Grumpy McTrumpy

We should instantly judge people's character by the utterances they make while in the heat of battle.

Make sense?

rubiksoval

This. In fact, if I attacked for a prime and got brought back and someone yelled at me about it, I'd attack again right then and there out of spite.

But I'm ornery like that. And the last three races I've been in a break with people who simply don't how to ride a break and I'm still a bit irritated by the whole thing.

When people start yelling, I stop cooperating. If it continued, I'll just straight sabotage the break and go again later if need be. There will certainly be disagreements quite frequently, but I don't think there needs to be straight-up yelling in bike racing (or anything, unless there's immediate danger). That's my opinion, at least.

Do what you need to do to get what can be yours. I race all sorts of races with big primes (100+ dollars) and going in a break specifically to go for the prime isn't a bad thing in the least. It's a good way to make some money that you might not get when the really good dudes decide to race really fast.

ancker

I thought the whole point of bike racing (or any racing) was to get to the finish line before everyone else.
If there was a prime, why on earth wouldn't you expect someone in the break to go for it? There may be temporary alliances, or yeah, you work together to establish a break, but at some point, someone has to attack to win. The dude that complained was probably just used to convincing everyone to work in a way that benefits him. He's just a whiner that something happened he didn't control.

Pretty sure Sagan got in the break 4-5 times in the TdF just so he could snipe the Green Jersey points then fall back to the peloton.

canuckbelle

Just so we're clear: I know how to make a break work, and have established breaks, from which I've won (and one I got dropped from). I'm just saying that if one thinks that one has a better shot winning by attacking the break, then off you go...give 'er.

Creakyknees

^ this

Creakyknees

Also: another tactic that's entirely fair play, goes like this:

Yell at the other riders and tell them what they can and can't do.

Ygduf

this works a lot of the time, btw, and is often easier than riding hard on your own legs

bitingduck

If he could get out a full sentence clearly while in the break he was already sandbagging and the attack messed up his plan.

75 m with 3 laps to go in a 1/2 race and there are probably a lot of riders who can come out of the pack and take it all away just before the line without having to think too hard.

People attacking a break cost me a medal in the points race at masters track nats one year. Four of us with 3/4 of a lap on a 333 m track, working well, and then they ring the bell and a couple guys decide they want points and we all sprint for a half lap. A lap later it's me and one other guy left in the break and I'm totally gassed and finally fall off and back to the pack. The other guy eventually made it around and won, I ended up a couple points shy of the podium (realized later that I could have probably snagged those points in the last sprint). Nobody yelled at anybody about the attack - that's racing.

Flatballer

Yeah, it certainly sounds like it, and this changes things. It's not a crit with a prime for some granola bars or something. It's a points race like it would be on the track. Sure, the final lap gives more points, but there are still significant points available at the intermediate sprints.