Break away blues!!!

I have been a MTB racer for a couple of years and last Sept. I got serious about racing on road. With that said I have trained really hard up to this point where my first CRIT race in CAT 5 is this weekend.

One problem, I rode yesterday with a pretty fast group to kind of give me race day feel. My dilema, I was riding in the front of the group for most of the ride which by that time we had been riding for about 1 hour. I pulled a couple of times and when I fell a little bit back into the group (about 20 to 30 meters) I saw a break away form and I decided at that time to chase the break away I was able to catch up but ran out of gas and ended up with a cramp on my oblique section.

In the past I have had a hard time getting back into the group after a pull in the front and some times still find myself having this problem. I know my diet is good because I've been monitoring it and keeping a diary on it and my hydration I've felt has been good also.

So my question is why am I having these problems? If I need to elaberate more I can. With my first race being on Sunday its a little late to solve this issue but the second race is 2 weeks from this race. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

My first reaction was that maybe you are sitting on the front too much. My theory on racing with a group is to minimise changes in your intensity and try and keep a steady flow as much as possible. You are not obliged to sit on the front of the group and unless you are in a breakaway, smaller group or feeling damn strong, it really is just a waste of your energy. Let the guys who have raced for a while do the work for the group until you have the experience clocked up. I sit less on the front less now than i did when i first started riding in a group and its not a matter of being slack, or not pulling your weight, but more a matter of riding smart. At cat 5 level there is no team to work for, only yourself. sit in, and enjoy the ride!

 

I completed my first race and I did what you had said I sat in the middle of the peloton and I feel I did well I was able to finish the race and I finished where I started right in the middle.

The race was fierce reaching speeds of 30 to 35 mph and averaging the how race at 26 mph. I hope to improve some what for the next race though.

I want to thank you for your input. I still don't don't know where I placed. The CAT 4 & 5's were together.

 

good to hear it helped!!

seriously, i think the most important thing for you was that you finished strongly in the group.

Thats the thing. Build up your strength and leg speed in your individual training and apply it to working smart in group rides. Watch when people attack and whether they were successful or not and identify why they won.

exploit your strengths and minimise the effect of your weaknesses.

good luck in the future!

 

Again thanks for the feedback.