Forcing breakaways

Originally Posted by 11ring

So back to the starting thread- yesterday I did a crit, 40km long.

No one worked so just sat at the front and slowed everything down. Then about 14km from the finish the pack contracts on a hill, so i race over the crest on the outside, quickly find a 20 metter gap and catch the back of A grade. Then i find 2 helpers as well, we overtake A, but we couldn't get a good rythym. 2-3 laps afterwards we are back together. Then with half a lap to go I try the same thing, get no gap but get launched to first wheel, which i hold to the start of the sprint and then get smoked.

I really thought we were away. Next time.

Originally Posted by mikesbytes

So B grade and A grade were in the same race? I assume this was at Heffron? Did they have separate starts and B catch upto A? How did they end up so close together?

Originally Posted by 11ring

No handicap, but all grades race on the same track. A grade was catching (lapping) C. I got away just before A caught C, then I caught A and overtook them, then they overtook me again, then C caught me.

Heffron.

Originally Posted by mikesbytes

I hear that in those A vs B vs C races, that C riders just look at each other while and do nothing while the A riders work together with the B riders somewhere inbetween. All 3 groups end up combining at pretty much the same time and the A riders move to the front.

Your race sounds like A caught a little earlier. In the end, were you spinting against the A's?

BTW, I hear of there being A and A-club now ?????

Originally Posted by mikesbytes

I hear that in those A vs B vs C races, that C riders just look at each other while and do nothing while the A riders work together with the B riders somewhere inbetween. All 3 groups end up combining at pretty much the same time and the A riders move to the front.

Originally Posted by sideshow_bob

There's the Tuesday night summer series at Heffron that is run as a handicap crit. A, B, C only. I did a couple of races last season in B grade, and the racing was incredibly hard. Probably B grade = A grade in any other regular club racing.

I think that the generalization in regards to groups working is accurate sometimes, though more often than not inaccurate. Just because someone is in C grade doesn't mean they are not experienced racers. A lot of the guys there are shall we say 'age challenged' but have raced at very high levels when they were younger. They organize well and from memory last year the C graders won about half the races, A grade the other half and B grade won only the last race (yes I know the handicapper was either loved or hated depending on the grade you were in).

I wish I could have done more of the races but it was hard to get out of work early enough to make the 6pm start. I'm going to endeavor to commit to racing more of them this year.

--brett

Originally Posted by sideshow_bob

There's the Tuesday night summer series at Heffron that is run as a handicap crit. A, B, C only. I did a couple of races last season in B grade, and the racing was incredibly hard. Probably B grade = A grade in any other regular club racing.

I think that the generalization in regards to groups working is accurate sometimes, though more often than not inaccurate. Just because someone is in C grade doesn't mean they are not experienced racers. A lot of the guys there are shall we say 'age challenged' but have raced at very high levels when they were younger. They organize well and from memory last year the C graders won about half the races, A grade the other half and B grade won only the last race (yes I know the handicapper was either loved or hated depending on the grade you were in).

I wish I could have done more of the races but it was hard to get out of work early enough to make the 6pm start. I'm going to endeavor to commit to racing more of them this year.

--brett

Originally Posted by mikesbytes

Is there just one race at 6pm? Are their races later than 6?

Originally Posted by 11ring

Finally made it work at Heffron handicap- just worked and worked and if anyone slowed down I came through again and forced the pace. Strung the pack out for the sprint and ended up with 4th- (3rd on technicalitity)

I think by forcing the pace early on people thought there was a real chance so a few people worked a bit more than usual. This worked but is also a bit too suicidal. I think i was on the front for about 30-40% of the time at least, so i was not the freshest man by the end.