Rules of the Road

Some good suggestions on how to race a criterium by "MC Hammer"



 1. Stay in the front half of the pack


2. Everyone wants to stay in the front half of the pack


3. Everyone in the back of the pack is moving up to the front half


4. You can’t effectively talk to anyone behind you


5. You can’t effectively talk to anyone in front of you


6. You don’t know what is happening behind you


7. You have to know what is happening in front of you


8. On many crit courses, there are only 2-3 parts of the course where you can easily move up


9. If you can't move up easily, you must move up between riders.


10. If you are bold and move up between riders, they generally will make way for you


11. Look for a "naked" back wheel of a guy who is moving up


12. Stay out of the wind unless you’re on a break or chasing a break


13. You can’t completely stay out of the wind, especially if you move up on the outsides of the pack


14. Hold your line in corners


14. Assume those just ahead of you will not hold their line in corners


 15. Keep your head up


 16. Stay in the drops


17. Be comfortable sprinting, working a break and chasing a break in the drops


18. Make no sudden movements, unless that's the only way to avoid a crash


19. Look for riders in front of you who appear stable and experienced, and stay behind them


20. Don't chase down a break with a teammate in it


21. Don’t start a final sprint too soon unless you are leading out a teammate


22. Don’t start a final sprint too late


23. Avoid a dangerous sprint for a mediocre placing


24. If you want a break to succeed, talk to the guys in the break about how long a pull each guy is going to take


25. There is no "I" in "prime". Oh wait. Check that. There is no "I" in "team."