Originally Posted by
Doge
...I'll post the video of juniors 2nd mass start race. He just got his upgrade just 5 days before. Nothing like real racing to shake out issues. Things from equipment to just not knowing the rules or what to do came up.
I'd appreciate input on how to communicate with the rider as to points, what is going on, and general riding.
Input:
This is why Collegiate Nationals is known to be a crash-fest.
There's nothing like having athletes being arguably the strongest, fittest, and most fearless they will be in their lives racing in the biggest event of the year with the least amount of experience possible.
It's evident by how your son is riding. He's timid. Not sure if he's timid because of confidence in his own riding or that of others. He rides solo in every clip except when he's in the 3-man breakaway.
Essentially, he solo time-trialed the entire race and rode further than most as he was above the stayer's line half of the time.
Regarding points:
The best points racers do it themselves. They are aware of how many points they have, how many points the other leaders have, and do the math to determine what's required to win. This mental gymnastics is part of the points race at the higher levels of the sport.
Advice:
Race more.
Race more than just 'big events'. Race locally for fun, experience, and comfort.
You can train for individual time trials on your own and excel. This requires only leg and lungs. You cannot do this for mass start racing. Mass start racing requires legs, lungs, and the brain in order to excel.