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Road
Racing
The Basics
Road Racing is massed-start cycle racing on
roads or circuits. First rider over the
finish line wins, with anything from twenty
to almost 200 competitors, depending on the
event. In the UK, events range from short
Youth and Juvenile (under16) races of 20km
or less, through club level events for
adults of between 40km and 100km, to
Elite-level one day races of 200km or more.
The majority of adult racing takes place on
public roads, though there are an increasing
number of circuit events, either on roads
closed to other traffic or on specially
constructed circuits, some which are shared
with other sports like motor racing and kart
racing, others are purpose built for
cycling. All under-16 racing takes place on
traffic-free closed circuits.Road
Races
The classic Road Race is a test of stamina,
fitness and tactical acumen. Team tactics
often come into play. Riders often have
particular strengths: some can climb hills
and mountains very quickly; others have a
devastating turn of speed or sprint; other
have the ability to ride very well against
the clock in Time Trials (which often form
part of multi day or stage races). The art
is to restrict your rival's gains in the
areas where they are strong and maximise
your gains in your preferred terrain.
Stage Races
Some Road Races are contested over several
days and several stages. These "Stage" Races
or Tours often feature prizes for each stage
winner, plus others for the best sprinter in
the race, the best climber (aka King of the
Mountains), the leading team and, of course,
the overall winner, who is the rider with
the best aggregate time. The Tour de France
is the world's most prestigious Stage Race
and lasts for three weeks. Racing
Qualities
All top Road Racers need to be able to stay
in the saddle for hours at a time
(endurance). Some are exceptionally good at
going uphill and target wins in hilly
terrain: these are known as Climbers. Others
have a big 'kick' or ability to accelerate
and are known as Sprinters. They often win
races where the finish is contested by a
number of riders - a bunch or sprint finish.
Few riders can win, however, if they are not
tactically very aware and at pro level team
tactics and strategy can be very complex.
Tactical Considerations
Endurance, Sprinting, Climbing, Tactics -
these are just some of the qualities a
successful road rider might possess. Which
is the most important? Well, it's open to
debate, but compared to the sledgehammer
tactic of just trying to ride faster than
your rivals - something which will not work
at anything but the lowest level of the
sport - the rapier blade of genuine tactical
nous is potentially a race winner for you.
Here's a simple guide to some of the
tactical moves which can win Road Races.
Road Racing is amazingly varied and the
tactical options open to a rider or team are
almost endless. This is what makes it such a
wonderful and unpredictable sport. Often the
strongest teams and riders prevail, but the
outsider who is prepared to take risks and
commit to daring tactics always has a
fighting chance. Here, in simplified terms,
are three classic tactics used by top teams:
Mountain Goat: a hilly or mountainous
event will always suit a lightweight rider
climber - who can ascend very well. However,
the key to that rider winning the event
often lies with his team-mates who must
protect him through the flatter parts of the
route classically by slipstreaming him
(which can cut his required power output on
the flat by 30%). The climber must conserve
his or her energies until the critical climb
of the race usually the last significant
climb. They must then commit themselves
totally to riding that climb as fast as
possible in the hope that the other riders
will not be able to stay with the pace. If
the finish is at the top of the climb, it
makes things easier: drop your rivals on the
climb and as long as you can maintain your
high climbing pace, you will have a good
chance of winning. If the finish is some
distance beyond, the rider must also be
confident of maintaining a high enough
average speed to the finish so that his/her
gains on the climb are not completely lost.
Sprinter: A predominantly flat event
is usually viewed as the hunting ground of
the Sprinter, a rider with an exceptional
turn of speed, albeit over a relatively
short distance. The theory is that on a flat
stage, by clever positioning in the field
and the help of team-mates, the sprinter
should not lose contact with the front of
the race and should still be in the leading
group of riders approaching the finish. The
sprinter must then get to the front of the
field in the closing few hundred meters and
use that exceptional speed to pull away from
all rivals. Sprinters often win races by
millimetres, so timing and commitment are
essential. Sprinters are often aided by
team-mates right up to the closing hundred
metres: the less effort the sprinter has to
make before the final sprint the better and
some of the best sprinters have team-mates
who are expert at slipstreaming them through
the field and almost the line, allowing them
to use their final burst of speed for just a
few seconds as they claim victory. The sight
of several sprinters battling for the line
is one of the great sights of cycle sport.
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The Break: An alternative tactic for
both mountainous and flat stages is the lone
or small break. An individual or small group
of riders might be able to ride clear of the
main field in the opening miles of an event,
with the rest of the field content that they
have plenty of time to catch them later.
This often happens, but judicious blocking
by team-mates of riders in the break can
disrupt the chase. Equally, a well-balanced
and committed bunch of perhaps half a dozen
riders can hold the main field at bay for a
surprising length of time and if the chasers
time their pursuit badly, they can let the
break get away and claim the win. On the
flat, breaks can also get away from the
field in the closing stages of races and, if
there is any hesitation in the main field,
they can stay clear to the finish. In the
mountains, a talented climber can sometimes
make an early break and maintain such a high
pace through the hills that the rest of the
field can't catch them. All breaks require
bravery, self-confidence and total
commitment to succeed.Other Tactical
Opportunities
Tailwinds: tail winds make breaks hard to
catch the collective effort of the field
working to slipsteam each other through
still air or a headwind can usually
overpower the smaller number of riders
attempting to do the same thing in a break.
A tail wind removes this advantage and makes
breaks harder to catch. Cross-winds:
a classic Road Race scenario. Cross-winds
lead to echelons of riders basically
diagonal lines of riders seeking shelter
from the wind behind and to the side of the
nearest upwind rider. The lengths of
echelons is governed by the width of
available road. If you are not in the front
echelon and that echelon is travelling more
quickly then your own, you can find yourself
losing touch with the front of the race very
quickly. The wind will make joining the
front echelon difficult and even if you do,
there may be no room left to join it at the
downwind side, leaving you isolated and
fighting the wind alone - a no-win
situation.
Time Trials: some of the
most successful winners of the Tour de
France built their success on being great
riders against the clock. They would target
the Time Trial stages of the event for 100%
effort in the hope of gaining time on
rivals. Then, using their team to help them
as much as possible, they would mark any
moves of their rivals on the normal Road
stages. Of course this tactic requires an
excellent all-round rider to make it work
he/she must be able to stay in touch with
all the main contenders in the potentially
dangerous mountain stages, where time can be
lost very quickly. But time gains are often
easier to defend than gain in the mountains.
Road & Circuit Racing: Categories,
Points, Rankings and Event Classifications
The structure of the sport of Road Racing is
undergoing a major overhaul in Great
Britain. A new event classification system
and an extended ranking system are just two
of the changes. Follow the link below for a
detailed overview of how the category of
events ties into the ranking and licence
points available - plus how your own
category is determined. Click
here for more information.
 All
the information on this page originally from
British Cycling. |
