by Dean Woods with Rupert Guiness
The Race
The Big Day [back to top]
The equipment is bought, the goals have been set and you've done your training. The big day has arrived. However, it is possible that your final performance will be affected by your hour-to-hour routine in the 24 hours before the race begins. And similarly, your next performance can hinge on the 24 hours after a race.
Pre and post-race routines not only make sure that every element of your preparation and eventual performance is covered, they also help you to focus mentally on the race and cope with its aftermath – be it positive or disappointing.
Pre-race [back to top]
- Make sure all equipment, food and clothes needed for the race are either bought or repaired 48 hours beforehand. The day before should be spent resting – including a light training 'spin' – not chasing around shops for last-minute purchases.
- Give yourself plenty of time to pack and organise the next day's race equipment.
- Use a prepared check-list of everything you'll need to make sure nothing is forgotten.
- Review race and course details. Try to remember the crucial landmarks and difficulties of the race. Check the forecasted weather conditions.
- Drink plenty of fluids for the 24 hours before the race, although not so much that you become bloated. Try to stay away from alcohol too.
- The most important pre-race meal is dinner the night before. Eat a lot of carbohydrates, but not too soon before you go to bed.
- On race morning, don't eat too big a breakfast. Try to eat three hours before racing.
- If the race is in the afternoon, consume a hearty breakfast with an even balance of carbohydrates and protein.
- If the race is in the afternoon, go for a short, light spin in the morning to loosen up the leg muscles.
- If you're racing a time trial and are close to the route, ride over parts or all of the course slowly, paying particular attention to road surfaces – watch out for pot holes, or oil or loose gravel on corners and bends.
- Keep an eye on weather conditions. The forecast may have changed ftom the day before. On a time-trial route, watch out especially for changing wind patterns at various turns or rises of the course.
- Allow good time to travel to the race. At the minimum, arrive at least 1 hour before the start.
- Upon arrival, don't let yourself be distracted by others. You are there to race and, whatever the intentions of others, make sure you keep to your schedule. Time can slip away before a race more quickly than you can imagine!
- Locate available changing rooms, toilets and the race headquarters immediately.
- Change into race gear if you have not already done so. Make sure you keep casual or non-racing gear apart and in a separate, named bag. This will help efficient location of dry and clean gear to change into after the race.
- Organise racing equipment – especially the bicycle – and double-check it is all in working order.
- Give yourself or receive massage and required embrocations.
- Have a final drink and sign in as soon as you can, to give yourself several precious minutes of calm before the race starts.
Tactics [back to top]
Who Does What [back to top]
A road race can be like a game of chess on wheels. Each rider in a team has their own responsibility, tasks and level in the pecking order.
Each tearn has one or two leaders. Their selection either depends on general star status or – in teams without a top-salaried champion – the condition and form of those in the team on the day. Once those leaders have been selected, they become the pivotal force of every team member's attention that day. They are, in cycling jargon, 'protected riders'.
Some leaders may be riders who are good all-rounders and who have trained especially for the stage races and one-day classics. Others might be climbers who will either focus on racing for 'King of the Mountain' categories in tours or winning prestigious mountain stages and one-day races; or they could be sprinters who revel in the flat, speeding, massed-bunch sprints of stages and one-day classics.
Some riders, called 'domestiques', are employed on professional teams to literally service the needs of protected stars. Their 'services' can range from dropping back to a team car to collect or return clothes, food and drink, chasing down attacks or riding in front of their leader to protect them from cross and head-winds. They may even surrender their own wheel or bicycle should their leader suffer a puncture or mechanical trouble!
In between the top and bottom-ranked riders, there are several second-rung leaders who are also protected during the day up until the final, crucial moments of a race. Their allegiance will always be to the top leader, but should that rider suddenly be eliminated through unexpected fatigue, mechanical trouble or other circumstances, then the team will still have an alternative to pin its winning hopes on. If the number-one rider is racing strongly, then these second-rung leaders will still be fresh and primed to work for him or her when the real action hots up in the closing stages.
