The Race Video Thread!
08-13-13, 03:42 PM
#651
RacingBear
Judging effort takes practice at speed. Training races are good for this. If you don't have any of those nearby, use the first half of your next race as practice. Resist the urge to brake. Start slowing early, come off your wheel on the inside and overlap, coast, then power out as the wheel surges ahead of you. It takes time and practice to do this smoothly. You have to be relaxed and confident.
Guys will yell at you. Pay no attention unless it's a herd of idiots yelling at you. Someone will always have something to say. There's a guy on a prominent Boston team that has it out for me. He always has something nasty to say to me during a race. I don't know what his problem is other than I usually beat him.
If you were forcibly trying to steal a wheel away, that's racing. If you caused a lot of panic in the pack with a dangerous move, then the feedback is justified. Do it better next time. You can practice getting to the front and holding position on prime laps.
Guys will yell at you. Pay no attention unless it's a herd of idiots yelling at you. Someone will always have something to say. There's a guy on a prominent Boston team that has it out for me. He always has something nasty to say to me during a race. I don't know what his problem is other than I usually beat him.
If you were forcibly trying to steal a wheel away, that's racing. If you caused a lot of panic in the pack with a dangerous move, then the feedback is justified. Do it better next time. You can practice getting to the front and holding position on prime laps.
Yeah, as shovel suggests, if you don't have training races you can do, you really need to let go of results for a while and learn the race pack skills. You can end up 5th-15th for the rest of your career, or sacrifice results in 3 or 4 races so you can win in the long run. It's good to make sure you know what an A race is for yourself, and treat other races as ladder rungs to get to that A race. It doesn't have to be the biggest purse on the calendar, or some epic course with full fields every year; just pick a race that appeals to you, learn before it, and then take it out. That way the pressure is off on the other races.
I think it's considered heresy here because the definition of 'group ride' varies wildly between individuals. I know of a few 'group rides' around these parts that are more like unsactioned races than your average sunday morning shop ride.
Find the former and I'll +1 to what Ygduf says.
Find the former and I'll +1 to what Ygduf says.
08-13-13, 03:47 PM
#652
out walking the earth
I poked through my file and I was actually going up the 'hill' around 120 rpms.
08-13-13, 03:57 PM
#653
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AV-A is a good endurance ride, and they occasionally paceline for 10 minutes down 84. AV-B is good to work on your climbing and especially your regroup skills. Spectrum, with the crashing and the people doing the idiotic stuff is like a real race in the front 3rd. Wednesday valley ride is similar to spectrum, but smaller and (slightly) less likely to end with someone going to the hospital.
The Palo Alto Morning ride, if you get up early, is the best of all worlds. Like a race, strong guys, good riders. The noon ride is like a race, strong riders, and good guys with a dash of bad riders and sketchiness thrown in.
The Palo Alto Morning ride, if you get up early, is the best of all worlds. Like a race, strong guys, good riders. The noon ride is like a race, strong riders, and good guys with a dash of bad riders and sketchiness thrown in.
08-13-13, 04:07 PM
#656
RacingBear
AV-A is a good endurance ride, and they occasionally paceline for 10 minutes down 84. AV-B is good to work on your climbing and especially your regroup skills. Spectrum, with the crashing and the people doing the idiotic stuff is like a real race in the front 3rd. Wednesday valley ride is similar to spectrum, but smaller and (slightly) less likely to end with someone going to the hospital.
The Palo Alto Morning ride, if you get up early, is the best of all worlds. Like a race, strong guys, good riders. The noon ride is like a race, strong riders, and good guys with a dash of bad riders and sketchiness thrown in.
The Palo Alto Morning ride, if you get up early, is the best of all worlds. Like a race, strong guys, good riders. The noon ride is like a race, strong riders, and good guys with a dash of bad riders and sketchiness thrown in.
I am flying out next Thursday to the land of beer and funny accents for two weeks. Coming back and trying to do Folsom races immediately (like next day) will probably not be productive since I'll be off the bike for two weeks. After that only thing that is left is Oakland, and CCX. I might try to do them, but weather gets sketchy around that time.
08-13-13, 06:18 PM
#658
RacingBear
Reminds me of coffee ride in Irvine.
08-13-13, 07:16 PM
#660
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You'll be the first one there if you get there at 6am. When I've been on it lately there has been as many people join along Sand Hill around 6:30 as there are that leave downtown at 6:15.
For another not-so-early option, there is the Pen Velo Tues/Thurs evening ride which leave at 6pm from Canada/92. It may not be quite as fast as TMR, but they move along at a decent clip and will respond to attacks (I'd say similar in speed to Spectrum once they get rolling). In my experience it has also been smoother and safer than the Spectrum or Valley Ride.
