Conservative Road Racing Strategy

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

After a few of my recent mediocre race results, I was reminded of the benefits of using a conservative strategy for road racing.  Looking at the results of the Morgul Bismark Road Race, it was apparent that almost all the strong riders eventually made it to the front of the race.  This isn’t surprising considering the difficult course, but the key is being able to go with the right move at the right time.

Luck is always part of making the right move, but you have to be fresh enough to physically go with it.  To have the freshness, conservation is important.  I think that often times bike racers have an aggressive strategy when it comes to making their own luck.  By this I mean that if a dangerous looking move goes up the road, they are more likely to try to go with it than to wait.

Racer’s egos probably feel better after a race if they went with a move that didn’t pan out, rather than staying in the peloton and watching the winning move ride away.  But is there really any difference?  Either way, the race is lost.

For a newer racer with reasonable fitness, it may be a decent strategy to go with every move.  Eventually they will get lucky and find the right group and a good result.  But after honing one’s race craft over the years by racing a lot, watching races, and knowing the competition, a conservative strategy may become more effective.

There is a racer on my team who frequently employs a conservative race strategy.  I’ve heard other teams sometimes call him ‘Magic’, because of his uncanny ability to hide out until precisely the right moment, when he appears in the winning move.  I’ve raced with him a fair bit, and I can attest to his conservative approach.

To give a specific example, I’ll use the recent Morgul Bismark course.  The Wall is a key point in the course and can split the peloton.  Take for example the peloton splitting in half on The Wall midway through the race.  Of course, there is a chance that half the field will be left behind.  But more likely, the riders in back at risk of being separated will organize to regroup.

Think of the motivations in a split peloton of an amateur race.  In the front, the riders are initially unaware who is in the front group, and possibly even that the field has split.  Teams are generally disorganized and unlikely to organize at the front to eliminate a few threats left in the chase group.

In the back half, few riders will want to see the front group ride away.  Freelancers (those not racing for team tactics) will absolutely want to chase back on.  Those racing for teams may want to chase back to help their teammates.  “Type A” racers will want to chase simply because they don’t want to be dropped.

Many racers finding themselves on the back half of a split will take the aggressive strategy and chase.  It is the natural instinct of the typical “Type A” bike racer.  They are ‘making their own luck’ by working to re-join the field, but in the process may be building up too much fatigue, so they can’t play a role later in the race.  Using a conservative strategy and patiently waiting for the others to chase back on is equally risky, but the payoff will be greater.

The next time a race is fracturing, rather than thinking “I need to make sure I make the front group, and will to work to make it happen”, try looking at the situation first.  Is it early in the race? (more fresh chasers thinking “I can’t get dropped in the first 10 minutes!”) – Are the groups equally sized? (a fair fight) – Are there still some strong racers around you? (there is more danger if all the strong riders are in the front group).

This post may be viewed as advocating for wheel sucking, I view it as a reminder that everyone in a bike race has different motivations and goals.  If you’re racing to win, there may be riders who “want to place in the top half this time” and will be perfectly happy to work to pin the race back together.  Think of your decisions in a race as not only as your own tactics working towards your own goals, but as making the tactics of those around you also work to your benefit.

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Superior Morgul – Road Race

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

This is one of the best races on the calendar.  It features a historic 13.5 mile loop which was used back in the days of the Coors Classic, the largest American stage race in the 80′s.  The defining feature of the course is “The Wall”.  The 1.4 mile climb ascends 325 feet, finishing with 1/4 mile at 12% grade.  The rest of the course features about four ‘rolling hills’/climbs which each ascend about 100 feet each.  We would be racing 6 laps, starting at the bottom of The Wall, for 7 totals ascents and about 85 miles of racing.

The Finish up "The Wall" - From announcer Larry Grossman

The Finish up “The Wall” – From announcer Larry Grossman

The course also features a few miles of completely closed roads including the finish, incredible views along the course and a natural amphitheater at the finish.  I’ve done well here the past few seasons, finishing in the top 10 last year.  This day, I was hoping to redeem myself after a mediocre showing in the previous races of the weekend’s omnium points competition.

