more aggressive getting into the mid pack near the front. 7-10th wheel is a good spot. When it feels like the group is going more gentle, surf those wheels, get close, get in better position for when you know youʼre going into a section you donʼt like. I was a heavier rider so steep hills were areas I would really try and get higher before I hit them. Crit racing in my limited experience (Grade B) in Australia, is never easy,
so cool to see the footage from the moredon race on the 10th june! i raced it, was the rider in the black skinsuit on the purple kinesis who drilled it at the start with the aim of splitting it to hell then sat on til the sprint
Why are you so back?
Great videos, lot's to learn from it. You know what the issues are,stick to the wheels in front,find the biggest guy there and sit on his wheel. You're well able for this.
Nice video, just out of interest, what set up do you use the get the data overlay on the screen?
Also riding wise I’d say you not far off. Obvious take away is positioning. Obviously the first race you were on a hiding to nothing off the start but the other 2 there were clear opportunities to move up.
If you’re at the back not only can it be harder on technical courses but also there’s no wiggle room if you don’t have the legs.
In that 2nd race you know you want to be towards the front heading into that technical corner.
Any time the race slows up then move up. You can do this using minimal watts. When you see the peloton widen then move up as this means it’s easing just as when it thins out then stick in the draft as it’s at full gas.
Apart from that it’s just reading races, being alert to when things are kicking off.
Don’t worry about power btw (despite other comments). You don’t need 350 to be competitive at 3rd cat, not even close. Rode a little smarter and you’ll be right up there.