Originally Posted by
Ttoc6
I'll say it without knowing literally anything about the race. Some people are just really bad at riding in pacelines lol. A swift yell to keep it smooth, or not help will curtail even some of the worst offenders.
Experienced and fit can win solo at any level. Many pro american riders have made a go at it that way and succeeded. Daniel Holloway jumps to mind. To be perfectly honest, some times I prefer racing solo because I don't have to worry about remembering team tactics or being the responsible party for making stuff happen in the race. You can just... race.
I basically raced solo last year as a 4/5. I didn't have to think about teammates. I only had to think about myself. I did okay. But there were times it felt like a big disadvantage, especially in the 3/4 crit. This year I'm on a big team, so there will probably be times I will have left a lot of meat on the bone in the interest of advancing teammates. Hopefully that will be fulfilling in its own way.
If team tactics are at play in your 4/5, don't get mad about it. That's actually more fun. And better preparation for the next level.