The Complete Book of Road Cycling & Racing by Willard Peveler

Author:Willard Peveler
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
Published: 2009-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

Joining a Breakaway

It's a gamble to join a breakaway because you don't know whether it will succeed. Familiarity with the other riders and teams in a race makes it easier to gauge a break's chances, but this comes only with experience. As a coach, I usually prefer aggressive mistakes to passive ones; I would rather see a cyclist go with a break that fails than have him sit in and miss the winning break. (Having said this, I would not want to see one of my cyclists make a break 10 miles into a 50-plus-mile race.) Don't be afraid to take a chance. You can learn as much from your mistakes as from your successes.

If you think a break will succeed, jump on quickly. If you did not initially make the break and it appears that the peloton will not respond, you must make a realistic judgment as to whether you can close, or bridge, the gap. If you decide to go for it, use the same methods as for initiating a breakaway.

If you join a breakaway, work with the other riders to ensure that the break will hold until the finish line. Even at the professional level, breaks sometimes fail at the finish because riders refuse to cooperate over the last kilometers: no one wants to work on the front, and the pace drops while the peloton picks up the pace and closes the gap. Save the tactics for the sprint to the finish. It's better to have a top-five finish than to be caught and spit out the back by the peloton right at the finish line. On the other hand, try not to lead out your rivals in a sprint for the finish line by allowing them to sit in your slipstream until the end.

As you approach the finish line, there may come a time to drop the rest of the breakaway. When you decide to go solo, attack from the rear. After your turn on the front, drop to the back and fall a few bike lengths behind the last rider so you can build up speed and attack. Your momentum will carry you past the riders before they can respond. If you are strong enough or lucky enough, they will not close the gap.

If you have a teammate in the break, attempt to wear down the rest of the riders with a series of attacks. Rider A attacks while Rider B, usually the stronger of the two, sits in on the chase. The moment the group catches Rider A, Rider B comes over the top and attacks. If it works correctly, Rider B will be off the front. If not, Rider A sits in on the chase and waits to attack when Rider B is caught.

If your break is not close to the finish line and is being reeled in quickly, you have a decision to make. Can you and your group pick up the pace and maintain the gap? If not, don't blow yourself up.

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