When I've been on it lately there has been as many people join along Sand Hill around 6:30 as there are that leave downtown at 6:15.For another not-so-early option, there is the Pen Velo Tues/Thurs evening ride which leave at 6pm from Canada/92. It may not be quite as fast as TMR, but they move along at a decent clip and will respond to attacks (I'd say similar in speed to Spectrum once they get rolling). In my experience it has also been smoother and safer than the Spectrum or Valley Ride.
08-13-13, 09:48 PM
#661
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I'm on PV and even I think the PV rides are kind of sketchy. In any of these group rides you have huge ranges of ability. Stay near the front 1/3 and you're usually pretty safe. Back half, not so much.
08-14-13, 06:42 AM
#662
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IDK who the cameraman was, but a couple of times I was doing the "stop pedal stroke" and grabbing the "air brakes." I believe there is a Ramon Benitez sighting on the right side during the finish. If you finish ahead of him, you beat a quality field. Even if it's just the 2 of you.
08-14-13, 07:44 AM
#663
out walking the earth
08-14-13, 07:46 AM
#664
out walking the earth
IDK who the cameraman was, but a couple of times I was doing the "stop pedal stroke" and grabbing the "air brakes." I believe there is a Ramon Benitez sighting on the right side during the finish. If you finish ahead of him, you beat a quality field. Even if it's just the 2 of you.
the guy who led me out in the 45 solo bridged to that split, then soloed the last three laps for the win.
08-18-13, 08:09 PM
#668
RacingBear
Video of todays crit. I honestly can't say if it's an improvement or not. While in the race I thought it was. Looking at the video of last lap... I don't know. At 0:38 there is a crash on my left. I got squeezed in a bit from a right, but I think I held my line, a guy on a left started to bounce of me, and went down hard. I got bounce a round a bit, but stayed up.
08-18-13, 11:03 PM
#669
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Video of todays crit. I honestly can't say if it's an improvement or not. While in the race I thought it was. Looking at the video of last lap... I don't know. At 0:38 there is a crash on my left. I got squeezed in a bit from a right, but I think I held my line, a guy on a left started to bounce of me, and went down hard. I got bounce a round a bit, but stayed up.
08-19-13, 12:01 AM
#670
RacingBear
Kool, thanks for heads up. Will keep an eye out if he is still on same bike and in 4s next year.
08-19-13, 02:35 PM
#671
Senior Member
Video of todays crit. I honestly can't say if it's an improvement or not. While in the race I thought it was. Looking at the video of last lap... I don't know. At 0:38 there is a crash on my left. I got squeezed in a bit from a right, but I think I held my line, a guy on a left started to bounce of me, and went down hard. I got bounce a round a bit, but stayed up.
You have the speed to move up, you seem to be following the flow of the race pretty well, so the next step is to give yourself some room to maneuver. This usually means sitting to one side or another, or ideally sitting just inside of one side or another. If you know the wind will hit you after such-and-such corner then you can set up so you're sheltered as you exit the turn and you can aggressively move up. With such a twisting course you need to choose a side and sacrifice a bit in order to have "your" side available when you want it. More advanced riders will get the good side on almost every straight, even if a straight is only 50 meters long.
To me it seems that if you have some clear pavement ahead of you going into the sprint that you'll be able to do well.
I hope this helps and good luck in your next bunch of races.
cdr
08-19-13, 02:46 PM
#672
Senior Member
The bit I focus on is not being able to get on that train as it goes by. It would have been a short, sharp anaerobic effort to get on that wheel. It's imperative to keep that gap shut, even if you think the effort is too hard to make sense. Once you're on the wheel you'll be able to rest and recover.
The second bit is if the gap is gone and you can't close it immediately, i.e. slam it shut, then you should ease and see if you can recover something from it. I mean, okay, if it's 200m to go then you just slog to the line, but if there's more than 15-20 seconds of racing to go then you should hang your head (so everyone else knows you've exploded) and see if you can get on the next train that goes by.
To me, though, the fact that the gap opened up is the thing immediately popped out. I don't even remember the first bit of the clip, the gap bit is so significant.
If your legs were super fatigued then that's one explanation, but that means like you just did a massive anaerobic effort (like closing a gap or doing a leadout) and you're totally redlined. Another would be you're cramping like mad so you have no force left in your legs. Another would be you're bonking and super weak. On the other hand if you didn't feel like you were about to pass out from fatigue or lactic acid or lack of oxygen then you need to work on making those short, sharp efforts and the mental commitment to making those short, sharp efforts.
The second bit is if the gap is gone and you can't close it immediately, i.e. slam it shut, then you should ease and see if you can recover something from it. I mean, okay, if it's 200m to go then you just slog to the line, but if there's more than 15-20 seconds of racing to go then you should hang your head (so everyone else knows you've exploded) and see if you can get on the next train that goes by.
