Originally Posted by
mikewaters
So with my numbers, I'd be doing above expectations to be able to stay in the pack? But with the right strategy and staying out of the wind, it might be possible?
I noticed a guy win a local time trial race. 9 miles at 390 watts avg. Looked him up, he races the crit I was looking at. Cat 5. Didn't even win, came in third place. Another guy I know of, won a Cat 5 crit just last week. He does training rides with the Cat 2s. He's way faster than me. I get the impression that many of the Cat 5 racers are more like Cat 3 or better on the e-wang.
Ignore the e-wang!! Also, if the crit is flat, then w/kg doesn't matter much: *watts* matter. 360w and 90kg vs 250w and 55kg? I'll bet on the 90kg rider every time, even though they have a lower w/kg. Also, strategy and effort management matter so much in crits (e.g., staying out of the wind, using your efforts wisely, knowing your strengths vs weaknesses). Also, crits aren't steady state efforts like a TT: there are periods of 150%+ FTP followed by freewheeling or 90w light pedaling. Then a 4x FTP surge out of a corner, back to 90% FTP. Those efforts kill legs that aren't used to over/under style intervals.
And seriously: my FTP is lower than most everyone I'm racing against, but I'm the won winning nearly everything. I'm also heavier. E-wang be damned. Tactics!