Clipping In Fast at a Race Start

[jmcavoy]

I wouldn't worry about the rules - the CORC crits are just a bit of fun. Riders like Jason, James, Kylie and myself do these races for different reasons. Jason is keen on getting a good start because his clip ins have been pretty ordinary in the last 2 races

What sort of track do we want next week?

I am thinking reverse of 2 weeks ago...how cool would that be. Fly down the fire trail then climb-climb-climb up the trail below dew drop in

True, anyone that knows me knows I am a solo 24 nut job, prior to this series, I'd never done a crit before, I suck at short course, but that is exactly why I am there, to get better at the "racing" part of solo 24, because every year solo 24 gets faster and faster and more about holding wheels and pacing off others, ie: more about racing than enduring; so I'm not there to race the crits, but to learn about how to race, and I'm learning heaps, every week, it's been awesome! I'll even admit I've gotten addicted and I'll be back next summer for sure!

The reason I am keen to get better starts is because at Majura if you get a bad start you get stuck behind people for the rest of the race and that is frustrating beyond belief, so I am keen to get good starts and into a lap 1 race position that suits my pace (somewhere in the middle), so I can just ride, without getting stuck behind people for laps at a time

As for tracks, I vote for one that has a good length of fire trail, preferably uphill, as that allows overtaking, short or downhill firetrails just means you can't get past people, and then it's back into the single track congo line for more frustration, lap after hair pulling lap The best one we have done was Majura two weeks back, down through the jumps, then up a 200m firetrail climb for an awesome sprint finish. That course rocked, I a had a shitty start that week too, and even crashed twice, but because there was overtaking room on that firetrail, I finished 4th in the end, a PB finish for this slow old fart.

Clearly I have no skill and need all the over taking room in the world to allow me make up for my mistakes
See you guys tomorrow night, where hopefully I'll avoid falling on my arse on the start line, again

 

[akashra]

As for tracks, I vote for one that has a good length of fire trail, preferably uphill, as that allows overtaking, short or downhill firetrails just means you can't get past people, and then it's back into the single track congo line for more frustration, lap after hair pulling lap The best one we have done was Majura two weeks back, down through the jumps, then up a 200m firetrail climb for an awesome sprint finish. That course rocked, I a had a shitty start that week too, and even crashed twice, but because there was overtaking room on that firetrail, I finished 4th in the end, a PB finish for this slow old fart.

Hah, good luck with that. Even the rules say that Nationals courses need to have ample room for overtaking, but it's a complaint heard at every single round - especially Eagle and Buller. Crit courses are supposed to be two-wide the whole way - Illinbah was probably the closest, You Yangs was basically single file.

But yeah. Not enough thought is put into courses and how they might promote passing.

 

[dr.evil]

The dirt crit track at Stromlo is purpose built and provides ample overtaking opportunities, easy access and visibility for spectators. Majura offers a lot of choices for crits but there is a need to keep it reasonably close to the main entry (race gate) and this limits the options. I have attached a picture of the crit loop I have in my head at the moment - it will be pretty close to the final thing but I never know until I put out those arrows and have a test run. Nice climb along a firetrail then some single with more climbing then singletrack down back to the start. It will go up on the CORC site because the start/finish area is in an unusual area.

 

[JD26]

You Yangs would have been fine if it wasn't a muddy quagmire. I am not complaining though, I was able to overtake without any hassle there when it counted.

Eagle is pretty much touch and go, you have to be fully on the gas to be able to get past someone along the start finish straight, as you have had a full recovery descent (in short track that means a difference of about 5 beats per minute).

Stromlo was good. Lots of spots to overtake, long start finish, around the first corner, after the triples, after the short climb (though harder) with some options in the berms (thanks Benny H). However, what makes it hard to overtake at Stromlo is the pure top end speed that is able to be put out on the wider open parts. It is a lot harder to get around people.

Ideally, the best overtaking spots are on an uphill grade (only has to be less than 3-5%) and obviously a fireroad. To be perfect any track with 2 or 3 of these allows more in the way of tactics, for both overtaking, and for getting the position back (if you are the overtakee).

I agree with Jason, the crit track 2 weeks ago with the long fireroad was good for overtaking. This fireroad is pretty 'flat' but I was hitting my maximum HR by the top of it every lap. But for perfection, it would have been good to have a fireroad after the jump section just to allow another element of passing opportunity.

But you have to race what is put on. That is what makes MTB racing so cool. It is different every time. Even at Stromlo! Even different laps can be different depending on how the track condition changes. Sometimes it will suit you, other times maybe not. This is a good thing as it ultimately makes you a better rider overall.

 

[jmcavoy]

Hope this helps.

Well it sure did James, and I just wanted to say thanks for the killer advise
I practiced on Sunday a little bit (maybe 10 starts), and then last night before the race I did at least 20 practice starts (maybe too many, but I wanted a good start for once!), using the patented JD26 technique... anyway, I got the cleanest start I've ever had and got a PB finish position as a result!

Thanx for the help man, I really appreciate it!

PS: I think another thing that helped last night too was I took a 2nd row start (I have previously been starting on the front row), and that slowed everything down just a little bit and allowed me to clip in easier (rather than rushing it on the 1st row and missing the clip in). Once my confidence returns I'll move back to the front row, but with only 3 rounds left in the series, that might be something for next season...

 

[JD26]

Well it sure did James, and I just wanted to say thanks for the killer advise
I practiced on Sunday a little bit (maybe 10 starts), and then last night before the race I did at least 20 practice starts (maybe too many, but I wanted a good start for once!), using the patented JD26 technique... anyway, I got the cleanest start I've ever had and got a PB finish position as a result!

Thanx for the help man, I really appreciate it!

PS: I think another thing that helped last night too was I took a 2nd row start (I have previously been starting on the front row), and that slowed everything down just a little bit and allowed me to clip in easier (rather than rushing it on the 1st row and missing the clip in). Once my confidence returns I'll move back to the front row, but with only 3 rounds left in the series, that might be something for next season...

That's awesome to hear! And so good that it worked in a race. The 2nd row probably assisted in order to slow things down for sure. I would recommend going for the 1st row spot on Thursday for the rest of the rounds. Back yourself. When you get the killer start and get the holeshot into the first corner, you can dictate the pace of the race.

Now that is a whole extra chapter called 'Effective Pacing whilst leading a race so that you don't blow and let the 2nd place wheelsucker get by'

It does take a bit of extra effort but definitely don't sweat the small things. British cycling federation have a saying - "Performance by the aggregation of marginal gains". Essentially you can not improve many things by 25%, however you could improve 25 things by 1%. It takes a LOT of work, but it can be done.

Such as - bike, clothing, food, nutrition, tactics, sleep, training, recovery etc