The ECCC's "Ask A Pro" Forum

Here is a forum where riders can ask questions of experienced pros - no question too basic or too advanced! Email your questions to amyw[at]alum.dartmouth.org.

Dear Amy,
I just did my first road race last weekend, and I have a question about race tactics. I was winning the race practically the whole time, nobody was passing me, and I was doing awesome right until the very end - a whole bunch of people sprinted around me at the last minute and passed me before the finish line! How did they suddenly have the energy to do this when I had nothing left?
Sincerely,
Confused.

Amy Wallace, 2005 ECCC Champion, Responds:
Dear Confused,
Well, it sounds like you made a common mistake of a very strong, but slightly unwise, first-time road racer. What you did for the whole race was what we call "pulling the field" or "sitting on the front" - which leads to a discussion on drafting. When someone tells you to "catch a draft", "grab a wheel", "sit in", or "get out of the wind!" it means just that - get out of the wind! By drafting off another rider, you are doing signficantly less work than if you were the lead rider. Think of geese - do you ever see geese alone? They always fly with someone in the lead and they take turns pulling the pack. So, live and learn. This is a common mistake of racers who have a history of mountain biking, time trialing, or even those who are just used to training alone! Avoid riding alone in a race at all costs.

There are a few different ways to make sure you're not doing too much work, depending on your situation.

In a pack:
if there are enough of you in the pack, or peloton, avoid riding on the front too much! The best place to sit is second or third wheel, but beware - the leader of the pack may pull off and then you'll find yourself on the front pulling when maybe you didn't want to be. How to avoid this? Ride at the back. But, you'll probably never win a race if you sit at the back. So, experiment with sitting in different locations within the pack. If you're still itching to be on the front and the pace is just too slow for you, this is an indicator that you should attack, which is a discussion for another day...

In a small group with as few as one other rider:
It's time to start talking to each other. If you and your group are off the back of the pack, agree to work together and pool your efforts. If you take turns pulling, you share the work and can hopefully catch back up! Short pulls are best, usually around 30 seconds apiece before switching positions. In a small group, this shared effort is called pacelining. Ride single file with the lead rider taking about 30 second pulls before moving aside for the next person to move up for their turn. Keep a steady pace and communicate with each other!

Hopefully this has answered your question, Confused. The reason everyone was able to come around you in the end is because they sat on your wheel the whole race, conserved their energy, and waited until the appropriate time for the sprint finish.

Amy