Crit Racing Tips 102 (Beyond
the Basics)
By PCG Master Coach BJBasham
The Peaks Coaching Group are the leaders in training and
racing with power, but even if you have tons of power, if you use it
wastefully, you likely won’t get the results you hope for. When it comes to
racing criteriums and circuit races, where you have to react quickly, and
mistakes can mean the end of your day, being smart with where you use your
matches can mean the difference between being in the race, and just fighting to
survive.
I wanted to write an article about Criterium racing, and
give some tips, but looking around, most of the tips like “get in a good warmup,”
“line up early,” “stay up front,” etc. have pretty much been covered.
So I thought about the advice I give my riders beyond the
basics
That’s a lot of
sprints
Back in the 90s, I went to a race, and a friend of mine and
I were sitting in the parking lot before the race. He gave me some great advice
which now seems really logical and intuitive. In a race with 4 corners, and 20
laps, that can mean 80 sprints, not counting the sprint to the finish or primes
etc.
That’s a lot of sprints.
I watch riders at every event stomping their way out of
corners over and over again, until they just can’t do it anymore. But the most
successful riders ride their bike like they would drive their car, shifting
down going into turns, and then spinning up through the gears as the speed
comes back up so they could save more of their matches for trying to win the
race.
The key to saving your matches in a race is to avoid the big
peaks in power, and that includes not making huge acceleration out of the
corners. Positioning plays a big part in this, but even if you are sitting
right up in the top 10 all day, you can still be wasteful or inefficient with
how you ride.
This can take some thought and practice. Looking at the
course before the race and even doing a couple of hot laps taking the turns at
speed is a useful part of any warmup. But also doing workouts where you
practice accelerating quickly on a lighter gear and working your way through
the gears as your speed builds, can help you to know not just what it feels
like, but might also might highlight parts of the equation such as leg speed, your
gearing choices, or even how brake/shift levers are positioned, that might need
to be improved or adjusted.
Race your strengths (if you are not a sprinter, don’t wait for
the sprint)
Criteriums tend to be thought of as events tailor made for
sprinters, but we have all seen crits won in other ways like a late race attack
or even a jump from the gun. I once knew a rider who was not a good sprinter at
all, but he got many of his upgrade points in criteriums. His trick was to lead
out every finishing sprint so that he was at the front and the sprinters would
have to get past him if they wanted to win. He knew that there was no way, with
his power, he would be able to come around a good sprinter at full speed, but
if he led out the sprint, he was likely to at least hold on to a top 10 spot at
the finish if not actually win the race.
The point is that any rider can try to win a criterium with
tactics that fit their specific strengths and weaknesses. A strong time trial
rider might want to go for a long break away. An all-arounder might try to
reduce the group that they have to fight it out with at the finish by launching
attacks late in the race when the field starts to get tired. Even a strong
sprinter might want to approach the finish of a specific race differently based
on who they are racing against. Maybe a late attack in the final kilometer that
catches faster sprinters off guard.
At your next crit, if you are not chomping at the bit for a
bunch sprint, think about how you can go for the win in a way that suits you.
If you are not a sprinter, don’t wait for the sprint.
