Did my first crit race last weekend as part of an omnium. This was my first crit ever, so I didn't really know what to expect. My plan was to stay near the back of the main pack so that I could get the good draft on straight sections, and not cause a wreck in the turns.
Brief course layout. It was shaped somewhat like a "P". The race was 35 min +2 laps, and started and finished on a downhill. The downhill led into a loop shaped parking lot, and then exited into a long straightaway that headed uphill into the wind. This uphill ended with a 180 turnaround.
Now to the race: I started in the back of the pack and began to execute my plan. Worked out fairly well to begin with while my legs were still strong. I did not realize how hard it was going to be to continually catch up to the front guys as they accelerated out of these turns and I was still moving slowly through them. It seemed as though a huge gap formed each time I exited the last turn of the loop. I hung in there pretty good until the last lap, when the gap was too big and my legs were too dead to catch the main group (now only about 15 riders, started at about 50). I ended up finishing in 16th place after an all-out sprint with another guy who had gotten dropped off the back of the main group as well. It was an exciting sprint, drafted behind until the last hundred yards with him trying to drop me, then I swung out and gave it all I had to the finish. Ended up winning by about a bike length, just wish it had been for first place rather than 16th.
Anyway, I think it was a great learning experience for me to know that the back is not the place to be. Quick advice needed, where do you feel the ideal place to be in a race such as this would be so that you're not pulling the group, but also so you don't have this long sprint to catch up to the leaders after every turn.
Oh, and I'm definitely hooked on racing. The next day was a 45 mile road race, ended up 30 out of 68, 18 minutes back from the winner. I'd give more details but this is getting too lengthy already. Hope this advice helps some other beginners, and any advice would be great. Cheers!
Brief course layout. It was shaped somewhat like a "P". The race was 35 min +2 laps, and started and finished on a downhill. The downhill led into a loop shaped parking lot, and then exited into a long straightaway that headed uphill into the wind. This uphill ended with a 180 turnaround.
Now to the race: I started in the back of the pack and began to execute my plan. Worked out fairly well to begin with while my legs were still strong. I did not realize how hard it was going to be to continually catch up to the front guys as they accelerated out of these turns and I was still moving slowly through them. It seemed as though a huge gap formed each time I exited the last turn of the loop. I hung in there pretty good until the last lap, when the gap was too big and my legs were too dead to catch the main group (now only about 15 riders, started at about 50). I ended up finishing in 16th place after an all-out sprint with another guy who had gotten dropped off the back of the main group as well. It was an exciting sprint, drafted behind until the last hundred yards with him trying to drop me, then I swung out and gave it all I had to the finish. Ended up winning by about a bike length, just wish it had been for first place rather than 16th.
Anyway, I think it was a great learning experience for me to know that the back is not the place to be. Quick advice needed, where do you feel the ideal place to be in a race such as this would be so that you're not pulling the group, but also so you don't have this long sprint to catch up to the leaders after every turn.
Oh, and I'm definitely hooked on racing. The next day was a 45 mile road race, ended up 30 out of 68, 18 minutes back from the winner. I'd give more details but this is getting too lengthy already. Hope this advice helps some other beginners, and any advice would be great. Cheers!
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