Racing Etiquette

Bigbananabike

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In our club(as far as I'm aware, and I've been a member of three clubs in NZ) someone can not just sit in for all/most of the race and sprint out the rest of the riders who've been doing the work and not have a protest(if one is put in against them) upheld.
There are still tactics within that - sprinters can get dropped on hills, or when the pace heats up earlier etc and sprinters can(obviously) still be there at the end to win.

thekiwi

Interesting thoughts on all the "racing" etiquette.
An another one Ive seen people complain about is on an out and back course and attacking at the turn. This can be a real thorn, as obviously a 180 deg turn can stretch the field and those at the front can get a good gap.

Bigbananabike

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Its a road cycling race club. Every race is a race - for you to call them glorified training sessions is demeaning to them - please do not.
One of our riders got bronze in the Commonwealth games time trial(and several regularly race in the USA/Europe etc - so they're reasonable riders.
There are still tactics within our club rules - can you not imagine that?

Bigbananabike

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Ahh another Kiwi.
Attacking at the turn - its pretty dangerous(which bike racing is) so not cool to do but there is nothing(I know of) written down to say people can't.

thekiwi

Happened at our Club Champs on the weekend. Was in the leading bunch and a group came around me within 400m of the turn. Could see what was being planned so gunned it hard out to make sure I turned with them. End result, they attacked out of the rurn and we had a gap of 50m which exploded out on the return.

At the finish some were spitting tacks that they got dropped, but conversely they were also the same riders who hadnt taken a turn going out All fair I say

thekiwi

Personally I think its a sad rule to have, which basically says that sprinters are not valid riders. Can you imagine an Olympic or Commonwealth Games where a rider gets DQ'd because of sitting in.

Personally I think its a valid tactic to sit in, after all the only thing that counts is first across the line. That doesnt mean my blood doesn't boil when it gets done to me , but conversely I only have myself to blame that it happened.

Basically the club it appears is dictating "how you win the race". To me it all should happen out on the road. Heck we climbers gang up on the sprinters ... is that fair Heck yea

SteveChapman

If people are trying to sit in for a sprint finish then make them work. If there are a few of you lapping it out at the front then as you drop to the back of the paceline ease off the pace and let a gap develop, this will force the sleigh riders to come around you and bridge the gap, you just jump on their wheel and get a free ride back to the bunch. This will piss them off - which is acceptable. If they complain, tell them to do something about it and take a turn at the front.

Bigbananabike

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It is a sad rule to have - mainly because I think we should all work together to get the group moving at a good rate. It(we) still think those with greater sprint ability are valid riders but we don't think its valid they do no or little work and anex those who have worked for the whole or most of the way.
Hopefully its fostering riders who are more 'rounded' than just being sprinters or hillclimbers etc.

On a lighter note, when its not our race season I often ride with a social bunch(they do charity/fun rides etc and most are pretty good riders) on Saturday mornings. There is a range of abilities but as most do only the above they have little sprint ability(one guy - ex racer does and I can never come around him) or ability to judge who's wheel to get on etc. So, come the end of the ride, I usually win or get second in (not particularly good at sprinting) the "sprint" to the cafe mainly by tackics they don't have.

Bigbananabike

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Those tactics are employed too.
We tell them to pull their weight up the front too. Its a bit hard for me as I've only raced with the club for 1 season and don't know who most are and their abilities and if someone is genuinely hanging on the back and doesn't have the speed to lap out(its sometimes me!) I am happy for them to stay there

jerrek

so in answer to the original question.

There is no rule against sitting in and sprinting. You have to find another way to break them up.

My personnel rule is in a break away or small field (we often only get in the order of 15 riders of all grades to a club meeting being a small country town) i work as long as i can and rest only if i have to. This is good alround training and i think ettiqute. In a larger field i always sit - in for the first half of the race as i am a slow starter but i finish stronger.

