A good article from a very reputable source, ex pro Michael Carter, on basic racing tactics.
Reprinted with permission from http://www.xinqiwen.com
Coach: How to use Tactics to Win races
Why are tactics important in your racing? Here are some basic examples of how they assist, and how they will help you improve as a racer!
There is a lot more to Bike racing than just being the strongest or fittest rider. Yes, you do need to be in good condition to be competitive in the races, but you also need to know how to use your conditioning in order to win. It is not always the strongest rider that wins - but the smartest!
There are a number of tactics you can employ in a race that will put your conditioning to the best use and make sure you get your best results. After reading many books on the subject, we will start by covering a few basic tactics to help you gain your best results in races.
Drafting, lead-outs, attacking, working in the breakaway, and sitting in are all tactics that you want to utilize. Before you can use them though, you need to recognize when and where to use them in the race.
A tactic is defined as “an action or strategy designed to achieve a specific end.” The “end” we are referring to in this article is winning a race! You want to be able to know what to do, and when to do it in a race in order to be successful. Tactics are the actions that you take in the race to achieve those wins.
When a rider is on the front and breaking the wind, the riders behind that lead rider can conserve their energy by 'drafting'. Drafting allows the riders in the draft or slipstream to use as much as 30% less energy than that lead rider.
There is a time to be on the front and do 30% more work by breaking the wind as a lead rider, and there are times when you do not want to spend or waste the energy on the front. Many times, riders will want to force the pace and try to make the race harder for their adversaries. Riders need to be careful though - if the other riders are on your wheel they are working 30% less than you!
You should be on the front when you are deliberately protecting one of your teammates so they can conserve their energy for a more crucial moment in the race, or when you are chasing down a breakaway or another rider. Typically, you do not want to do this by yourself – you want to have help from your team mates or, from other riders in the race that have the same interests as you or your team. However, if you find yourself in a break, you will have to ride at the front, but we will cover that in a later article.
There is also the “lead-out,” where you want to be on the front, setting up for the final sprint.
The “lead-out” or “train” as it is commonly referred to, is what a team wants to do for their designated sprinter. The idea behind the “train” is to make the pace fast enough that no one can attack. This is used when you know you have a sprinter who no one can beat! Depending on the race, the team organises itself anywhere from 10 K to 3 K from the finish line and each teammate takes a turn pulling (riding on the front) at a pace that strings the field out. The protected rider or sprinter, sits on the back of the team and conserves energy, creating a kind of “train.” Each teammate pulls as hard as they can until they can no longer maintain their speed then pulls off away from the front, allowing the next teammate to do the same. The idea is to create a speed that is very fast and time your riders such that the last team mate will be able to lead out the sprinter until 100 -200 meters to go. Then the sprinter takes over and wins!
Attacking, or making a massive effort to get away from the field requires a tremendous amount of energy and should only be done when the effort will have the most impact on the outcome of the race and you benefit!
When do you attack? Attack when it is least expected. The “element of surprise” can intimidate and even paralyze any efforts to bring you back, or chase you down! Attack when your adversaries are tired or vulnerable, and when you are at that a point on the course that plays to your strengths. If you are a climber, attack on the climb and on the steepest part of the climb. If you are an “all arounder,” then watch for weakness in your competitors. If you are a sprinter, you follow the wheels and conserve. Sit on and let someone else “burn their matches” and use their efforts to deliver you to the finish line. If you are not a sprinter and you have a sprinter in the break or field with you, then you need to attack early and often enough to make the sprinter(s) use up all their valuable energy so that when they come to the last 300 meters or less, they have nothing left and you can take advantage of their fatigue. In short, you as a rider need to determine your strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage
The most important thing to remember is that you want to first, be in the best possible condition so that you can execute these strategies. You want to be able to create or play off of opportunities that play to your strengths. If you are on a team, you need to determine who the best rider is and who will ride on the front, breaking the wind sacrificing themselves to protect the other team mates. You want to establish whether or not setting up a “train” is necessary in the final kilometers. You want to be able to recognize when and where to attack. You have to be both fit and smart to win bike races! Sometimes, luck does help, but you are much better off if you know what to do, and when to do it.
Practive makes perfect - The Leadout drill
You will need approximately 4 riders and a safe and clear section or road about 4km long. Treat these like a team time trial with a sprint at the end. First, select who your sprinter is, and you can then set the 'leadout' order. The first rider in the order should be the one who has the best endurance as they will make the longest effort of 1 to 1.5 km. The first rider has the best endurance but is not as fast as rider #2, rider #2 is not as fast as rider #3, and rider #3 is not as fast as rider #4 - your sprinter!
