Sterling Road Race

[Eden]

Thanks, Eden! I've been practicing the hill climbs .

The block at the finish was unbelievable! Strategically very smart, but also frustrating for those caught behind. I think I have been marked by some of the other women racers, and they are doing what they can to try and shut me out... Not sure how to overcome that.

Wellll - I wouldn't say blocking is smart, its really frowned upon around here as at best unsportswomanly, at worst cheating.... There are some things you can do, as long as you aren't outright strung across the road, that if the other people aren't paying attention can work well. Like having one teammate let a gap form so that one or two others can roll off the front. Slowing the pace in a chase group if you are let get to the front (you don't stop another team from coming up and picking up the pace, but if they let you slow it down then its their mistake!). Having such a large team we try to be very careful that we don't ever get accused of using blocking as a tactic. As far as getting through a block... that's a tough one. Look for spots that the road gets wider and try to get around, if you can do it safely sometimes gaps open when people are anticipating a corner (I would say though don't try to pass on the inside of corners - that can be dangerous!) or climbing and you can find places to get through then. If the road is flat and straight and they really slow it down there may be nothing you can do, besides perhaps maybe talking to some of the other teams and mentioning that blocking is not a fair tactic, though I know how that kind of thing is usually recieved... (maybe talk to some of their higher level riders? they might be willing to mention to their 4's that its not a good thing)

My other challenge is that my teammates got dropped 1/3 of the way into the race, so I was really on my own. I'm trying to recruit a couple of stronger Cat 4 racers so I will have some help though.

Yeah - last year I was in much the same situation. This year we have a pretty strong cat 4 team, which has made it more fun. (doh - I just reread your original post and you did exactly what I said here - good on you!) Even your weaker teammates can help. Line them up right on the front when the race starts and have them control the pace for as long as the other teams will let it happen. Get the ones who burn out quickly to launch (and chase) attacks while they are still with the group - it will make them stronger and it will wear down the pack a bit. Have them try to control the chase if you get into a break. Its good for them and good for you if they have a job to do and feel like they are making a difference. It won't always work out, but its good to start with a plan.
Even with the size of our team our races ususally do break up into breaks and chases. If we are lucky we get more than one team member into a break, but often since we don't want to drag the whole pack up, the teamate in the break is alone. That's OK as long as they aren't totally outnumbered by another team that can overwhelm them. If you find yourself in a break with a large number of people from a single other team - you should not feel obligated to do a lot of the work. Try to stay off the front as much as possible. Its the duty of the dominant team to control the break!

Last year was my first year of racing, and for me, it was all about power. This year, I'm trying to race smarter, not harder .

SheFly

Me too! though the power part maybe not - as a smaller rider I've always had to ride smarter...... just rolling away from the group has never been an option for me..... I spent most of my time last year reacting, this year has been a lot more fun because we have been the ones causing the reactions!

just curious - are you thinking about upgrading - it seems like from some of your last reports you've been doing really well. I'm feel like I'm at the point where I ought to. There are always a few in our field that come in as strong as some of the 2's so I certainly haven't been going out and winning, but I certainly feel stronger and I am racing better than most of the people who were my nemesi last year. I don't TT that well, and I know 1/2/3 crits will be painful at the very least and more likely that I'll be pulled from a lot of them...., but road racing has been going great and I'm climbing very well.