To me, though, the fact that the gap opened up is the thing immediately popped out. I don't even remember the first bit of the clip, the gap bit is so significant.
If your legs were super fatigued then that's one explanation, but that means like you just did a massive anaerobic effort (like closing a gap or doing a leadout) and you're totally redlined. Another would be you're cramping like mad so you have no force left in your legs. Another would be you're bonking and super weak. On the other hand if you didn't feel like you were about to pass out from fatigue or lactic acid or lack of oxygen then you need to work on making those short, sharp efforts and the mental commitment to making those short, sharp efforts.
08-19-13, 04:24 PM
#674
RacingBear
I didn't review your older clips but you look pretty good here. The only thing is that in the last bit of the race you need to give yourself an out, a way to get around people. You're well protected sitting in the middle but you can't move up because there are riders to both sides of you.
You have the speed to move up, you seem to be following the flow of the race pretty well, so the next step is to give yourself some room to maneuver. This usually means sitting to one side or another, or ideally sitting just inside of one side or another. If you know the wind will hit you after such-and-such corner then you can set up so you're sheltered as you exit the turn and you can aggressively move up. With such a twisting course you need to choose a side and sacrifice a bit in order to have "your" side available when you want it. More advanced riders will get the good side on almost every straight, even if a straight is only 50 meters long.
To me it seems that if you have some clear pavement ahead of you going into the sprint that you'll be able to do well.
I hope this helps and good luck in your next bunch of races.
cdr
You have the speed to move up, you seem to be following the flow of the race pretty well, so the next step is to give yourself some room to maneuver. This usually means sitting to one side or another, or ideally sitting just inside of one side or another. If you know the wind will hit you after such-and-such corner then you can set up so you're sheltered as you exit the turn and you can aggressively move up. With such a twisting course you need to choose a side and sacrifice a bit in order to have "your" side available when you want it. More advanced riders will get the good side on almost every straight, even if a straight is only 50 meters long.
To me it seems that if you have some clear pavement ahead of you going into the sprint that you'll be able to do well.
I hope this helps and good luck in your next bunch of races.
cdr
08-19-13, 04:43 PM
#675
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The bit I focus on is not being able to get on that train as it goes by. It would have been a short, sharp anaerobic effort to get on that wheel. It's imperative to keep that gap shut, even if you think the effort is too hard to make sense. Once you're on the wheel you'll be able to rest and recover.
The second bit is if the gap is gone and you can't close it immediately, i.e. slam it shut, then you should ease and see if you can recover something from it. I mean, okay, if it's 200m to go then you just slog to the line, but if there's more than 15-20 seconds of racing to go then you should hang your head (so everyone else knows you've exploded) and see if you can get on the next train that goes by.
To me, though, the fact that the gap opened up is the thing immediately popped out. I don't even remember the first bit of the clip, the gap bit is so significant.
If your legs were super fatigued then that's one explanation, but that means like you just did a massive anaerobic effort (like closing a gap or doing a leadout) and you're totally redlined. Another would be you're cramping like mad so you have no force left in your legs. Another would be you're bonking and super weak. On the other hand if you didn't feel like you were about to pass out from fatigue or lactic acid or lack of oxygen then you need to work on making those short, sharp efforts and the mental commitment to making those short, sharp efforts.
The second bit is if the gap is gone and you can't close it immediately, i.e. slam it shut, then you should ease and see if you can recover something from it. I mean, okay, if it's 200m to go then you just slog to the line, but if there's more than 15-20 seconds of racing to go then you should hang your head (so everyone else knows you've exploded) and see if you can get on the next train that goes by.
To me, though, the fact that the gap opened up is the thing immediately popped out. I don't even remember the first bit of the clip, the gap bit is so significant.
If your legs were super fatigued then that's one explanation, but that means like you just did a massive anaerobic effort (like closing a gap or doing a leadout) and you're totally redlined. Another would be you're cramping like mad so you have no force left in your legs. Another would be you're bonking and super weak. On the other hand if you didn't feel like you were about to pass out from fatigue or lactic acid or lack of oxygen then you need to work on making those short, sharp efforts and the mental commitment to making those short, sharp efforts.
I wasn't fatigued or bonking. I just lacked the power to accelerate from being stuck behind that guy to getting on a train already going full speed.
I think other riders could have made that gap but then again nobody went around me when I chased and none of the riders in front me caught on either so it wasn't as if I was super weak.
This isn't the first time that my sprinting ability has been in question though. I'm 5'7" and 140 lbs, so I'm not a powerhouse. This race has convinced me to start using the gym in my apartment to gain some leg muscle.