The two strongest teams had the omnium locked up, with 8 of the top 10 riders representing Juwi Solar or Horizon Organic/Panache.  I knew their tactics would make the race, but I wasn’t sure specifically what to expect from them.  I had a hunch we would see little leash given to breakaways after I saw similar tactics used in the criterium the day before.

We rolled out with perfect weather and a few attacks went on the first climb up the wall.  I was content to wait and see what would transpire.  The pack was easily catching the early moves.  The first lap went pretty quickly and on our second ascent we were still all together.

I believe it was the third ascent when things really went off.  LeRoy Popowski had already been a major instigator in the early attacks.  He was the perfect card for Juwi to play.  He hadn’t raced all weekend and had no omnium points, is a strong rider, and loves the long bomb breakaway move.  He really hammered up The Wall, but was again caught at the bottom of the next climb, “The Feed Hill” (The old feed zone from the Coors Classic).

Undeterred, he remained on the front of the field and slowly accelerated away again.  A pair of riders from smaller teams jumped across, and nobody budged.  This was a good move that the field could be happy with.

But of course, nothing lasts forever.  In fact, it only took until the top of the course at the beginning of the 50+ mph descent of highway 93 a few miles later until a few guys decided they wanted part of the action in the break.  A few strong guys from Juwi attacked and once they made the junction, there were 3-4 Juwi guys in the break of half a dozen.  I figured they were doomed.  Horizon had a strong, numerous, and organized team and with no representation in the break, I thought I’d be riding the gravy train while they lined up at the front to chase.

I heard over my shoulder “Do we have anybody up there”? The reply “No.”.  And then one of Horizon’s strongest riders Jorge (pronounced George) Espinsoa launched to the front.  I figured he’d start the chase, but he flew past and was eventually the next to reach the break.

The next couple laps left us in tactical no-man’s land.  I wasn’t sure what Horizon was going to do.  They seemed like they had chased for a while, but couldn’t seem to control the group.  Riders were attacking here and there trying to get across, but the peloton seemed nervous to let any more riders go.

Following wheels up The Wall - by Donny Warbritton

Following wheels up The Wall – by Donny Warbritton

This was the point fatigue seemed to set in for many, including myself.  About the 4th time up the wall the remaining peloton split, and I was left in between.  I thought this was the move, so I gave my all to catch the front group.  We couldn’t close it and despite five minutes of hard work, were caught by the back group as we made the junction.  All back together again and nothing to show for it except a lot of fatigue.

This was also when the real chase group took off.  I was gassed from my bridge attempt and drifted to the back of the newly merged peloton.  I was way to far back to realize the pace had exploded at the front and I had to work my way back on.  I didn’t think I could hang for much longer, but I thought I could complete the remaining laps.

I’m not trying to make any excuses, but to explain my mindset in the race.  At this point I had resigned to try to hang on as long as I could.  I thought we had 1.5 laps to go at this point from the mileage on my wheel magnet computer.  It turns out it was occasionally doubling my speed (and thus, my mileage) and when we came up the wall through the finish, I saw the lap card taunting me, showing 2 laps left to race.

I finally got popped off on “The hump” (the riser preceeding “The Wall”) just before seeing 1 lap remaining.  I found a partner to finish the race with, and we rode easy and chatted to pass the time on the final lap.  I finished 35th out of about 60 starters.

I’ve got some thoughts about my strategy in this race which I’ll probably detail in an upcoming post.  Otherwise, there were a few other factors in my poor showing at this year’s race.  I went to my wife’s half marathon finish in the morning and spent a few hours on my feet after an early wake-up.  I’m not sure if it played a direct role, but I wasn’t as recovered as well as last year (2012 max HR 165 vs 171).  And I’ve heard from a few sources the race was harder (My teammate recorded higher wattages on each ascent of the wall, and the winning time was 20 minutes faster).

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Superior Morgul – Summit Criterium

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

This is one of my favorite criterium courses of the season.  It is a hard race with a solid hill, lots of turns, and a high speed corner.  I’ve got a good history here, winning the Cat 3 race in 2010 in a solo break, and placing 7th from the winning break in 2011.  I was hoping to redeem myself in this year’s race and get some more points towards the weekend’s omnium.

