Racing tactics?

Fooz said:

Hi Guys / girls

Quick question.. I was just wondering, if you're in a amateur race (ie. have a day job), but it's a structured event with points etc, and the team plan is X for the day, yet one of the team riders are able to get in a strong break in the first km's of the race...what's the feeling in the forum on the riders own team chasing down the break, if the break wasn't in the team plan.

Do you hope the team rider in the break is strong enough to hold his own, and let another team chase, or do you chase down your own rider, and set the designated rider from the original plan X up for the win?

Just curious 🙂

Pretty obvious I think. Don't chase a team mate who is a chance for the win.

ed073 said:

Pretty obvious I think. Don't chase a team mate who is a chance for the win.

When you get a teammate into a break, you then have two choices:

1) block or disrupt the chasing tempo thus making the break bigger. or

2) Ride wheels back, then counter attack, bridge up or wait for another chance, or be fresh for the final sprint.

Never, ever chase down your teammates, else there will be hell to pay later. What's the point of being on a team if you do not take full advantage of it?

Flyer said:

Never, ever chase down your teammates, else there will be hell to pay later. What's the point of being on a team if you do not take full advantage of it?

Maybe if your name's Andrea Tafi and it's the 1996 World Championshps!!

ed073 said:

Maybe if your name's Andrea Tafi and it's the 1996 World Championshps!!

Or if you name is Fignon and you unwittingly tow Greg LeMond up to Thierry Claveyrolat, and then go on to finish 6th, with your teammate 5th. Pretty good example of how to screw up a Team Tactic in the World Championship Road Race in 1989.

The French have never been the same.

Flyer said:

Or if you name is Fignon and you unwittingly tow Greg LeMond up to Thierry Claveyrolat, and then go on to finish 6th, with your teammate 5th. Pretty good example of how to screw up a Team Tactic in the World Championship Road Race in 1989.

The French have never been the same.

Awesome ride by Greg that day. Sean Kelly should have been world champion.

If the rider in the break is not likely to win the race should the break succeed (i.e not the strongest rider in the break) then it may be appropriate for that riders team to close the break down and restore the status quo (particularly if no other team seems keen to do so) Even more appropriate if that riders team has two potential winners who are not in that break and team plan is to launch them later on in the race. 😉

[font=Times New Roman]I agree with everything everyone has said here. However, a team should never find themselves in this situation. I once heard the Olympic gold metal winning sailor, Kevin Hall, answer a similar question to this about tactics in the sport of sailing. He said, “Winners make up their mind quickly and take forever to change it; losers take forever to make up their mind and change it quickly.” If your team has a plan, it should not be abandoned in the first kilometers of a race. Keeping that in mind, if you have a teammate in an early break and you don’t know what to do, that shows lack of preparation by your team. A situation like this—and other “if such-in-such happens at such-in-such a time” possibilities—should be discussed before the race and agreed upon by all of the members. Thus, these situations become part of plan "X".[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]In simpler words: Ask the riders on your team what they expect you to do.[/font]

I think the last post hit it on the head, you should discuss what a rider will do if they find themselves in a break. I can't imagine many situations where the teamate in the break will leave the break, unless this is a big time race and you have one leader who is isolated and needs help fast. but you could always just sit in on the break, so that it doesn't succeed but allows the team mates back in the bunch to stay off the front. I guess if the team mate in the break is a weak sprinter with stronger sprinters and he isn't going to win he should just sit in, or maybe attack himself. But if the team sprinter or designated leader is back in the pack, that team mate shouldn't help the break, unless there are a bunch of team mates in the break and they can take control of it (like a 5-7 man break with 3-5 people from the same team), but that wasn't the inital question. Plan for it, and you will be ready to take advantage of it tactically.

It really depends on what the team structure is. Assuming it is a one day race. The team tactics are all pre-planned. If it is a strong local team, there shouldn't be a "team leader." Everyone has strengths and they need to be honest with themselves what their strengths and weaknesses are. For example, if you can't sprint, should the team lead you out for a field sprint? Of course not. As far as pre planning is concerned, if your team is dominating similar races all season, a weaker rider has to respect that and help the team get results.

A general practice is if there is a break of 4 or less, and any teammate is in it, let it ride. If the break is 6 to 10, there should be 2 from the team in it. Therfore, when you are in a break of 10 and you have no teammates in the break with you, you should do no work, and wait for a teammate to bridge. Sit at the back of the group and wait for your bridging teammate. WHen he gets close, drop back and help him get into the break. Now the numbers are in your favor and you should help drive the break.

That way, everyone knows what to expect. For instance, if you are the worst sprinter around and you get into a break of 10, if it end in a sprint and you get 10th, have you really helped your team? Great, you got 10th, but your teammate, who is the fastest sprinter in the state could have won the race.

Sean could have if he had crossed the line ahead of Greg.🙂 Both are gods and that was a mother f------r of a race!

ed073 said:

Awesome ride by Greg that day. Sean Kelly should have been world champion.