Road Race Tips for Competitive Cyclists

Video Transcript

"SAL COLLURA: Okay, now that we've gotten through the training portion, I want to talk about the actual competition. So we'll start with a road race. Now, in a road race, it's my personal opinion that the way to win a road race is to save up your effort for when it's really going to count. Now, I can't be there with you and tell you which rider, which group, which effort is going to be the one. That's where your biggest muscle comes into play--your brain. So, knowing the competition beforehand or maybe just marking that good rider. So marking a rider is when you--I'll pick a guy at the start of the race who I know always does well. Maybe he does well on this specific course. Maybe he's a good climber, an all-around tough guy, and this is a good course for him. I mark him, I follow him. Where he goes, I go. That is one strategy of road racing. So, the thing is, if--let's say there are four or five times during that race when you're way out of your comfort zone and it's a really hard effort. Well, one of those is probably going to be the time when that group splits up. A breakaway gets off, people come off the back, something happens. It's a crucial time in the race. If you pick the right moment to put in your effort, then you're in that winning break, or you've just dumped the guy who is going to out-sprint you later, you've gotten rid of him, that's that crucial time. So, again, I can't tell you when that time is going to be in a race; you have to learn that and you have to be smart about it. But the idea is, put in your efforts and maybe it's more than one; a matter of fact, if it's a hard, long, hilly road race, it's going to be more than one. Put in those efforts where they're most needed and where they're going to give you the most benefit. And at other times during the race, you're resting, you're eating, you're drinking, you're preparing for that big effort. And remember, if there's a long climb coming up or even a short one, get yourself up towards the front of that group. Even if you're not the best climber and you're going to drop back, well at least you started at the front and you'll only lose a few spots, and you're not tailing off the back. Same thing with maybe there's a hard, dangerous corner; well, get up towards the front. Again, meet out your efforts to make sure that they happen at the right time, but in general keep yourself up in that definitely front half of the group. And when it's sprint time, you are way up there. If it comes down to a group sprint, you're way up front."