Note: This weekend’s race is in Omnium Format.   It is similar to a stage race, but instead of accumulated time, it is scored by points earned by finishing position.  Here is the points table for the Suprior Morgul Omnium:

Last year the weekend only featured two races, the criterium and the road race.  This left an empty slate at the start of the crit.  This year the omnium points had already been established by the previous day’s TT.  I should have thought more about how the team’s tactics might affect the race.  Instead, I figured a breakaway would form as in past years.

The race started at a wicked pace.  Usually I can choose my position in the field during criteriums, and it is only a matter of deciding where to ride and when to move up.  Today’s race was so fast that I was just trying my best to hang on, and whenever I had the chance to move up I seemed to be making minimal forward progress.

Superior Morgul Summit Criterium 2012 Course Map

Superior Morgul Summit Criterium 2012 Course Map

I think it was partly due to the wind conditions on the course, with a light wind blowing from the north.  The last corner on the course was downhill and northward into the head wind.  Riders in front would lose a little speed heading into the corner while the sheltered riders behind would keep accelerating down the hill.  The riders behind would have to brake, causing a significant accordion effect around the corner, which was followed by an uphill, cross-tailwind climb along the home stretch.

The was the perfect recipe to put riders at the back under serious pressure as gaps formed around the last turn.  The furious pace caused many riders to be dropped in the opening laps of the race.  After about 15 minutes, we were already passing large groups of a half dozen lapped riders at at time.  I was hurting a bit myself, but hoped that the tired field would let a break go if it had the right composition.  With only a single omnium point, I had an opportunity to get away so I went with a few moves.

Bunching up into the final corner - Shotwilliam Photo

Bunching up into the final corner – Shotwilliam Photo

The headwind on the downhill seemed to contribute to the demise of the breakaway attempts.  Additionally, there were two very strong teams with large numbers of riders, Juwi Solar and Horizon Organic/Panache.  I’m not sure if Horizon was under orders to shut down the breakaways, but it seemed that the two teams were never satisfied with the breakaways and they were always chased down by one of the strong teams.

Towards the second half of the race I was starting to suffer a bit from the speeds and my previous efforts.  The situation at the back had eased with many fewer riders in the peloton, so I surfed the field for a while, riding where it was convenient to conserve energy.  I had my computer set to time-of-day to keep track of how long was left to race, but I had to ‘calculate’ when how long to the finish from our start time for the 75 minute race.

I started to really get knackered and was having trouble keeping everything together.  My back hurt, my arms hurt, and my hands hurt.  I couldn’t see as much as I wanted to through my sweat streaked glasses.  I didn’t have time to drink, and I wasn’t positioned where I would have liked.  I thought we still had 10-15 minutes to race.  As we passed the finish, I saw the lap counter: Two laps to go…

Photo thanks to Donny Warbritton via Facebook

Photo thanks to Donny Warbritton via Facebook

Damn!  I totally blew it.  Yes, I was tired, but I wasn’t paying enough attention to a very important piece of information in the race.  I was now positioned too far back and couldn’t make up any ground.  Horizon had all their guys amassed at the front setting up a furious leadout, and I would have to ride faster than them to make forward progress.

I did what I could but I didn’t make it very far.  I probably finished about 30th of the 70 or so starters.  The omnium points went 20 deep, so I likely didn’t get any.  The character of the race was much different than I expected, but I should have realized the tactics would be different with protected riders and large, strong teams.  The race had a 5% faster average speed than last year! (27.16 mph vs 25.77).

Tomorrow I’m not sure what to expect.  I’ll spend some time tonight thinking about possibilities and hopefully omnium standings will be published.  I’ll also have to chat with the team about how we’d like to approach things.  I know Juwi and Horizon will be at each other’s throats for the overall, but I need to figure out how to make that work for me.

The Road Race is weighted heavily in the omnium points, with more than double the points going to the road race winner versus the time trial.  I suspect the leader’s teams will be nervous to let a large break up the road because it may diminish the points available at the finish if the breakaway stays.  Either way, I know it will be a very hard 3.5 hours of racing.


