Do This and You Will Win

So you want to win a bike race.  No problemo.  The surest way is to get in a race where your only other competitor is your little sister.  Ok, seriously.  If you follow my advice to the letter you will eventually win a race.  This advice is primarily for the entry level competitor, but the following guidelines apply across all categories and levels.

The first step is training.  Books have been written about this.  PhD's have been attained on single detailed elements of this massive topic.  I'm going to boil it down to you in a couple lines.  Here goes:  Ride your bike at least one to two hours a day, and rest one day a week (rest means no riding or riding less than half effort).  Do intervals once a week as follows:  ride absolutely as hard as you can for one minute, then soft pedal as easy as you can for three minutes, repeat 5-8 times or until you think you see Jesus.  Place your rest day two days before your race.  This would be Thursday for a Saturday race.  Also place your interval day on Tuesday or Wednesday.  The day before the race you can ride moderately hard, but NO LONG HARD INTERVALS...... that's what the race will produce. (From personal experience I tend to race better on a second day of criterium racing, but not as well on the day after a long hard road race). 

Now it's time to get ready to race.   You've done the training and you're riding the right equipment.  What equipment you ask?  Let me be pithy.  For the beginner to intermediate racer the bike frame and components make (almost) absolutely no significant difference as long as they are functioning.  I would however suggest that you spend some money on fast wheels such as 404 Zipp tubulars, or HED Stingers (or similar wheels by another company), and good carbon soled shoes.   I would also suggest that you buy used wheels, and new shoes.  On second thought, as a category 4/5 the special wheels and shoes are not necessary, but I would rank equipment as follows:  1.wheels, 2. shoes & pedals, 3. all else.

Ok, so now it's time to race.  (You better know what and when to eat first)  Warm-ups are important for time-trialing and criterium racing.  Again there are many variations.  Let me be pithy.  Ride 30 minutes at a conversational pace with 2-3 one minute intervals at 80% (estimated) efforts. with full recovery in-between.  Allow about 5 minutes to get to the start line.  If you have a bike trainer, bring it to the race in case the surrounding streets are unsuitable for warming up.  Try not to use the trainer if the temperature is high due to overheating and dehydrating.  If the trainer is absolutely necessary you can dampen your body with water and consume ice water to keep your core temperature down. (Here's my post about heat management with bike racing).

The type of course should determine the importance of starting and riding at or near the front of the peloton.  If the course is a simple flat square or rectangle, your starting position is unimportant.  If the course is technical with lots of cornering and the field size is large it is critical to start and ride as near to the front as possible.  There are 4 reasons for this.  1. It is safer from crashes, 2. higher chance for making it into a winning break-a-way, 3. smoother and easier cornering, with much less "accordion" effect of braking into and sprinting out of the corners and 4. you won't get gaped off the main group due to riders in front of you falling off the pace.  

The first two laps and the last two laps are generally among the fastest and hardest, so mentally expect this.  Focus on the wheel of the rider ahead of you.  Stay nicely in his/her draft.  Try to relax but concentrate on good cornering (see my earlier blog on this topic, April 23, 2010).  Do not allow yourself to half-wheel.  Faster races are safer than slow races because the riders become single file and if a crash occurs on a corner, the rider is swept out of the way by pure momentum.  Be wary when the group bunches up and allow yourself some escape room.  On very slow corners ride the outside and faster corners try to be on the inside if riders are paired/grouped up.

Generally the first half of the race is inconsequential.  Save your energy and spend zero time at the front pulling the field or sprinting for primes (prize laps).  Do stay close to the front during a prime lap, especially later primes.  This is a good opportunity to get into a break-a-way.  The strongest riders will naturally be present during this period and attacking/launching off field after this period is ideal.  Often the prime winner will not make this counter-move which is also nice because you have illuminated a potentially good sprinter. If you do get in a break-a-way, it is critical to ride very aggressively initially.  The best scenario is to get out of the view of the chasing pack (out of sight, out of mind).  If you are lucky you will have maybe 2-5 other riders with you that are all from different teams. Their team-mates should not chase you and may actually discourage others from pursuing you by drafting off the chasers behind you and not rotating through.

Winning break-a-ways generally occur when the field is at their most tired state and the strongest riders tend to be at the front, a gap occurs and bang they are gone.  If you are in the draft of other riders and are suffering, alarms should be going off in your head that this is the time that a break could occur.  Try to get near the front if it is possible.  You should do this in bursts and advance past as many riders as you can each burst.  If you are lucky you can jump on a wheel of someone who is advancing in front of you.   If the field is single file it is generally best to wait until it slows down and starts to bunch up to advance.  On the other hand if a gap occurs and a break develops,  it is best to bridge across as fast as possible, then try to sit on and recover and start working with the break ASAP.  When in a break, generally try not to do more "work" than the racer who is doing the least amount of "work".  Basically, try to save your energy after the break-a-way appears successful. 

Often break-a-ways don't succeed and even if they do the winner is typically determined by a sprint.  Bike racing is all about timing.  The last two laps of a criterium is critical for positioning.  If the race is not single file the back of the pack will swarm the front.  You must be aggressive (not reckless) and constantly try to stay at or near the front.  This is not a time to worry about drafting.  Get out front if necessary, you will be safer and if you don't go full out you should be able to get back in the draft.  You may be very tired at this point, but no matter what you must not let yourself give in and let off the gas.  The winner will generally not be the first person out of the last corner unless it is less than 100 meters and that person is a good sprinter.  You should be in 2nd position around 100 yards and perhaps 3-4 if the finish is around 200 yards.  There could be some variation to my description based on the sprinting abilities of you and your competitors. 

Badda bing, badda bang!  If you did everything just as I described, you have just won your first race!  Ok maybe not, but eventually.  You'll never forget your first victory no matter how small.  Mine was 2nd season as a category 4 in the Tidewater area in Virginia, while I was in the Navy, 1989.  I only caught partial seasons due to being out to sea on Mediterranean Cruises, but this 2nd season was the very last race of the season.  For some reason it was a really small race, almost like a tiny training race, maybe 15 guys.  It was around a school football stadium.  It didn't even really have true corners and I jumped the guy who typically won the sprints and did a long sprint (typical sprints are 200 meters and around 10-12 seconds) and he couldn't really come around on the curving finish.  That was over 20 years ago and I remember it happily.  I promise that you'll never forget your first win...... unless you bonk your head...... or become senile (like Fred does sometimes) ....... otherwise, you'll never forget it!!!!!

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