RR: CBR Kingston Crits... my first!

Well done Bean!!!

I am hardly a font of crit wisdom - but re: "the rubber-band effect" of
having to brake and then accelerate through corners - I read somewhere
that you know you are too far back in the bunch if you have to brake
through the corners.

I've used that as a rough rule of thumb, and it seems to work OK for
me...

Cheers,
Abby

Absent Husband said:

Well done Bean!!!

I am hardly a font of crit wisdom - but re: "the rubber-band effect" of
having to brake and then accelerate through corners - I read somewhere
that you know you are too far back in the bunch if you have to brake
through the corners.

I've used that as a rough rule of thumb, and it seems to work OK for
me...

Cheers,
Abby

I thought that would be the case too Abby, but it seemed we were so
disorganised that this was happening not too far from the front. Point
taken though. If I had the oomph I should have pulled closer to the
front when I had the chance. The rubber band effect probably
disappeared from right at the front of the bunch after a few corners.
Next time maybe!

--
Bean

"I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it" Pink Floyd

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Bean Long said:

Well it's all a blur really but here's how I think it went:

It was my first official crit so I wasn't all that eager to jump in at
the deep end. Nonetheless, I started in D-grade, one row back about
four or five out from the kerb. As soon as I took off I could feel my
mouth go crispy dry and my legs felt heavy and sore. Adrenalin I
guess!?

Possibly. I generally find I have an elevated HR at the start of a
race, your symptoms may vary.

Quoted message said:

Took a while to wind up and there was very little organisation
in the pack coming into the first couple of corners. As a result I
found myself breaking hard into most of the corners and surging to stay
on the wheel in front. Not what I wanted but the pack was too
disorderly to change things without spending too much energy.

The joys of early season D grade races. It'll get smoother, you may
even find it's best to be on the front at the sharp corners if it's too
messy behind. I don't know the course you're racing on so can't make
much more than a general suggestion though. Can you pop it on bikely
and show us the course?

It's *sometimes* ok to let a gap open a bit before a corner to let you
ride smoothly through it rather than have to brake and accelerate, in
particular if the wheel in front is slowing more than you think they
need, if you can avoid having to surge it will save your energy.

Quoted message said:

After a
few laps of this I was starting to feel the pinch. My team mates were
further back but, as it turns out, finding things a little easy since
the front was having all the trouble in the corners. Slowly but surely
they all picked me up and dropped me. About three laps from the finish
I found myself off the lead group in a small bunch of 3-4, so we helped
each other out to keep going (no chance of catching the leaders by this
stage). There was a much bigger bloke in our bunch who was, thankfully,
pushing a lot of air, so I slipped in behind him for the most of the
last few laps (I'm very slight and more likely to get blown off the road
with the slightest of breeze). I found myself behind someone else who
was spent as we came into the back straight and we all sucked wheel to
the home stretch. Put on the juice in the final 100m and managed a
respectable finish (not last at least). Absolutely spent and happy it
was over, I hung around to see our team captain sitting on a break-away
in C-grade for most of the next race. He's a gun, but had just ridden
with the novice grade to offer support and was slingshot off the lead
pack with two laps to go. Still ended with a top 10-15 finish which was
fantastic.

I don't understand, your team captain (D grade? formal team riding?)
jumped into a C grade break? I assume he wasn't actually racing then?
It's (or at least it *SHOULD* be!) illegal to use another grade to your
advantage and if he was racing D grade, then the commissaires should
have DQ'd him if he was sucking a C grade bunch.

Quoted message said:

Was good to warm down by riding the 15 k's home but had to tool up and
get ready for training this morning with a 4:50 am alarm to wake me.
Spent the training session with one of the slower bunches and don't feel
too bad this morning at all!

After a hard ride, recovery ... 🙂

Well done for giving it a go.

Absent Husband said:

Well done Bean!!!

I am hardly a font of crit wisdom - but re: "the rubber-band effect" of
having to brake and then accelerate through corners - I read somewhere
that you know you are too far back in the bunch if you have to brake
through the corners.

<snip>
Or you're sitting behind one of the HIT girls at Murarrie.

Tam

Bleve said:

I don't know the course you're racing on so can't make
much more than a general suggestion though. Can you pop it on bikely
and show us the course?

Already done by my team captain:

http://tinyurl.com/y6ha77

He's drawn it to the map rather than satellite image, so the western
straight should be on the road a little further west (the one that looks
like it's gravel!). That's a gentle incline which doesn't seem so
gentle by the time you've done a few laps at speed. It's left hand
turns (anti-clockwise) and the road is old and a bit rough in patches.

The teams can be across grades, hence him riding in C, others spread
over different grades. Sheesh... if he was so slow in D that he ended
up catching a passing C-grade bunch, he shouldn't be captain, let alone
still on the course! :-)

Quoted message said:

It's *sometimes* ok to let a gap open a bit before a corner to let you
ride smoothly through it rather than have to brake and accelerate, in
particular if the wheel in front is slowing more than you think they
need, if you can avoid having to surge it will save your energy.

I'll have to work on my pack position to minimise surging me thinks. It
was interesting that, despite the fact that I blew early from an obvious
lack of fitness, my mates in the race sat back and were able to slowly
creep through the bunch and pass me (I was spent far too early). They
said they didn't need to surge much as the back of the pack were a
little more spread in the corners (not as much argy-bargy going on).
All a learning experience.

Quoted message said:

After a hard ride, recovery ... 🙂

Well done for giving it a go.

Same time next week (if both the spirit and flesh are willing).

--
Bean

"I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it" Pink Floyd

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

Bean Long said:

Bleve said:

I don't know the course you're racing on so can't make
much more than a general suggestion though. Can you pop it on bikely
and show us the course?

Already done by my team captain:

http://tinyurl.com/y6ha77

short course, 4 x 90 degree turns. I'd expect you could do them pretty
quickly, if the surface is good and you can use all the road?

Quoted message said:

He's drawn it to the map rather than satellite image, so the western
straight should be on the road a little further west (the one that looks
like it's gravel!). That's a gentle incline which doesn't seem so
gentle by the time you've done a few laps at speed. It's left hand
turns (anti-clockwise) and the road is old and a bit rough in patches.

The teams can be across grades, hence him riding in C, others spread
over different grades. Sheesh... if he was so slow in D that he ended
up catching a passing C-grade bunch, he shouldn't be captain, let alone
still on the course! :-)

Quoted message said:

It's *sometimes* ok to let a gap open a bit before a corner to let you
ride smoothly through it rather than have to brake and accelerate, in
particular if the wheel in front is slowing more than you think they
need, if you can avoid having to surge it will save your energy.

I'll have to work on my pack position to minimise surging me thinks. It
was interesting that, despite the fact that I blew early from an obvious
lack of fitness, my mates in the race sat back and were able to slowly
creep through the bunch and pass me (I was spent far too early). They
said they didn't need to surge much as the back of the pack were a
little more spread in the corners (not as much argy-bargy going on).
All a learning experience.

Quoted message said:

After a hard ride, recovery ... 🙂

Well done for giving it a go.

Same time next week (if both the spirit and flesh are willing).

You'll get faster and your bunch skills will improve *if* you pay
attention and learn from what happens. By the sounds of it, you'll be
just fine.

Bleve said:

You'll get faster and your bunch skills will improve *if* you pay
attention and learn from what happens. By the sounds of it, you'll be
just fine.

Thanks for the pointers Bleve. I certainly hope to improve.

--
Bean

"I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it" Pink Floyd

Remove "yourfinger" before replying