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Morgul TT + Housekeeping

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

There isn’t much to say about the TT since I already posted a preview, so I’ll be brief.

I rode out to the race and was buffeted by wind and light rain.  There was a afternoon storm cell rolling through, and winds were gusty and variable, coming from all directions.  By race time the winds were subsiding somewhat.  This was good except I think racers that started a few minutes after me got a lot less headwind.  This sentiment was echoed by Robin Eckmann, who has been winning a few local races and started a few minutes ahead of me.  Some starters were up to 15 minutes later.

In fact, the starters were numbered alphabetically #1-55.  I was #15.  There were no riders under #30 in the top 10, and the average bib of the top ten finishers was #45.  I think it is safe to say that I had some bad luck with the wind conditions.  There were also a few reasons I didn’t have a perfect race; small things, but they can add up.

The course changed from climbing to flat to descending every few minutes and I felt like I was having trouble finding a rhythm.  I also had a bit of diaphragm discomfort.  This could either be from a lower position, or simply riding my bike really hard during the short effort.  I also was at work the last two days, and sometimes it is best to have ridden more recently before such a hard effort.

I did pass two riders, even though I was started 10 seconds late.  There was confusion at the start house because there was no rider #14 ahead of me.  I’m hoping the results reflect this and the timing chip and/or officials took care of it.  I didn’t time myself, so I don’t have any way to verify it, so I’ll just have to trust the system.  Also, the finish was a little sooner than I expected (I should have looked up at the top of the last hill), and I should have pushed harder down the final gentle descent.  Lastly, I believe the headwind conditions favored a disc, since the relative wind speeds were higher, and this emphasized the flats over the hills.

I didn’t ride with any telemetry.  No speed, HR, power… nothing.  I’ve done this in the past and performed well, but it is a bummer not to have any data when my result wasn’t great.  As I said in my tweet, I felt good, but not great, during the TT.  I finished 12th position in a large, strong field, so I’m still reasonably satisfied.  I also earned a single Omnium point for the weekend.  Better than nothing.

Housekeeping

I was invited to try a beta WordPress advertising program a few months ago, and I got an email that the ads went live today.  I’m still not sure if I like them or not, and I’ll also have to wait and see how much revenue they generate so I can see if there is much benefit.

There is some (small) cost associated with the blog itself.  There is domain registration and a few wordpress fees (for custom layout, etc) that come to perhaps $50 per year.  I also buy a few more photos from races than I would if I were buying them only for myself.  During the racing season I probably buy $40 per month worth of photos to keep the blog fun to look at and to support local photographers.

Please vote in the poll, or feel free to comment if you have any thoughts.  I’ve considered having a paypal donation link to support the blog, and even my racing habits, as well.  Please let me know what you think about this.

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Superior Morgul Time Trial Preview

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

I’ve gotten a few questions about the Morgul TT coming up this Friday and since I was just out to preview the course myself, I’ll post my thoughts here.  But first I want to talk about what I’m really excited about: My new time trial bike.

For those of you who have been reading the blog for a while, the TT has been a multi-year project of mine.  There is a lot more to a good TT than legs alone.  I’ve been putting a lot of work into practice, position, equipment and training.  Now I have one of the most important pieces of the puzzle, a proper TT bike.  I’ll probably have an upcoming post with details, but here is a picture from my ride of the Morgul TT course yesterday:

Taking the new bike for a shakedown

Taking the new bike for a shakedown

Equipment

My mention of my TT bike is not only pertinent due to its new arrival, but I’ve been asked what bike to race on the hilly course.  While “The Wall” features grades of up to 12%, the average grade of the 1.4 mile climb is only just over 4%.  The other major climb (The feed hill, or Hump 2) is similar grade, but only 0.7 miles.  This makes for 2 miles of “climbing” at only 4% over the 6.55 mile course.

Not enough numbers for you?  Using my favorite site, the Bike Calculator, and my data from Strava, my climb up the wall for my shakedown took 5:05 at 375 watts.  My new bike has improved positioning and I can climb while standing at full power without knee interference.  Lets assume the same power is produced out of the aerobars on the TT bike while climbing, and it weighs 3 lbs more than the road bike, like mine.  According to the bike calculator, the 3 lb difference will only save 3 seconds up The Wall.

