Originally Posted by
caloso
Not necessarily. For crits, I'll actually loosen the front caliper so that I'll have *less* braking.
^ Yup. This.
The piles of Zipp wheels made this more of a thing. They flex(ed) so much during sprints or out of the saddle that if you didn't open your calipers all the way up they would drag and even start braking.
In general though - like in cross - braking can change how you ride and race. Braking harder and later is always the sign of a fast rider in those scenarios.