Tips for Racing a Points Race

Woofer

That was a great improvement. Points races can be very confusing at times, even without the other group warming up behind you.

tobu

Couple of notes watching you guys race --

1) Don't be afraid to ride and advance at the bottom of the when you are going slow. There's no reason to ride at the stayer's line (black) when not much is happening.

2) Don't be afraid to be aggressive and attack. If you watch the A's, they're full gun for the 100 laps. As soon as a break is caught, someone else will throw it down.

3) During the points sprints, most riders are coming from too far back. It depends on your speed and style, but you probably don't want to be worse than 2nd or 3rd coming out of turn 2. Punch it and try to make your pass on the back straight.

4) It's hard to even be in contention for a points sprint if you are wrong wheel. Figure out who's going forwards and who's going backwards every time there is a sprint. Remember, you have to be in position before the bell so the real fight takes place on the lap before (or more if its fast) and the contenders really show their cards on the home straight as they ring the bell... Also figure out which Los Gatos rider is working for whom...

5) I've also noticed that the riders who are leading it out are going way too early to win the sprints themselves. One tactic from the lead out position is to take the pole at the bell, "float it" (fast but not all out) through turns 1 and 2, and then open the throttle on the back straight. You have to give it enough throttle to keep the other riders behind you or at least on your hip. I like to just punch it coming out of turn two. Other riders like to open up the throttle gradually, often even starting at the bell, and try to keep constantly accelerating to discourage the other riders from coming over the top.

roundsquare1

I think I am going to pick up another Track Bike within the week. I have one on order from the shop I ride for.

due to rain, I didn't bring my stuff for the Track tonight and don't want to drive down there again and have it cancel. EMC sunday tho.

roundsquare1

That's really good advice, thanks.

tobu

The great thing about the track is that you can get instant feedback about how you rode, especially if you are riding multiple events in an evening. You also have multiple chances of trying different things. There are some really knowledgeable people who don't mind dispensing advice. People like Bob Muzzy, John Simmons, Larry Nolan, or Ruggy come to mind. The track scene may sometimes seem like an inclusive club, but there are a lot of really friendly people out there who don't mind teaching people how to better their skills and tactics. The more you talk to them, the faster your learning curve will be and you'll be riding B's in no time.

roundsquare1

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I totally agree. I love the track and it's helped my crit racing.

I have only done the Saturdays and the Thursdays.

I'd like to start on Wednesdays also.

On another note, were you there Thurs when the Bs had that crash? There was one guy who seemed to suffer the worst of it...any idea how he is?

tobu

I don't know what happened to that guy. His hand was swelling up awful bad so I guess it could have been broken.

Yesterday's racing was really good in the C's. It was mostly single file throughout the race with many attacks and counters. Many people don't realize it, but the faster the racing the safer it is. If you watched the B's, they crashed last week because there was a sudden slowing and bunching up of the pack. I was warming up so I couldn't see exactly what happened, but I presume it was caused by sudden slowing combined with some inattention and over reaction. Not anyone's fault, per se, but entirely avoidable.

One thing beginning riders can do to ensure a safer race is to pull through when the lead rider swings off. At high speeds, you'll often see the rider in second wheel swing up with the lead rider -- which isn't really unsafe because the pack will be stretched out single file. At low to medium speeds, when the pack is 2 to 4 wide, it can be dangerous if the rider in second position follows the leader up track -- riders are often overlapped and the second rider swinging up track can cause a dramatic slowing of the entire pack. As a general rule, try to come through and maintain the speed for half a lap and swing off. I've never believed that there is such a thing as "doing your share", but if everyone works a little the races can be a lot safer.

I think you'll have a lot of fun on Wednesdays -- you'll get a greater variety of events, each with their own tactical and physical nuances. You'll also get to observe how the elite riders race between your races. It'll also be interesting to see the racing when Thursday nights end and the Thurs/Wed groups come together.