After a warmup, start the effort 5 km from a designated finish like and line up, in the pre-determined order. The first rider goes as hard as he can consistently go for 1.75 km building up to a speed where can can't go any faster for the last 200 meters, he then pulls off and allows the next riders to come through as hard as he can, pulling through SMOOTHLY. The next rider pulls for about 1.25 km, then pulls completely off smoothly for the 3rd rider who pulls through SMOOTHLY, and over the next 1,000 meters, builds to his max speed. Once the third rider pulls off the llast rider pulls 700 meters as hard as he possibly can (ensuring he doesn't drop the sprinter) and pulls off with about 250 - 300 meters to go. Then the sprinter goes for it!
The best way to do this is on a course of 1 K long so the pull off points can be more easily noted - or, everyone has a computer so they can note the distances they are pulling.
Practice makes perfect - Sitting in and conserving energy
This is basic, but can give you huge improvements in the efficiency of your riding. The most "protected" place to be is in the middle of the field in a race. By "protected," I mean out of the wind. If you are on the sides of the field, you are not getting the full benefits of the draft created by the field. If you are on the outside, the winds from your exposed sides will effect you more than if you have riders all around you. The VERY best spots are in the first 2 rows of the peloton. That way, there are not too many riders in front if you and that reduces the potential of any crashes - the more riders in front of you, the more potential for a crash to occur. Unfortunately up to 100 other riders may be trying to occupy this same spot!
You want to adjust your position relative to those around you gently and calmly. NEVER be erratic and never panic! That causes crashes! Feather your brakes if he riders in front slow down, relax your upper body, and focus on the wheel right in front of you. Try not to overlap your front wheel with that back wheel of the rider in front of you. Sometimes, you want to slide your front wheel in between the two back wheels of the riders in front of you so as to hold position.
Again, never panic, never be erratic! Relax and let your self get sucked along!
Michael Carter is an Assistant Director Sportif with Team Type 1 and has extensive coaching and racing experience including time with Rock Racing, Team Marco Polo and finishes in the Tour de France, The Vuelta Espana and the Giro d'Italia. Michael writes regular coaching features for http://www.xinqiwen.com
Reprinted with permission of http://www.xinqiwen.com
Reprinted with permission from http://www.xinqiwen.com
Coach: How to use Tactics to Win races
Why are tactics important in your racing? Here are some basic examples of how they assist, and how they will help you improve as a racer!
There is a lot more to Bike racing than just being the strongest or fittest rider. Yes, you do need to be in good condition to be competitive in the races, but you also need to know how to use your conditioning in order to win. It is not always the strongest rider that wins - but the smartest!
There are a number of tactics you can employ in a race that will put your conditioning to the best use and make sure you get your best results. After reading many books on the subject, we will start by covering a few basic tactics to help you gain your best results in races.
Drafting, lead-outs, attacking, working in the breakaway, and sitting in are all tactics that you want to utilize. Before you can use them though, you need to recognize when and where to use them in the race.
A tactic is defined as “an action or strategy designed to achieve a specific end.” The “end” we are referring to in this article is winning a race! You want to be able to know what to do, and when to do it in a race in order to be successful. Tactics are the actions that you take in the race to achieve those wins.
When a rider is on the front and breaking the wind, the riders behind that lead rider can conserve their energy by 'drafting'. Drafting allows the riders in the draft or slipstream to use as much as 30% less energy than that lead rider.
There is a time to be on the front and do 30% more work by breaking the wind as a lead rider, and there are times when you do not want to spend or waste the energy on the front. Many times, riders will want to force the pace and try to make the race harder for their adversaries. Riders need to be careful though - if the other riders are on your wheel they are working 30% less than you!
You should be on the front when you are deliberately protecting one of your teammates so they can conserve their energy for a more crucial moment in the race, or when you are chasing down a breakaway or another rider. Typically, you do not want to do this by yourself – you want to have help from your team mates or, from other riders in the race that have the same interests as you or your team. However, if you find yourself in a break, you will have to ride at the front, but we will cover that in a later article.
There is also the “lead-out,” where you want to be on the front, setting up for the final sprint.
