You don’t have the power to afford to close more than a couple of gaps during the race; even a cat4-5 race on a smooth flat road will be 30mph+. You might think you only have a small gap to close but then you’ll realize that 2-3 riders ahead have also let a gap open up and you have to go around them too. Unless you can to do 35mph on your own 3-4 times in an hour you’ll be dropped by the fifth lap.
The best strategy is to ride in the front of the group as much as possible, turns are usually pretty smooth at the front of the pack. If you don’t have a >1000w sprint you won’t be in contention so unless you’re in a position to lead out your teammate I would drop back a few hundred meters before the finish, as bad things tend to happen in a cat5 sprint especially if there is a $50 gift certificate to Olive Garden or some other classy place for first prize. You’ll be amazed what risks some guys will take for a 7-11 slurpy coupon.
Note: Corning at 22mph is way too slow for an open corner in a crit. Remember you’ll have the whole road, so expect to turn at a high speed.
Last edited by billridesbikes; 07-21-20 at 11:39 AM.
Reason: Note on cornering