A friend of mine noticed on a recent race report that I had mentioned setting up a teammate to attack. He was wanting to know what went into this. I told him that it was pretty straight forward. Then I thought about all the different ways there are to attack. So rather then give away what type of attack was used in that particular race I thought I would post a few of my favorites.

Before I list my favorites you might or should be asking your self why should I attack in a race. Even better why shouldn’t I attack in a race. An attack is when a rider with or with out help will suddenly sprint away from the group he or she is with. These attacks are done primarily to peel off weaker racers, or those not paying attention and to possibly just possibly get away and stay away for a win. I have witnessed larger and more organized teams put one attack out after another to wear down an entire peleton with two or more riders in reserve so that they are but guaranteed a win at the sprint.

When one team attacks its inevitable that one of four things are going to occur.

1. Another team or team’s will respond to join in the attack to create a break or to reel in the rider by slowly over time settling the pace down to where the main group (peleton) can catch them.
2. The peleton will let the attacker go knowing they don’t have the legs to go for a break away and wait for them to come back to the peleton.
3. The attacker(s) attack for purely psychological reasons. This is done in an effort to show superiority or to break down weaker riders. What new riders don’t understand is that very few attacks lead to much and the pace will settle down. Instead they go all out on every attack and wonder why they are off the back heaving. Been there done that.
4. The attack is successful either because the peleton is to tired/weak to catch the break or do not believe it will stick. This is when the break away artist must have Time Trialing strengths to stay away.

Here are some of my favorite Attack tactics:

Attack when it hurts

If you have been keeping up with the main group or the break away group then the likely hood that you are the only one hurting is probably pretty narrow. This is a great time to attack. More than likely everyone will require the same amount of time to recover. You won’t see this happen much in amateur ranks but Pros are known to attack right after attacking! The element of surprise plays a big roll in attacking successfully.

Lead out an attack

Often when teams are well organized and bunch together at the front of the peleton this is where one rider can jump off the front hopefully only with one teammate in tow and sling shot them out further and faster than if they were doing it all by them selves. Teams that are smart won’t allow this to happen by simply not allowing to many teams to organize at the front of the peleton. There is also the threat of this happening off the back or the middle of the peleton but it can be tricky to execute due to road constraints or team communication. You know, the guy who yells out what everyone is doing.

False attack/Lazy attack

Not really sure this one counts as an attack but it can still serve to wear out other riders. When a rider finds themselves rested and drifting to the front and the pace slows down to the point of frustration especially on a down hill section go off the front at speed faster than the peleton. They may or may not try to bring you back if you have legs attack again and begin your time trial.

Surges and more surges

Surges aren’t really attacks but I thought I would mention them because they serve some of the same purposes. Primarily weakining riders and limiting field sizes. Surging needs to be done from the front of the peleton and it needs to be done with out telegraphing it. To do it you just want 2-3 revolutions of your spin to be a bit more powerful then the last 2-3 revolutions. DO NOT do this more than a few times, you can wear your self out. What happens is that this effort is magnified ten fold in a large peleton and has an accordion effect to those in the last third of the peleton. This accordion effect requires those in the back to work much harder than those on the front to hang on. In lower category races this happens in most road races with out actually trying!

Attacking in out of corners

The tactic of attacking corners is very effective psychologically in Road Races but especially Criteriums. When approaching a corner sprint away from the front into the corner then sprint again out of the corner. The goal is to get threw as many corners as you to where the peleton can no longer see you (Out of sight out of mind). To be truly effective using this tactic you need to have a teammate/supporter not racing call out the time splits so you know if you are working to hard or not hard enough. You will know if your attack is leading to a successful break away when you time splits hold or the announcers tells you that you are about to lap the field.

Thanks to my teammates of Main Street Velo for offering up shots from various races this spring!

When I started my first structured training plan I read something depressing. I am going to paraphrase but the gist was “Unless you are a genetically gifted athlete expect that it could take 3-5 years before you win a race”.

This was a hard pill to swallow but I had already set some long term goals and I didn’t start racing expecting to win. I wanted to improve, be in the mix and give my competitive spirit an outlet. I was not a jock as a kid and most of the sports I did participate in were not team sports or endurance sports for that matter. Based on this I have tempered my expectations on winning. This does not mean that I am not going to try like hell to win it just means that I have decided to temper my expectations.

I heard from a coach that we train to develop assets. So I hired a couple of coaches for my team and we developed skills and learned how to attack our limiters and use our strengths. My self and a few of my teammates now gladly pass this knowledge on to new teammates each year.