On the final gentle descent toward the finish (-3.3% grade over 1 mile), soft pedaling at 250w in the drops, the road bike will go 36 mph.  The TT bike will go a whopping 40 mph, saving 10 seconds on this mile of the course.  Considering the course is only 33% climbing, and the gains on the rest of the course far outweigh the weight penalty, the course is still well suited to a TT bike.

The only change I’ll be making is using standard gearing (see below) and I’ll also not be using a disc wheel.  I’d rather have the snappy feel and lower weight of a ‘standard’ aero rear wheel, and the average speeds will be slow enough that a disc will probably not be a huge benefit.

Course Profile and Generic “Variable Pacing Strategy”

I mentioned above the course is 33% climbing, but this is by distance.  More importantly is by time.  Below is the course elevation profile by distance, and then by time during my ride:

First, the climbs are ‘longer’ when viewed by time.  Also notice how the gradient fluctuations are smoothed when viewed by time.  At slower speeds when wind resistance is less of a factor, constant power yields constant vertical ascent, although speed varies with the gradient.  At high speeds, the 1:1 ratio of power to ascent breaks down as the wind pushes against the rider.

What does this mean for pacing?  You’ll gain the most by pushing hardest when the road is steepest.  When you’re riding against less wind on the steep sections, each watt is used to bring you closer to the finish.  On the flats, more power gives proportionally less speed and more watts are wasted pushing against the wind.  This basic ‘variable pacing strategy’ is very effective on any course, but I’ll give my opinion on how it effects this course.

Race Plan

Assuming the course starts exactly where indicated just after Rock Creek Parkway, it will be important to get up to speed, but not overdo the first gentle climb.  If you cook your legs off the start, you’ll pay for it later.  Get up to top speed on the descent and coast.  I’ll be riding a 53×11 and will be nearly spun out.  The extra effort will only result in tiny gains here.  Get low, coast, and save yourself for the climbs.

I’ll be riding The Wall at 90% max effort.  I’ll be riding quite hard up the steepest section, but keeping some power in reserve.  The mile or so of false flat after The Wall could be an easy place to lose a lot of time if you’ve overcooked the climb and can’t hold a high speed.  Again, get up to speed and rest on the descent.

The second climb has another long, false summit.  I’d suggest to view the true summit of this climb as the finish line.  After getting back up to speed, you’ll be able to soft pedal the descent, and hopefully be ready to attack the final minute and a half to the finish.

Good Luck to those racing.  For those not racing, feel free to come watch the TT, or any of the other races this weekend.  The races are all very festive and great for spectating.  I’ll be headed up The Wall at 4:10PM Friday.  Saturday I’ll be racing the Criterium starting at 2pm at Coalton and Rock Creek Parkway.  Sunday will feature six laps of the Morgul-Bizmarck loop starting at 11:20, and finishing on The Wall around 2:45PM.

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Wheels of Thunder

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

First, I’d like to apologize for the slow week on the blog.  Sometimes I write a mid-week post that isn’t fit for publishing.  That’s what happened this week.  After putting some time in and nothing to show for it, I often won’t have time to start over.  I also had a busy and productive week of training, 10 hours, 195 miles, and my highest weekly TSS this season of 725.

Wheels of Thunder is another race that has been on the calendar for some time.  I was looking forward to it’s relatively safe course and wide roads despite the forecast for rain.  The prize money is also decent, and I figure it is about time I open my 2012 prize money account.  The weather had improved significantly on race day, and I arrived to overcast skies and temperatures in the 50′s.

Wheels of Thunder 2012 course map

Wheels of Thunder 2012 course map

The criterium is an “office park crit” minus the offices. The roads are wide, and the race only has three corners. Turn 1 is moderate speed after the start/finish straight and has a chokepoint where it narrows around a traffic island.  Turn 2 is low speed at the top of the hill.  Turn 3 is high speed, but with very wide roads.

The climb on S Potomac is one of the defining features of the course.  However, as it is the only feature on the otherwise non-technical 1.6 mile loop, it isn’t quite enough to make this a ‘criterium with a hill’ that breaks up the field.  Instead, the course is known for frequent sprint finishes.