In among them all will be a team captain, or 'captain on the road'. The captain is usually an experienced veteran who does have occasional opponunities to win, yet whose main role is to coordinate the team's tactics. The captain is also the link between the riders and the team coach who usually follows behind the race in a convoy of team cars carrying spare wheels, bicycles, food and equipment. Captains are often older riders because of their greater experience from earlier racing days. They tend to be far more mature and rational under pressure and can maintain discipline amongst younger peers.
But the captain can't tell riders everything they need to know – there is still an onus on racers to understand the tactics of a bicycle race.
Sitting-on [back to top]
Sitting-on, or 'riding a wheel', is something cyclists should learn as early as possible. It can be scary because it means that you ride very close to the cyclist in front of you who, in turn, can be riding within centimetres of the next cyclist. And on top of paying attention to what the rider in front is doing, it is also imperative that you keep an eye ' on the road, which could be blocked with parked cars or even a sudden crash.
In team time-trialling, sitting-on is a necessary discipline; in road racing, the benefits of sitting-on are tremendous. A rider following the wheel of another rider will travel at the same speed, but will use far less energy.
The best thing to do in a bunch is not to follow directly behind the rider ahead, but to ride slightly to their side, still very close. Whatever side is best will depend on wind direction. If the wind is from the right, then the left side of the front rider's rear wheel is better and vice versa.
Whichever side you choose, you will find a helpful wind-break or slipstream there. This will also help you to avoid riding into the back wheel of the rider in front, should they suddenly brake or slow down. In a big bunch where there may be numerous accelerations in a race, there is always much unexpected braking and sudden changes of line by other riders. It takes only the slightest break in concentration to discover – first-hand – the dangers of sitting-on.
Echelons [back to top]
An echelon is the term given to a group of cyclists who are riding abreast. Their formation is normally caused by cross-winds. In these instances riders are positioned at approximately half a length behind and to the other side of the rider in front of them.
In Europe, echelon racing is very common. In countries like Australia where numbers are smaller, it's rare to see one. Racing in an echelon is experiencing cycling at its most demanding.
In head and tail-winds few echelon attacks will ever work. But once a bunch hits a cross-wind the race changes totally because there is only a small percentage of riders who will fit in a side-by-side formation across the road and manage to keep out of the wind.
There will be a split if the tail-end riders of the echelon can't keep up. They will drop back and often form a new echelon of their own. Many races in Europe see waves of up to four or five echelons form, with the trailing groups chasing desperately to join the one in front.
In these groups, there is no way one rider will ride at the front for the entire time – unless ordered to. It is generally accepted that every rider wanting to rejoin the leaders and stay away from those chasing will do their 'turn' at the front, where the wind will hit the echelon the hardest. After doing a turn a rider will ease up, veer out from the line and drop back to the rear of the group where there will be greater slipstream, or 'tow'.
There are two dangers in being at the back: firstly, a rider will be positioned badly to react to any attack in the front; secondly, they could inadvertently find themselves cast adrift should the middle of the bunch be split in half by a crash or the easing up of effort by one or two riders in the middle.
Attacking [back to top]
There are many good occasions to attack.
On a climb, if your legs are relatively fresh, the best place to attack is just before going over the top of a hill. The quicker a rider can get their momentum and rhythm going on the descent, the more time will be gained.
If you can't see over the crest of the hill it can be a touch frightening. But attacks call for daring!
In a time trial a maximum effort – akin to an attack – over the last kilometre could make all the difference, especially in a sport where winning margins can be so close between the top riders.
Another prime moment to attack may be just as an earlier break is about to be caught. Many in the chasing bunch will be tired and preparing for a rest afrer their efforts. By suddenly jumping away – perhaps even bridging the final metres of the pursuit – a rider may just grab that vital lead needed to forge ahead.
Breaks can also be successfully pulled off on twisting and narrow lanes, or on corners, where attacking riders can easily slip out of sight. On corkscrew roads, a single rider or small group will negotiate the turns at greater speeds than a larger chase group.
Attacks can also result from opportunity – an unexpected circumstance in the race may suddenly place the rider in an ideal position to get away. An example of this could be a crash. Crashes often split a bunch in two if the spill is in the middle. The riders in the front part of the group who escape the crash can then use this moment to attack.
