Tactics Board
IF THERE’S NOTHING SEPARATING YOU AND YOUR MATE OR RIVAL IN A RACE – THEN IT’S TIME TO USE A LITTLE TACTICAL NOUS.
We often hear Liggett and Sherwin talking about tactics during Tour de France stages; and we tend to implement them – loosely – into our own racing. But despite the impact race tactics have on racing performance, they’re not that well understood. It’s important to grasp that implementing tactics requires a combination of technical ability, intelligent riding, and fitness. But to start with, these are the three principal tactics: Maximising your strengths; Playing on the weaknesses of your opponents;
Minimising your rivals’ strengths. These three principals open up infinite possibilities. The more you race, the more experience you gain and the better your performance will become.
Strengths and weaknesses are physical components, and every rider should be aware of theirs. Is yours a powerful sprint? The capacity to sustain high power for a long time? The ability to climb very fast?
If you know your strengths and weaknesses – and you know your rivals’ strengths and weaknesses – here’s what you need to consider when trying to ‘out-tactic’ your friends: the course – near the start? Near the finish? A large climb early on is not likely to suit a fast climber in terms of breaking away, but one near the end certainly will. However, a large climb early on is an opportunity for a climber to create a break from any powerful riders who can hold a high speed on the flat sections that follow.
Another example is narrow, tight turns. These offer the opportunity to create a solo or group breakaway. In a large bunch in particular, turns will string the group out; so poor positioning can easily cause loss of contact. Bunch position going into a tight turn near the finish could mean the difference between winning and losing. Head-, tail- and crosswinds: think about them. A headwind into a sprint finish lends itself to drafting until the last possible moment. For a powerful rider with good endurance, a crosswind from the righthand side out on the route is an opportunity to split the bunch by riding on the far right side of the road. In general, surprisingly, many riders have limited awareness of wind direction and effective positioning. Without a breakaway, the bunch stays together, and the strongest sprinter will almost always win. This is why you’ll find non-sprinters breaking away; they’re trying to shake things