Not to sound like a broken record from my last few race reports, but I’ll say it again: Headwind downhill = Break killer.  It might not be entirely clear from my wind direction map above, but there was a solid headwind component on the descent, and even a slight headwind on the run in to the finish.

At the start I knew the race would be fast.  We would race one hour and there would be seven $100 primes.  With the longer course, the seven prime sprints would be contested over only 18 laps.  We rolled out and the attacking started pretty much right away.

Why attack when a field sprint seems inevitable? Somebody has to!  The race is an hour long, not a set distance.  There is no reason to ride fast unless there is someone to chase.  Any riders not suited to a sprint will be sure to do everything in their power to get away from the field.  Also, teams are interested in getting a rider into the break so they don’t have to do any work at the front to chase them down.

Constant attacking is part of elite amateur racing.  The distances are shorter than large pro races, so the racing is more aggressive.  Also, the teams in a race are generally smaller and less organized, so they’re less likely to be able to muster a massive chase effort.  If you’ve got 15 minutes to spare, check out this video of the local 2012 Koppenberg Circuit Race.  You’ll notice a constant re-shuffling of the cards in short lived breakaways, until finally a group gets away near the finish.

I sat in completely the first 22 minutes of the race.  I expected a field sprint and everything that I saw was reinforcing the idea.  Breaks of strong riders would quickly be reeled in, and nobody stayed away for more than a lap or so.  My heart rate data shows that in this type of race, you choose how hard to ride, and tactics are very important.

My three breakaway attempts should be obvious

My three breakaway attempts should be obvious

When I’m riding in the peloton, I’m always watching for a good moment to attack.  If I’m trying to conserve, I can anticipate when someone is going to attack, and be prepared to latch on to someone’s wheel for a free ride to stay at the front.  Sometimes when I see an opportunity nobody is taking, I feel the need to take it myself.

My first move I took on a whim.  I was at the back of the 50 rider peloton approaching the bottom of the course and the 90 degree bend.  The crosswind was blowing into the right gutter, but the bunch was riding in the middle of the road and I could see the riders at the front just beginning to ease after catching a small move.  I gunned it up the right gutter, accelerating alongside the long line of riders.  I was hoping to draw a few riders out along with me.

I came into the corner even with the leaders, but carrying a lot more speed.  I was off alone, which I knew wouldn’t work, but I persisted hoping someone might bridge.  As I crossed the finish, the prime bell rung and I knew this was my chance to try.  I rode my eyeballs out, but was caught at the crest of the hill back to the finish at 200m to go.

A few laps later my teammate Dirk rolled past and let me knew he wanted to try again with me.  I hopped on his wheel and we were off with another Juwi rider.  Unfortunately the Juwi rider was unwilling or unable to work, and despite our efforts, we were again brought back in just over a lap.

I probably wasn’t the only one resigned to a field sprint at 5 laps to go, which is precisely why that was when the most dangerous break of the day went.  It was a little bigger than most of the 2-3 rider moves let go earlier and had a few strong guys, but most importantly, the pack let them go.  For the first time in the race, the pace really slowed down and nobody wanted to ride hard in the wind as the finish approached.

I sat in for two laps until Keith Harper launched a bridge move on the home straight.  I was too close to the front to feel like I could respond without bringing the enitire field up, so I waited.  A minute later on the climb I was still at the front, but hoped I could jump quickly enough, so I went and nobody came with me.  Keith had another rider with him, and I caught them on the rolling downhill, shouting “GO!” as I came by so they could match my speed.

The other rider quickly fell off the pace, and Keith and I worked for two laps to catch the break at the start/finish showing 1 lap to go.  We had 20 seconds and I knew it could be enough.  I was feeling strong and wanted to see what the break was made of.  I didn’t like my odds against six guys, so I attacked hard on the hill, but everyone was able to respond.

As we turned to the rolling descent, nobody wanted to ride in the wind.  I knew this was the critical moment.  The peloton would be screaming down the hill using their collective momentum to push against the wind.  We all knew we could be caught, but everyone in the break wanted to be the freshest for the finish.

