Many bike racers with the talent to be super heroes have terrible enemies in the peloton who repeatedly thwart their ambitions. In a bike race, the good guy doesn’t always win. If the good guy has to waste energy dealing …
Category: Race Strategy
Don’t Hate Them For Winning
There are riders who never work at the front prior to the final few laps in a criterium, and yet consistently get on the podium. These riders are often not aerobically powerful. Some can’t time-trial their way out of a …
Road Trip!!! It’s Stage Racing Time!
It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Cycling fans are focused on the 21-day Tour de France while bike racers are heading to their own shorter stage races for sustained doses of suffering, and nearly guaranteed good times. Stage races can …
There’s no “We” in “Team”
Bike racing at the professional level is very much a team sport. While individuals get credit for winning races and tours, they cannot do so without the support of a strong team. Sometimes the support is obvious, such as when …
Tactics 101 – Road Racing Strategy
by Brian Forbes For every action in the race by a competitor or teammate, there is always a choice of reactions by every other rider in the race. In the excitement of being in a racing pack, it is important …
Don’t Just Be Dust in the Wind
Winds can play a major role in the outcome of any race. From conserving energy to advancing position in the pack, wind can be a valuable ally or unwelcome foe. Come race day, knowing how to read and position for …
Bike Racing: The Game
By the time you read this the Northern Hemisphere racing season will be in its waning months. Chances are that you’d still like to earn a few more upgrade points or attract attention from a bigger team and that you …
Tactical Toolbox: The Attack
An attack is an acceleration initiated with the goal of getting a tactically significant gap. A well planned attack is often the tactical turning point of a race, but many attacks are ineffective: Some don’t result in a gap. Some …
How to win a bike race
Many riders who race but don’t win assume that they need to train some weak area of physical ability. One can train in specific ways to improve the power that can be sustained for mile after mile, for a few …
Double Reality Check – Identifying a tactical race plan that suits both your talents and the course
There are as many potentially successful strategies for winning bike races as there are courses and categories. However, only a few strategies are likely to be successful in any given race. Strategies that work beautifully on one course or with …
Light a Candle, or, Race the Race You’ve Entered
See if you can figure out the common factor in these five situations: Riders are stretched out single file on a wide straight road as the leader weaves back and forth, pedaling furiously, occasionally looking over his shoulder, and frantically …
Light a Candle, or, Race the Race You’ve Entered Read More »
Race Your Strengths
Each rider is more suited to particular aspects of racing and less suited to others. Some riders have tremendous speed for a short distance, some can ride all day at a good clip and some can climb away from a …
Learning from the Tour de France: Rider Roles
When we watch pro races on television, the roles of racers all look so well defined. Robbie McEwen is a SPRINTER and Fred Rodriguez the LEADOUT MAN that takes Robbie to the 200m mark. Michael Rasmussen a CLIMBER who will …