Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
The first... the older rider may be getting something out of it. I'm sure he realizes that crits are just not for him, at least not normally. So to do better for the team overall, it behooves him to be a great leadout racer. There's pride in that work.
Being a good leadout rider is a skillset on it's own. In my days as a Cat 3 sprint monkey, one of my best friends was also one of my favorite leadout guys. He was fearless, crafty, tactical, and sometimes hair-raising to follow, but he made holes and knew exactly where he needed to get me to so I could do what I did best. I couldn't do what he could, and he couldn't do what I could.