We turned the 90 degree bend at the bottom of the course with a five second gap.  I knew it probably wasn’t enough, but I rode at the front as hard as I could.  We were swarmed at about 350m to go and I sat up to roll across 28th.  There was a crash just before the line and I was shocked to see Keith sitting dazed in the road.  I would later learn he had broken his collarbone, but has already had surgery and is on the mend.

Looking back, perhaps I shouldn’t have attacked the break.  I may have sown the seed of discord and reminded everyone to look out for themselves.  I also had only been riding with them for a minute or so, and perhaps they already weren’t working very well together, which may have played a role in Keith and I being able to bridge.

Another complex team tactic that may have played a role: teammates in the break and sprinters in the field.  Two teams had a rider in the break and strong sprinters in the field, finding their teams in a perfect position.  They could have their man in the break sit on the back; why worry about being caught if their sprinter is waiting behind, but if the break sticks, they could take the win for themselves.  This is what played out, with CalGiant and Juwi both with guys in the break and taking 1-2 in the field sprint.

 

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Deer Trail Road Race Pt 2 – Advanced Breakaway Strategy

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

Our newly formed break was driving down the eastbound leg of the course.  We were working well together to establish our advantage.  Our first task was to stay clear of the riders feeling left out in the peloton.  Potentially, if the peloton was organized enough, it could be harder for us to build an advantage riding dowhnill into a headwind.  Here is a refresher of the course profile of the east/west lap we would ride three times in the breakaway group:

Deer Trail 2012 Long Course

Deer Trail 2012 Long Course

In a very strong crosswind, perhaps only 5-6 riders could fit across the narrow lane at deer trail, but this day the wind was moderate.  With plenty of riders able to fit into a rotating paceline, the peloton could organize a strong chase using double the riders in our breakaway group.  In headwind conditions, especially downhill, the sheltered riders can coast along, while the riders at the front push hard for a few seconds to keep the speed up.  A small group can be at a disadvantage because they lose their momentum pushing into the wind more quickly.  Luckily our group of eight was big and strong enough to build just over a minute by the second turnaround (#2 above).

The turnarounds in this race also can play into the psychology of the race.  The moto gave us our first time check after the second turnaround as a minute and a half, but the peloton seemed very close, and very real as we passed by them in the oncoming lane.

We had a very strong group comprised of some of the strongest riders in the race.  I’ve now been racing with these guys long enough that I’m starting to learn their strengths, and attacking styles, which informed my strategy.  Kevin Selker (Tokyo Joe’s -Whole Foods/Primal) and Nick Traggis (Horizon Organic/Panache) are both sprinters.  To make matters worse, Nick was the only rider with a teammate in the break: Brad Bingham, who was been tearing up the weekday training crits.  My semi-nemesis from last season Rory Kelly (GS Boulder/The Trek Store), more of an all-rounder like myself, was present.  As was Yannick Eckmann (California Giant Cycling), who is a very young and very exceptional cyclocross racer, but I was unsure what to expect of him on the road.

We also had two riders who were ‘dead weight’.  The course features constant rolling hills, a few of which require the small chainring.  This puts pressure on everyone, especically the weaker riders.  On the return leg, someone suggested putting some extra pressure on them and we increased the pace.

I started to think about how the race was going to play out.  I knew we were gone for good.  The entire race now consisted of eight riders (with two lagging).  What would I do if this was the entire race?  I attacked.  Not only did they let me go, someone shouted “Seriously!?” as I took off.  Nobody responded.  I had broken an unwritten rule and attacked far too early.  There are too phases in the breakaway: building the advantage, and later infighting for the win.  Attacking too early diminishes the chances of success of everyone in the break, although I was pretty sure our chances were 100%.

The Rolling Hills and Wind Exposure at the Deer Trail Road Race

The Rolling Hills and Wind Exposure at the Deer Trail Road Race

I quickly built a gap and settled down after the turn around.  For one, nobody had responded like I expected.  And for another, I was now riding alone, downhill into a headwind.  I was watching carefully over my shoulder to see how the group would respond.  I hoped to seem them attacking each other and/or riding themselves into the gutter.  Instead I saw five guys that had been working together well for a half hour continuing to do so.