Another coach I spoke to explained to me that what wins a race is not the training you did last week, its the training you did 5, 10, 15 years ago. There is alot to be said for using experience to temper expectations. Of course this all goes back to setting realistic training and competitive goals each and every year. I do believe that we build on each subsequent year of training I also believe that unless you put it out there each week you will not see progress.

What I mean by not seeing progress is that we as athletes need to experience many types of training, events and racing to gain the necessary experience. Racing a couple of times a year and training like your a Tour de France contender might make you strong and even fast but it is not going to make you a competent road racer or a winner unless you are genetically gifted.

In a moment of panic last year I contacted one of the coaches that we hired to help us develop individual skills. I had been training like a mad man during last year’s off season and I had fully expected my first race to go very well. Needless to say I did not meet my goals that day. I mentioned this to the coach and he asked me what I thought I did wrong? I said I had no idea and then proceeded to ask him what I should do to recover my fresh new season. He told me to “quit training and start racing”. Then he explained that durring the on season there is a simple formula. I am going to share it below:

• Mon: Do not train – Passive recovery
• Tue: Compete in a training race or a group ride beyond your abilities
• Wed: Go out for an aerobic to easy solo ride
• Thu: Work on a limiter or a strength
• Fri: Leg openers if racing on Sat, Recovery Ride if not Racing on Sat
• Sat: If racing follow your race day protocol, If racing Sunday apply Leg opener intervals
• Sun: If racing follow your race day protocol, If not racing get out with a disciplined group and put in some road time

This formula was given to me over a cell phone conversation that lasted exactly 10 minutes. I did not make any adjustments to this formula last season. What I can tell you is the more I race the more confident I became and the more relaxed I became. The more relaxed I became the better I performed when the surge was on. If you look there really is only one day for traditional training and that is Thursday.

Good luck with your training this off season and remember to build some new assets and race as much as you can handle. You will not only become faster you will be come more confident.

Until next week….

In wrote in my previous posts (part 1, part 2) about the importance of sponsorship and maintaining good relations with your sponsor and the process of finding sponsors, attracting sponsors and entering into an agreement with a sponsor. In this post I will be introducing my Sponsors for 2010 and little about each of them.

Here we go – my sponsors for the 2010 USA Cycling Road Racing Season. In the months to come I will be writing articles on all of the products that I utilize from my prospective sponsors. These will not be reviews as I do not feel it is fair to the sponsors or my readers as I am being compensated in one form or another by these sponsors. These articles will be introductions to the products I use and will not contain any judgments or criticisms.

GSR Solutions is a visual communications consulting firm that I proudly own. GSR solutions offers a full range of services from graphic design, brand development, web development, web analytics and eMarketing. To learn more how GSR Solutions may help your organization please visit our site. You may also call me Robert Grissom at: 502.509.7624

Our vision is for KINeSYS Inc. to be a pioneer and global leader in the Performance Bodycare and Suncare categories, with a reputation for quality and innovation respected by our business partners and consumers. While KINeSYS products are developed for the active individual they have also been tested and designed to meet the rigors of professional athletes.

Motor Tabs Fluid Replacement System turns ordinary water into a smooth, refreshing sports drink! It’s as simple as dropping an effervescent tablet into water. Designed for use any time around participatory athletic activity or when additional electrolytes are required, MOTOR TABS is a portable sports drink that can go anywhere, as the tablets are individually wrapped in water/air tight foil packages that protect them from sweat, dirt and other harmful elements.  Whether it’s on the bike, run, hike, gym or at work, MOTOR TABS restores vital fluids that are lost during physical activity or illness.

The Inner Cooler is a personal garment worn under your shirt, similar to a dickey or bib. When soaked in water, the Inner Cooler swells. When worn during any strenuous activity your body heat causes the stored water to evaporate and the water vapor released cools the temperature at the body’s core.

Chomper Body makes products for people who love to play sports and strive to incorporate the healthiest possible choices for their skin care regimen. We use ingredients that are pure and simple. Ingredients that promote health and are good for your skin like moisturizing nut butters, lubricating oils and healing essential oils. Left out are potentially harmful synthetic chemicals, thickeners, silicone and petroleum based ingredients. Things that clog pores and pollute the body. And although our products won’t save your life or your sole they will provide hours of comfort and peace of mind for anyone passionate about living a healthier life.

My team Main Street Velo which is sponsored by some fantastic local businesses. To learn more about my team and our sponsors please visit our web site. http://MainStreetVelo.com

Thanks again for reading and keeping up with my articles. I am really excited about my sponsors and the upcoming racing season. Please visit these sponsors I know you will find there product offerings as compelling as I do.