What does it take to be a leadout rider? I have always related to guys like Lombardi, Sacchi, Steegmans, the Cipo train, the pre-Milram Pettachi train. It is impressive on a couple of fronts. What does it take to know you are so strong that no one can come around you, yet you will finish your race 600 meters from the finish? What about being a world class sprinter and your race ending 100 meters from the finish? What kind of discipline does it take to absolutely place 100% of your aspirations/talent aside for your sprinter? Secondly it is mutha f'in hard to do what those freaks do. Brett Lancaster railing for 1k at 33-35 mph. Then someone like Steegmans takes over from there and crushes the penultimate acceleration for 400 meters at probably 38-40 mph down to 150-200 to go. Then the Boonen, McEwen, Bennati, Pettachi's take over.
So that brings me to this. In the last five years I can count on both hands, maybe even one, where I have seen this happen in an amateur race. Why? Are we not willing to lay it down for a teammate? Do we not practice the drill together? Hard to say. Do you know how hard it is to explain to a non-cyclist that you pulled off at 200 meters to go, while leading, to let your teamate win? People do not get it. Whatever the reason, a lead-out is the ultimate example of teamwork, self-sacrifice, and pure joy when it all goes right.
So since I am back racing some road crits I have been working on leadouts a little bit. I have the physical end down. I think last week at Grandview I got the mental end down to. I knew where I had to get to and I did it. I put my aspirations aside because I knew my teammate is a better sprinter. I trust him and know he appreciates the effort. My race ended 300 meters from the finish and my teammate won the field sprint. Hopefully now I can repeat it, but a little faster.
What does a decent regional 1,2 leadout require? Based on some repeated training data, 500 meters at 35 mph. Those are the numbers. You can/do not look at a PowerTap while doing the effort. You just go as hard as you can then study the data later. The distance seems long enough to start a long way away and the speed is high enough that no one will want to waste energy in the wind. I will let you know how it goes when it matters.
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4 comments:
Well, really, that you can name the good leadouts says how rare they are even at the pro level. Except for one man (maybe two) there hasn't been anything very organized at the Tour in some time (which is why McEwen does so well.)
Mainly I'd say amateur racers have an amazingly hard time laying aside personal ambitions. It's both highly amusing and mind boggling and it makes you wonder why guys bother buying the same jersey.
team snow valley in the brian walton days did it quite well--nerac tries hard, but myerson is better at surfing the crowd and finding his own way. colavita had mark "when in doubt lead it out" mc cormick, but no more.
i think it is waaaaay more rare in chick racing. i have never seen a women's field really pull it off.
how the belly baby?
xo
m
This is a great post Mike,
The leadout train whether it be 4 bodies long, or in most cases in amature racing 1 tough/wiley teammate is a potent recipe for winning any race. If you are able to carry the speed toward the line, do so. Sprinters are not made they are born, they have a knack for going at the right time and can snap the pedals around almost at any speed. In my eperience leading out mostly not my teammates unfortunately haha, the higher the speed of the leadout, the more natural seperation you get, allowing the sprinters to go to work. Sprinters need to pick and choose these micro moments when they have tomove up or hold back, whose wheel to stay on etc etc.... They are responsible for making the right decisions. The leadout man/men/women are the asphalt Kamikaze's of our generation, it's go go go, but in a way that you can fend off any early jumps which could cause a sprinter to blow their wad to early....which brings shame to you of course....
I was always comfortable as the last man in, I had a knack for it, a knack for where to be at the end, whose wheel to followto give the appropriate launch knowing where I will be at the end due to whose wheel I was following. I didn't know how to sprint froma high speed, but goodluck getting around me when I was in one of those fitness zones where you could go for days and lick your chops feasting on the trail of dead you left behind. I had no idea how fast I was going, I mean who'slooking at their computer when you're jockeying for position going over 30 mph? Just go fast enough that you can "feel" that no one is willing to try aything moronic,like jump then blow 3 seconds later sitting up and fucking everything up for the entire field.... which happens too if the pace isn't high enough.
One of my coaches fromalmost 20 years ago gave me my only advice in my first P-1-2-race I asked "what should I do?" he replied, "when?" I said "if I'm there at the end.. umm...what do I do?" He looked at me and answered, "stay seated and go as fast as you can, they'll know what to do."
it was all the advice I needed.
I never gave a lead-out. I did bridge a gap with a teammate on my wheel once. He might have made the gap without me. Who knows? I do know that I felt great for doing something for a teammate who had given me advice during rides and such. That was YEARS ago and I still feel great about it. I crashed out 2 corners after we made contact, but he didn't and went on to win the overall in the 3-day points race. If I were to get my fat arse in shape I'd love to do it again. All except for the crashing out part.
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