I sat up.  I still wonder what may have happened if I had stuck with it.  We had about 25 miles left to race; about an hour.  It would have been an attack of Boonen-esque or Cancellara-esque proportions, but it was obvious they all though “let him go”.  In hindsight, I should have attacked at the beginning of thenext tailwind section.  That would be a long way from the finish (~20 miles), but I could have used the long distance to suit my abilities, and the initial uphill/cross-tailwind to reduce the advantage of the group.  I would have only had one downhill/cross-headwind section to ride alone…

I was re-absorbed and we continued rolling turns, after a few more snarky comments from the guys (“You have to piss or something?”, suggesting I need to rush ahead for a moment).  We continued to roll turns, but were now riding only a moderate pace, with the pack far out of sight.  Our next time check at the fourth turn-around was two and half minutes, still increasing despite not really trying.

We continued to smoothly roll turns.  I made sure to eat and drink as much as possible.  This was to be a pretty short race, but I wanted to top up and have time to digest before the finish.  I also made sure to ride behind a large rider for a touch more draft.  Nick and Brad, the teammates, were riding together in the rotation.  As the finish was approaching, we still had one of the tired riders in the group.  I really didn’t want to find myself behind him when the first attack went, as he likely would leave me with more ground to cover to regain contact with the group.

I knew I was likely the best time trialist in the group, so I wanted to go as early as possible.  I knew I was not the best sprinter in the group, so I wasn’t interested in a sprint.  This is where some of my goals have changed since last year.  Last year I was happy to race for the ‘highest place’ possible, partly for upgrade points.  This year I want to put more on the line.  I was racing to WIN.

I didn’t want to attack with too much downhill/headwind remaining, as the group would have a large advantage chasing.  This left me with the last 8k to the finish, but was too obvious, so I went as we climbed one of the rollers before the turn around.  I was the first to attack, dropping ever so slightly off the back as my turn came around, and then launching up the right (sheltered) side at the bottom of the roller, so I had the most speed and the longest time with a neutralized wind scenario.

I also rode right in the gutter to make sure nobody would get any help from my draft.  The wind wasn’t super-strong, and unfortunately it felt like there was still as smidgen of draft even when everyone was guttered.  The hill also wasn’t quite long enough and they started to come back more quickly as I headed back downhill.  Brad put the race back together, and then he and Nick set about utilizing a team tactic:  Brad rode far enough out of the gutter that only Nick could fit in is draft, leaving the three others without respite.  As we reached the turn around Brad was dropped leaving five of us with four miles to go and a four minute gap to the peloton.

My memory is a tad fuzzy, but I don’t believe Yannick or Kevin ever attacked, as they were waiting for the sprint.  I went once more but couldn’t gain much traction.  Rory attacked up the steepest section of the last roller, which set me up perfectly to counter.  My legs burned but I knew it was now or never so I went again.  It wasn’t enough.  The elastic just wouldn’t snap.  I was on the front after my counter as we passed 1k to go.  The road was now featureless, dead flat and dead straight to the finish.

I actually think a crosswind sprint is a bit unheard of in big pro races.  The finish is generally in a town with buildings, and at least finishing barriers.  We had an exposed road with the wind blowing towards the centerline, but with the moto and finishline officials watching intently, I hoped they would be very strict with the rules.  Again, hindsight but I wish I had gone earlier, but I waited to go until about 600m, from the front.

I jumped and dove into the centerline.  I rode as hard as I could and focused on riding as close as I could to the paint.  I glanced between my legs and could see Kevin (I think), but he wasn’t directly on my wheel.  If I could keep some sort of gap, he wouldn’t be getting the benefit of the draft with the crosswind, and perhaps I could burn the sprinters out with a long run to the finish.  I held on until about 100 meters to go when the sprint opened up behind me and everyone came around.

I finished 5th.  I had very good legs for the race and did the smartest thing I could think of at the time to use my strengths.  I could have been a touch smarter, but I think in the end the wind conditions suited the sprinters in our group.  Either way, it is my best result this season and I’m happy to see things progressing well.

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