tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post6457678717149767561..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: East Canyon Race Report: 4 Mistakes By The Spin 4’sWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-83499017255337185662009-04-30T09:58:00.000-06:002009-04-30T09:58:00.000-06:00Thanks Brooks. It was great to see & race with...Thanks Brooks. It was great to see & race with you again after our (very!) long winter.<br /><br />Re: coasting. I also enjoy racing w/the SC guys (they've put together a great team) and specifically Matt & Dave. I don't know what to say about the coasting tactic, except that I can see how it would drive one batty...Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-78607728835797373362009-04-28T12:21:00.000-06:002009-04-28T12:21:00.000-06:00Alex -- Interesting to hear what was happening in ...Alex -- Interesting to hear what was happening in front of me...I was in the chase group with Will and Jason and the 2 Skull Candy guys, Matt and Dave...I don't think any of us realized there was a group in front of you or they might have worked withus...instead they didn't work...and didn't just sit on either. The SCs - who I genuinely enjoy racing with - would ride to the front our group and get in the pace line and then coast. I understand not working, but that tactic seemed weird. I worked trying to bridge to you and Tyler and then got smoked on the final finishing climb. Nice work...you rode a good race.Brooksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-24391648503130659502009-04-27T22:20:00.000-06:002009-04-27T22:20:00.000-06:00KKris- I agree that >90% of road-race strategy ...KKris- I agree that >90% of road-race strategy planning never pans out. But I will say that when you move from Cat 5 to Cat 4, suddenly everyone gets serious about working with their team. In Cat 5 it's really just each man for himself, even if some guys are wearing matching kits. <br /><br />But crits are another story. They're short enough to be fairly predictable and the dominant teams (like Spin in the C flite this year) strategize and work them pretty well. <br /><br />Ted- that's an awful story. Our races in UT are open-road as well. I will say that yellow-line violations seem to be really rare in the cat's I've raced in (5, 4 and combination 3/4), but whether that's through enforcement or general custom here in UT I couldn't say. Probably my biggest safety beef about road-racing is that 1 sketchy rider can endanger so many others. In the 5's this was a continual problem (which I solved by riding up front) but even now in the 4's, out of a typical pack of ~40 racers, there'll be 1 or 2 scary riders in pretty much every race. Not reckless or irresponsible- just poor at handling a bike at speed in close quarters.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-958137893457676132009-04-27T14:35:00.000-06:002009-04-27T14:35:00.000-06:00That near crash was an almost identical scenario t...That near crash was an almost identical scenario to one that occurred in 2007 in a road race in Peoria, Illinois. In the women's race a touch of wheels sent one rider into the path of an oncoming truck. The driver did not swerve, and the girl (23 years of age) was killed. Although I was not there and did not see it, it was an extremely sobering event for everyone in the bike racing scene in this part of the country. The tragedy could have been avoided if the race course could have been closed, but there is no support for this in the communities where races take place or among law enforement officials. Basically, we should feel lucky they even let us race at all is the way they expect us to feel. That reality played a part - along with ongoing reticense by race officials to DQ yellow line violators - in my eventual decision to stop racing.<br />regards--tedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-58694069242500442022009-04-27T09:53:00.000-06:002009-04-27T09:53:00.000-06:00I thoroughly enjoyed this post.
I'm a sucker for ...I thoroughly enjoyed this post.<br /><br />I'm a sucker for race tactics (as I imagine most racing cyclists are), but the sad fact is that laziness is usually the best tactic. Just hang out in the pack, but close to the front so if a sizable break goes you can go with. All the other tactics sound fun, but in a race they rarely accomplish work. I know I'm raining on the parade, but am I right?<br /><br />Regardless, it's still fun to strategize and scheme.<br /><br />Congratulations on your 5th place finish and a good showing by the SPIN team.<br /><br />And, yeah, that near crash scared the crap out of me just reading your report.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.com