How to attack in a breakaway??

[Oldman]

From Velonews training tip by Joe Friel, he sez..

<snip> If your team is lucky enough to have more than one rider in the break, you will probably want
to start attacking as the finish approaches. Exactly where and when depends on the course and the
competition. With more than one teammate you are in the perfect position to alternate attacks,
wearing the other riders down by making them chase. With any luck they will eventually give up,
leaving your rider to solo in for the win, while the other teammate sits on waiting to go for the
second spot. <snip>

My question is how to do alternate attacks if all are equally strong?

cheers! oldman

 

[Jeff Jones]

[email protected] (oldman) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
>
> My question is how to do alternate attacks if all are equally strong?
>
I'll refrain from giving the typical RBR response to this one. The fact that the others are as
strong as you doesn't mean that an attack(s) will fail. In fact, it's one of the fundamental rules
of bike racing. You attack, and hope for some hesitancy in the bunch to get a gap. If everyone else
is looking at each other to chase (especially near the finish) then you should stay away.

Jeff

 

[Ewoud Dronkert]

On 21 Feb 2003 03:54:56 -0800, Jeff Jones wrote:
>I'll refrain from giving the typical RBR response to this one.

I *thought* you grown soft when I saw your comments on the new course record..

>You attack, and hope for some hesitancy in the bunch to get a gap.

Yeah and the point is: *especially* when everybody is equally strong, the one who closes the gap
will not win the race.

If you're in a small group, two or more from the same team and the rest all from different teams,
the standard outcome is: one of the team mates or Erik Dekker will win.

 

[Daniel Connelly]

Jeff Jones wrote:
> [email protected] (oldman) wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>
>>My question is how to do alternate attacks if all are equally strong?
>>
>
> I'll refrain from giving the typical RBR response to this one.

Which would be some variant of "helmets kill!"

Dan

 

[Corey Green]

> <snip> If your team is lucky enough to have more than one rider in the break, you will probably
> want to start attacking as the finish approaches. Exactly where and when depends on the course and
> the competition. With more than one teammate you are in the perfect position to alternate attacks,
> wearing the other riders down by making them chase. With any luck they will eventually give up,
> leaving your rider to solo in for the win, while the other teammate sits on waiting to go for the
> second spot. <snip>
>
> My question is how to do alternate attacks if all are equally strong?
>

If you have two in the breakaway: first guy from your team starts the break - the other riders
(teams) will have to respond. second guy from your team can ride a wheel to catch back up and not
provide the work. When the first guy is caught by the other riders, second guy from your team
lauches a counter attack. Repeat until others are tired of chasing.

 

[Round Lump]

No, the real question is has anyone on this newsgroup ever been in a breakaway? (and no, Cat 4 races
do not count)

"oldman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> From Velonews training tip by Joe Friel, he sez..
>
> <snip> If your team is lucky enough to have more than one rider in the break, you will probably
> want to start attacking as the finish approaches. Exactly where and when depends on the course and
> the competition. With more than one teammate you are in the perfect position to alternate attacks,
> wearing the other riders down by making them chase. With any luck they will eventually give up,
> leaving your rider to solo in for the win, while the other teammate sits on waiting to go for the
> second spot. <snip>
>
> My question is how to do alternate attacks if all are equally strong?
>
> cheers! oldman

 

[Jonathan V.D. S]

Ewoud Dronkert <[email protected]> schreef in berichtnieuws
[email protected]...
> On 21 Feb 2003 03:54:56 -0800, Jeff Jones wrote:
> >I'll refrain from giving the typical RBR response to this one.
>
> I *thought* you grown soft when I saw your comments on the new course record..
>
> >You attack, and hope for some hesitancy in the bunch to get a gap.
>
> Yeah and the point is: *especially* when everybody is equally strong, the one who closes the gap
> will not win the race.
>
> If you're in a small group, two or more from the same team and the rest all from different teams,
> the standard outcome is: one of the team mates or Erik Dekker will win.
>

And Ludo will finish as the last of the group.

 

[Mark Farnsworth]

On a hilly course, it's relatively easy to break away or attack a break group if you are strong. If
you have team mates you can trade attacks and get a free ride as the others chase to work down the
opposition. If the course is flat tactics become much more important because it is much harder to
escape. My feeling is that in a flat race the best way to break away is to attack early because at
the end of the race it is going to be hard to surprise anyone.

The 125 mile Great Levy Challenge Pro/1/2 road race last weekend in Florida was a classic example of
tactical riding.

The course was pancake flat. A small group went up the road about 20 miles into the race and the six
of them held their break together for over 100 miles. Back in the pack there were plenty of strong
riders including a number of individuals that were capable of catching the break if they would work
together. The problem was that with the flat roads any chase group that formed would quickly become
too big and would not work well together. The small break stayed together until the end when it
split up leaving three guys to sprint it out and a forth guy who soloed in just ahead of the pack.
The guys in that break were really bold!

I was part of a bunch of chase groups but we basically never really had a chase group that would
work well together because everyone was keying off of Kent Bostic and watching him to see what he
would do. There was also lots of effective blocking by the teams who had riders up the road.

...Mark

"Round Lump" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> No, the real question is has anyone on this newsgroup ever been in a breakaway? (and no, Cat 4
> races do not count)
>
> "oldman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > From Velonews training tip by Joe Friel, he sez..
> >
> > <snip> If your team is lucky enough to have more than one rider in the break, you will probably
> > want to start attacking as the finish approaches. Exactly where and when depends on the course
> > and the competition. With more than one teammate you are in the perfect position to alternate
> > attacks, wearing the other riders down by making them chase. With any luck they will eventually
> > give up, leaving your rider to solo in for the win, while the other teammate sits on waiting to
> > go for the second spot. <snip>
> >
> > My question is how to do alternate attacks if all are equally strong?
> >
> > cheers! oldman

 

[John Forrest To]

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> And Ludo will finish as the last of the group.

And Sciandri will be second or third to last and complain about Ludo's riding.

JT

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[Jeff Jones]

Ewoud Dronkert <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> On 21 Feb 2003 03:54:56 -0800, Jeff Jones wrote:
> >I'll refrain from giving the typical RBR response to this one.
>
> I *thought* you grown soft when I saw your comments on the new course record..
>
Hah! The only reason that record stood for so long is because Randwick's one lap time trials (apart
from the juniors) were typically held during an obscure phase of the moon, 11 days before the
equinox. Very cunning. I just happened to be lucky one year, which coincidentally was the last time
I did a TT down there. Now I've moved onto competing in the Scheldeprijs in the mornings.

Jeff