TRIUMPH WITH TACTICS LIKE TEAM QUICKSTEP
Who wins the race? The strongest or the smartest? Time to engage the brain...
In an age where talk often focuses on FTP and watts per kilo, tactics and the ability to strategically master a ride and pilot a peloton are often overlooked. “Often it’s the smartest rider that will cross the line first, not the strongest,” says Liam Holohan,“by combining timing, observation, energy management and efficiency with an eye for the field, a knowledge of how the land lies and surety in the strengths of the team’s components. I’d cite Quickstep as the most dominant proponents of tactical racing of late. After losing Tom Boonen, many wondered how they would fare. They’ve really used their strength in depth to their advantage and taken out so many victories with a number of different riders.”
FIRST COURSE “Before you get to the start know what the key features of the course are. For example, with Paris-Roubaix, cobbles and distance will play a huge part in determining the winner. Also work on the fact that positioning into the sectors will enable you to pick your line, avoiding punctures and splits in the group, thus saving energy for the final. If you watch the run in to the Forest of Arenberg, you will see teams leading out their team leader, like a group sprint.”
TAKE OPPOSITION “Know who’s on form and who isn’t. You can see this played out in many a race featuring Peter Sagan where he’s missed out on a big monument victory because - as red hot favourite – he’s been marked out of the win. Rival teams will use their numbers against him, firing riders off down the road in breakaways, leaving the favourite to chase. Others are sat on his wheel, ready to pounce should he catch the man up the road.”
SUM UP STRENGTH “Through past races and training, you learn where your strengths lie. If you end up in a breakaway, look around, can you win the sprint? Look at the course and work on how you can play to your strengths, eg, if there’s a small climb before the finish and you can’t sprint but you’re a strong climber, then launch an attack here, rather than wait for the sprint.” STAY OR AWAY? “In pro racing, once the breakaway is established it’s very much a game of chicken. The peloton wants the break to have a big enough advantage, to discourage any other riders attacking out of the peloton - but not so big an advantage that they can’t ‘reel them in’ in the closing kilometres. Often a team will have a road captain or DS to make the decision of how large an advantage they’re going to give the breakaway. Great breakaway riders like De Gent lull opponents in, saving energy for the moment where the peloton try and reel him in. That’s when he hits the gas.” SHOCK AND AWE “Racing can be predictable – unless you throw
a curve ball in, like the tactical stroke Sky pulled in 2016 on the way to Bagnères-de-Luchon. They tricked the peloton into thinking that over the top of each climb Chris Froome was accelerating to take the KOM points. The other GC contenders weren’t interested in this, so they let him get a small advantage. But on the last climb he kept the effort going, attacking the descent and winning solo. As no GC riders followed he ended up stealing precious seconds and, of course, the yellow jersey.”
RACING CAN BE PREDICTABLE "UNLESS YOU THROW IN A CURVE BALL, LIKE SKY DID IN 2016...