In some circles, such an attack is not thought to be sporting. But this unwritten rule has often been ignored. Other moments are also regarded as off-limits to attackers. These might be during the feed zone when riders are slowing up deliberately to take a 'musette' – which contains extra carbohydrates in food and liquid form. Another taboo time to attack might be when a rival is delayed by a puncture or another mechanical problem. It can even be considered wrong to take advantage of a natural break en masse (i.e. which is agreed upon by the key members of the pack) early in the race. Still ... cycling history recounts occasions when these codes have been broken too!
When an attack is made, it very rarely comes from a rider accelerating off the front – or from the front position of a pack. There's a simple reason for this – it gives too great an advantage to the rider behind, who will be in a position to follow any acceleration.
It's a better tactic to attack from behind as this will provide a chance of gaining the momentum of a break before anyone realises what is happening. This way too, there is a greater chance of jumping away without someone following.
One grave error many riders make when attacking is to only keep up the effort for 100 metres (109 yards) or so, and then to look around to see if anyone is chasing. If there is, many of them sit up and drop back to the bunch. Not only is this a sign of lacking commitment, but it is also a waste of energy.
In Europe the tactic is for riders not to look around for a kilometre or so, especially if the break is into a side-wind, where they know the acceleration is putting the chasers under pressure. Even if they are caught, they'll know that they've played a part in tiring out their rivals – perhaps even weakening their resolve to pursue another break from their team soon afterwards.
It's also a good idea to use as much of the road space as possible during an attack. This will, of course, depend on enforced limits, with different countries having varying levels of clearance from traffic, etc. Look ahead and try to pick the smoothest and shortest line possible – especially in time trials.
Attacks don't necessarily only involve one person. Groups can make a break too. Sometimes there'll be riders in a group who will work and others who refuse to work or aren't able to because of farigue. For the riders willing to work, there is always the risk that the others will sit-on, saving their energy and waiting for the finale to dig in and ride hard – just as the 'workers' are starting to fade.
Don't be fooled into towing others to the line. If everyone wants to work – including you – it's well worth the effort to do as many turns at the front as the others. But when there is a rider not wanting to contribute (for example, a sprinter wanring to wait unril the last minute to attack) – it can be better to sit-up and let the break be caught before attacking again. This time the 'wheel sucker' might not get there!
Once a breakaway group has formed and it seems likely to stay to the finish, riders then face the task of matching their strength against their companions. Much of this depends on the course. On flat races a sprinter in any break stands a strong chance of winning if the group remains intact. A non-sprinter caught in a break with sprinters, however, would be better off trying to attack again, hoping to make it to the finish alone.
If there's an uphill finish, a rider who might not be a great climber but who packs an aggressive punch in a sprint might try to keep the group together until the final climb. Climbers, of course, would revel in mountainous courses where they could attack on every climb unril they have shed the non-climbers.
When you're in a breakaway group, be wary of others bluffing. Some may say they're exhausted and try to fool their rivals by pretending they'd be happy just to make it to the finish in the group. Others may look as if they are finished as well. Some, on the other hand, manage to conceal their fatigue with stone-like expressions. Miguel Indurain was a master at this.
A great way to test any fellow breakaway companion before the finish is to launch one or two accelerati~ns and then ease up. Observe their reactions – see who is the most responsive and who appears to suffer the most. Whatever you do, don't underestimate anyone!
Need Help? [back to top]
There comes a moment in every cycle racer's life where a mechanical disaster strikes at a crucial moment – this could happen in a break, a chase, or as a peloton is in full flight at 60 kph (37 mph). When it does, there is a standard procedure to follow which can make the difference between winning and losing.
The first thing to remember when having any difficulty is not to tell anyone else but your team-mates or the personnel in the team car.
Most road races are followed by an entourage of team and mechanical support cars, ready to attend to the mechanical {and personal) needs of their riders. Problems can range from punctures, broken spokes or trouble with gears to a question of tactics.