The “lead-out” or “train” as it is commonly referred to, is what a team wants to do for their designated sprinter. The idea behind the “train” is to make the pace fast enough that no one can attack. This is used when you know you have a sprinter who no one can beat! Depending on the race, the team organises itself anywhere from 10 K to 3 K from the finish line and each teammate takes a turn pulling (riding on the front) at a pace that strings the field out. The protected rider or sprinter, sits on the back of the team and conserves energy, creating a kind of “train.” Each teammate pulls as hard as they can until they can no longer maintain their speed then pulls off away from the front, allowing the next teammate to do the same. The idea is to create a speed that is very fast and time your riders such that the last team mate will be able to lead out the sprinter until 100 -200 meters to go. Then the sprinter takes over and wins!
Attacking, or making a massive effort to get away from the field requires a tremendous amount of energy and should only be done when the effort will have the most impact on the outcome of the race and you benefit!
When do you attack? Attack when it is least expected. The “element of surprise” can intimidate and even paralyze any efforts to bring you back, or chase you down! Attack when your adversaries are tired or vulnerable, and when you are at that a point on the course that plays to your strengths. If you are a climber, attack on the climb and on the steepest part of the climb. If you are an “all arounder,” then watch for weakness in your competitors. If you are a sprinter, you follow the wheels and conserve. Sit on and let someone else “burn their matches” and use their efforts to deliver you to the finish line. If you are not a sprinter and you have a sprinter in the break or field with you, then you need to attack early and often enough to make the sprinter(s) use up all their valuable energy so that when they come to the last 300 meters or less, they have nothing left and you can take advantage of their fatigue. In short, you as a rider need to determine your strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage
The most important thing to remember is that you want to first, be in the best possible condition so that you can execute these strategies. You want to be able to create or play off of opportunities that play to your strengths. If you are on a team, you need to determine who the best rider is and who will ride on the front, breaking the wind sacrificing themselves to protect the other team mates. You want to establish whether or not setting up a “train” is necessary in the final kilometers. You want to be able to recognize when and where to attack. You have to be both fit and smart to win bike races! Sometimes, luck does help, but you are much better off if you know what to do, and when to do it.
Practive makes perfect - The Leadout drill
You will need approximately 4 riders and a safe and clear section or road about 4km long. Treat these like a team time trial with a sprint at the end. First, select who your sprinter is, and you can then set the 'leadout' order. The first rider in the order should be the one who has the best endurance as they will make the longest effort of 1 to 1.5 km. The first rider has the best endurance but is not as fast as rider #2, rider #2 is not as fast as rider #3, and rider #3 is not as fast as rider #4 - your sprinter!
After a warmup, start the effort 5 km from a designated finish like and line up, in the pre-determined order. The first rider goes as hard as he can consistently go for 1.75 km building up to a speed where can can't go any faster for the last 200 meters, he then pulls off and allows the next riders to come through as hard as he can, pulling through SMOOTHLY. The next rider pulls for about 1.25 km, then pulls completely off smoothly for the 3rd rider who pulls through SMOOTHLY, and over the next 1,000 meters, builds to his max speed. Once the third rider pulls off the llast rider pulls 700 meters as hard as he possibly can (ensuring he doesn't drop the sprinter) and pulls off with about 250 - 300 meters to go. Then the sprinter goes for it!
The best way to do this is on a course of 1 K long so the pull off points can be more easily noted - or, everyone has a computer so they can note the distances they are pulling.
Practice makes perfect - Sitting in and conserving energy
This is basic, but can give you huge improvements in the efficiency of your riding. The most "protected" place to be is in the middle of the field in a race. By "protected," I mean out of the wind. If you are on the sides of the field, you are not getting the full benefits of the draft created by the field. If you are on the outside, the winds from your exposed sides will effect you more than if you have riders all around you. The VERY best spots are in the first 2 rows of the peloton. That way, there are not too many riders in front if you and that reduces the potential of any crashes - the more riders in front of you, the more potential for a crash to occur. Unfortunately up to 100 other riders may be trying to occupy this same spot!
You want to adjust your position relative to those around you gently and calmly. NEVER be erratic and never panic! That causes crashes! Feather your brakes if he riders in front slow down, relax your upper body, and focus on the wheel right in front of you. Try not to overlap your front wheel with that back wheel of the rider in front of you. Sometimes, you want to slide your front wheel in between the two back wheels of the riders in front of you so as to hold position.
Again, never panic, never be erratic! Relax and let your self get sucked along!
Michael Carter is an Assistant Director Sportif with Team Type 1 and has extensive coaching and racing experience including time with Rock Racing, Team Marco Polo and finishes in the Tour de France, The Vuelta Espana and the Giro d'Italia. Michael writes regular coaching features for http://www.xinqiwen.com
Reprinted with permission of http://www.xinqiwen.com
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