@Jack_Beveridge nice, thanks for the advice. Do you mean being near the front for first 5 laps is necessary? You must have been riding super efficiently, something for me to aim for.
@RecoveryRide thanks, the cornering definitely needs work. It was possible to pedal round all the corners on this circuit when in the bunch which I find less comfortable than getting more of a lean on. Anything in particular that helped you start carrying more speed through the corners?
yes first 5 laps is always crucial. Means any big moves you have the chance to respond to as well as learn who is and isn’t the strongest riders in the race.
Literally trying to follow these guys through the corners, noting their lines, entry speed, etc. I simply tried to copy. A big part of it is retraining your brain about what is a realistic cornering speed. I suppose another thing was noting when they were strategic; on some narrower sections, when they wanted to put a bit of pressure on those behind, they’d brake harder and later before putting in a little burst out of the corner.
Depends on context though. If you’re a cat 4 in a 234 race and got dropped last time out then first goal is just to get to the end of the race, don’t particularly need to worry about missing big moves or figuring out who the strong riders are to mark. If you’re looking to get in a move then I agree it’s worth being up front (though also find it’s pretty rare for a move to stick to early on if there’s a decent sized field, especially in winter racing where everybody is looking to get a good workout so people are less likely to play it tactical and refuse to chase).
Worst case scenario the whole pack splits early and you’re on the wrong side of it but even that probably works out ok in this case as the OP then gets to ride in a smaller pack to the end of the race and can work on being smooth and efficient.
Not exactly. Elite is another step above cat 1, so not exactly a US parallel. Takes more points to achieve and maintain and can be a flag for pro teams to notice you.
The other difference is that in the US the requirement to get to cat 4 is basically, ‘can you fog a mirror?’. In the UK, to get to cat 3 from cat 4 (beginner) you need to score 12 points, so it’s a bit more like the US transition from 4 to 3.
I’m down in London next week and trying to do Lee Valley. Does the course have two 180s, or are they not really that tight? Is it noticeably lumpy?
It’s not as tight as it looks on strava, more sweeping. There’s one lump you sort of notice but nothing long or lumpy enough to really make it hard. Nice flowing course if field size isn’t huge and people know how to ride.
you can pedal around all the corners pretty much every lap, except the last lap as you’d likely be going too fast. try and take the bottom corner smoothly, focusing on exit speed, as the group usually kicks out of it.