Nimitz87

new to this but from all the other videos I have seen of crit racing 99% of people are in the drops...but 99% of the peloton for this race were on the hoods....

just wondering is this because these main grand tour riders don't have the experience of racing crits?

or is there a reason to this?

Chad

dmb2786

it's comfy? i'd be on the hoods unless i was in a break or sprinting.

ridethecliche

The evolution of bike fit has come to an increased drop in order to utilize the hoods more than the drops. In the 70's/80's bikes were fit to be ridden in the drops.

Now the fit is to the hoods, with drops being used for a 'break' and a more aero position for sprints and such.

Nimitz87

right....but everyone talks about being 100% in the drops during crits, for the ability to brake, turns, etc.

Chad

ridethecliche

I don't think it's a big deal for all but the sharpest corners.

More important while descending and such.

Nimitz87

hmmm. interesting, in my (read zero experience) everyone has said that you need to be in the drops

Chad

ridethecliche

Depends on how well you can handle a bike.

Drops traditionally offered a much lower position. They still do, but the hoods are lower now than they used to be in the 'fistful' of seatpost days. So you have a lower center of gravity while turning in the hoods.

MONGO!

Because they got to be Grand Tour riders without racing any crits?

brian416

There is also a lot of riders there, making a much bigger draft than the average pack in a crit, making riding in the drops needed less.

Nimitz87

I think it's a given that the majority of the European riders don't have the crit experience that the US ones do...

133 what's a cat 1/2 field?

Chad

kudude

I'm sure your average cat 3 who preaches "ride the drops" has ridden more crits than the pros...........(there was sarcasm in there)
It's not the draft, it's the course. Watch a road race -- how many sharp corners are there? If there are some, you'll bet lots of guys are in the drops. Watch a crit -- there's a 90+ degree corner more than once a minute. That's where most of it is.

ps p/1/2 fields around here are ~80 ish oftentimes

Duke of Kent

If you're in a large field but not in the top 5-10, and there aren't many hard accelerations or much braking due to the nature of the course and attitude of the field, there is little need to be in the drops.

deadly downtube

in a pro field like that there's probably no braking going on so they are all staying comfortable on the hoods... those dudes touch eachother constantly, wheels, shoulders, hands, no big deal! when you're at that level it's just like saying "hello you are looking spiffy in your tights today! cheers!" and US racers have LESS experience in everything compared to these dudes across the pond.

YMCA

Hoods vs drops? It's all preference.

As stated above, many guys have there bars very low compared to the past. Obviously forcing many to sit on the hoods/tops.

I have a 4cm drop from my saddle to the bars. I can ride drops anytime and stay in them almost exclusively for crits/circuits.

merlinextraligh

Sprinting, cornering, hard accelerations, riding on the front, solo efforts are all best done in the drops.

Crits are going to have a lot of the first 3, so its typical to ride in the drops.

Stage of a grand tour (or just a road race in general) good portion of the day sitting in the pack, there's not much need to be in the drops, and the hoods are more comfortable, particularly with an aggressive bike fit.

botto 

you don't know much about kermesse, do you?