By the way, keeping the field moving at a high rate makes for an easy race for those sitting in. For those who think a race without teams is slower and easier - wrong. Higher grade race of this sort tend to swing wildly in speed if no one works the front at our club and it effectively becomes a series of attacks where only the strong survive.

boudie

I am a sprinter who is 200 pounds. I have a tough time on the hills but get sick of the whining. The pencil necked geeks always complain in the crits when they get pimped. I take my beating on hilly races and no one can hear me because i'm out of breath off the back . Why not just start practicing your sprints??? or your breakaways. No one complains when the sprinters get dropped in hilly races. I used to get dropped all the time in races and no one complain....once i could get to the line no one complained....now i can get to the line with a sprint and win people whine. I have guys yell at me to pull in a small group on a hilly circuit race. I look up and say "race your own race"....... a few minutes later I'm off the back. In a flat race I sit in and win and the whining happens. Sick of it....why don't the riders in the Tour De France "protest" when Robbie McEwen wins a sprint. He usually touches the wind for about 50 meters of a 6 hour race.....crazy people. Grow up....shut up and race.


I have a question though....funny story....i was in a hilly hilly road race with 7000 feet of climbing. Only 15 starters and I got 8th because 6 dropped....any ways it was a long out & back. I was riding with one other rider after the one huge climb..... and after a while of rotating i told him i couldn't pull anymore . We rolled for a while and had to climb back 3500 feet shortly. He started attacking me and I was able to stick to him on the flats. I wanted to just get home....well i decided to try to take a pull and when I did get in front of him for a bit....he attacked again. I was pissed....he attacked on the climbs and i stayed with him. He attacked on the downhill and i can descend and i was pissed as he went around 3 cars at 50mph + . I caught him and i thought about sprinting him at the end for 10 miles....i went back and forth for like 30 minutes on whether i would sprint.....finally i decided he tried to drop me and i am a sprinter. I sprinted him at the end and won by 5 bike lengths. He was not super happy about the whole situation. I came back to some friends at the finish line and he proceeded to hurl multiple profanities my way. i just rode by and ignored him and met my friends who cheered me on. You would think it was the World championships.....get a life people. If you can't sprint....improve your sprint. Lance Armstrong i heard wasn't the best sprinter but he won his share of criteriums.....just curious what people think about this situation. It was weird because there was only us two in the "peleton".

peterlip

My other original question (which was quite hidden in the original post) is, how does a breakaway occur? Well, I know how to get away, ride faster than everyone else. However, I have no hope of competing with a chasing pack on my own. So obviously, I need one or two others to either come with me when I jump, or someone (or two) to make it accross without dragging the pack with them.
The question is, assuming collusion is not allowed (as a previous poster suggested), does one just make a break and hope like hell that someone comes accross, or is it common to wink or nod, or whatever, to other riders before making the break?

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Eden

In the successful breaks that I've been in, I don't think even one of them was ever exactly planned out with the other riders.... One person goes off and someone, anyone who is not on the same team should chase. Really you don't want to do any sort of wink, nod - you want your attack to be a surprise to the pack! Don't try to roll off the front, attack from 2 or 3 back and make it as hard an effort as you can sustain. Here, generally it will be several people from different teams who take up the chase. Sometimes they will drag the whole pack up, sometimes it will just be a couple of people who bridge up to the person who initiates the break. Now comes the important part. Once you have even two people together you have to start working together immediately (rotating paceline!) or you are probably going to get caught. Since you don't have teams it will be harder to keep a break away. There is no incentive in the pack to slow the chase. If I get away in a break my team should not participate in any chase - they shouldn't work on the front - if they find they are at the front they should slow it down.
It's not like we get together with other people and say Hey - I'm going to try to break away, do you want to go.... If you find yourself in a good position to attack you do it and if you find yourself in a good position to chase the attack you do it. We do at times discuss within the team who we believe we will be working for and who is likely the strongest with the best chance to win, but when you actually get into the race that can all change.

jerrek

Try and get 50 m away from the pack and then time trial.
Either the pack will chase you down.
Someone will bridge accross. Then you work as a team.
The pack will let you get away with everyone unwilling to work.

If someone in the pack is willing to put lots of effort in this is pretty hard as they effectively sacrifice there race. So make sure you take stock of the situation and if you are going to get caught sit up and go back in the pack. Try again if you are able.make sure if somebody else attacks to not chase them down with the pack on your heel. Attack over to them yourself.