When riders need assistance, they raise their arm for the race commissaire, or judge, who is following, to see. The commissaire then informs the personnel in the rider's team car that they are required for assistance. If possible, the commissaire will also tell the rider's 'support' what the need is – it could be something as trivial as wanting to return rain capes, or as potentially serious as a need for medical help. If it is the latter, a doctor would be informed as well.
Once the commissaire's message is received, the required team personnel will drive up to the commissaire's side of the road, from where they will be given the go-ahead to move alongside their rider in the bunch.
When the team car arrives, a rider should be in position at the side of the road. In countries where cars are driven on the right-hand side of the road, veer to that side, and vice versa. If the rider is still with the pack, they should also be at the rear. This alleviates congestion on the road and minimises the risk of someone being hit by a car or other riders.
Needy riders must be alert and ready to receive assistance. It is important to stay with the group after calling for help until your team car arrives. If the problem is a rear-tyre puncture, then it is OK to continue riding; if it's the front tyre, it's more difficult to continue – especially on a descent. If this happens, try to stay as close to the convoy of cars as is safely possible. It is illegal to take a tow from the slipstream of a car but, as long you don't spend too long behind anyone car, race commissa ires often let it slip.
In a race, the quickest remedy for a punctured tyre is a wheel change. Stop and wait for the team car to arrive. If it's a front-tyre puncture, save the mechanic time by taking out the wheel immediately. If it's a rear flat, before stopping, change down to bottom gear to assist wheel removal and replacement. Then, if the mechanic has not yet arrived, take the wheel out. Do this by standing alongside the bike, holding it upright by the saddle to make sure the front chain-ring doesn't slip off later.
After the mechanic has put the new wheel in and you've remounted for the chase, he or she will give you a push until you regain full acceleration again.
If a rider becomes detached from both the main group and the convoy, one or two team-mates will often drop back and help him or her to rejoin the race. In this instance, the riders will basically team-time-trial their way back to the peloton. This is a common situarion in the last kilometres of a race where the peloton's speed is at its fastest and probably too fast for a lone rider to successfully chase.
Post-race [back to top]
- If you can, have a helper or 'second' with you. Post-race situations are the moments of the racing day which can be the most confusing. By having someone with you, you'll be able to keep focused on doing what you have to do.
- Replenish lost fluids with a drink. Don't drink too quickly or too much. Avoid drinking alcohol immediately after a race.
- Wash yourself down with cologne or take a shower immediately if they are available.
- Change immediately into dry clothes and a pair of slippers or running shoes. Standing about in wet and dirty race gear can provoke a chill and you run the risk of picking up a cold.
- If you have won or are called to the podium, you will probably have to go there before you have a shower. If this is the case, remember to wear your official team or sponsor's colours and even products (e.g. sunglasses). This is the moment they expect you to be professional and provide publicity in return for their support.
- Check to see if you are required for any drug tests. If you have finished in the top three, you probably will have to undergo one. If not, you may be in the random checking list. If you are needed, don't forget the time limit which is normally 60 minutes after the race. Remember to take your race licence and any doctor's certificates for medication which contains allowable substances.
- You will be presented with an official form to sign as recognition that you have been summonsed; before being tested you have to sign another form before being given two sample bottles (for your urine sample) and another container in which you must urinate. In all controls, an official must actually witness the rider urinating in the container to ensure he/she doesn't cheat.
- If you have trouble urinating because of dehydration, you can drink more fluids to bring on the urge or, if it's a case of nerves, you can ask for permission to go for a short walk – although a drug control official must always be in your presence.
- Once you have urinated, you will then have to sign another form confirming that the procedure was carried out properly. If you have any doubts about the process, now is the time to say something.
- Make sure all racing gear and equipment has been packed and loaded into your car.
- Eat a light snack in the car if you face a long drive. Or have something at your hotel or house if dinner is scheduled for a couple ofhours after you return.
- If possible, have a massage. Besides assisting recovery, this is also an opportune moment to have a post-mortem on the day's race. Another good way to help you think objectively about what went right or wrong is to keep a detailed training/racing log.
- Eat dinner, remembering to restore the nutrients and fluids you've lost.
- If celebratory or commiseratory consumption of alcohol is called for, take it in moderation. Remember ... there is always the next race to think of!
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