Thanks for putting up a cat 5 only video. As a guy who is planning to race crits and road races this year for the first time, this is helpful. I thought I'd have to hit 1400+ watts in a sprint to win a cat 5 sprint but maybe not.
It all depends. i thought the same thing too. In the next few vids I hit some higher numbers to win but it is more about how gassed or fresh you are when the sprint starts!
I've been riding for only 2 years as an amateur and this is my first time watching a Crit. I think it's very cool and your explanations during the ride makes me feel like I'm right there in the group..Cheers!
Great advice in this vid. Went away, changed my tactics and ended grabbing a 2nd in a cat 4 crit yesterday. The key thing that I took away from the vid was using your power to get into the position you want within the last lap rather than assuming a massive sprint will win you the race alone. Almost worked a charm!
That was a Epic finish and a very well informed instructional video for beginners entering the sport. I'm just getting into the sport. A strong athele, but you helped me understand that it's not all about power. Definitely longer detailed videos would help a ton. Thanks.
Ya this is exactly my problem, I tend to loose focus and the group speed kicks up near the end and my position is weak. Need to be fresher so I am in the right frame of mind not just surviving. This was great info thanks
Manhattan Beach GP you can actually sit a little OTB and just coast into the turns without touching the brakes. Accelerate a bit, slowly drift off the back again and repeat. Last five laps, move up.
@@CyclingVirgin what do u think about those bike....I'm seriously considering getting one to start my season next year with dura ace components I'm not a big fan of carbon bikes
I know it’s cat 5 but they need to train in groups ( chain gang in the U.K.) They would learn so much and gain confidence riding closer. There is absolutely no drafting just so much wasted energy as you said. Chain gangs are brilliant trying especially if there are mixed categories trading together, we cut our teeth on them in the 80s. The tall guy at the back seems to have too much leg stretch.
Lot of wisdom here. Where you need to work the hardest in a lower category race is just to get into position on the final lap. Then, you just go with what you have left for the line, win or lose.
I'm racing in the 9-14 category in the Whiskey Crit this Saturday and I'm planning on doing a solo breakaway for the win. The entire course is under 11 km, 10 laps of just over 1 km. The other juniors all do about 24 kph on training rides and less than 32 kph in group rides. I can hold 40 kph for 10 km, most likely more on race day when I'm fresh, have a clean bike, and have all the preparations. My teammates who are adults in category 2-5 say I'm very strong and if I do breakaway, I won't see the other kids again. I'm doing the fastest local group rides and it's about 38 kph for about 100 km. I just did a 210 km ride at 33 kph average. Do you thi nk I should go for the breakaway or should I wait for the sprint? I am a sprinter but I'm also good at time trialling. I can provide my Strava profile if you need. Thanks.
Wow best race video for a beginner ever, the strategy of no strategy cat 4-5. If your not a sprinter what is your end strategy? Break early break hard?
Only reasons I can think of to use brakes on these flat crits: 1. an unavoidable crash in front of you ; 2. very, very tight corner , and in that case, very light speed scrub based on anticipating the entering, apex and exit.
Totally agree, to conclude, you want to know the distance you can go from initiation of sprint to finish line. And if you have some real sustainable speed, take it hard to those cat-n-mouse, reluctant finishers.
Thanks for the great info....it looked chilly then but is one water bottle the way to go....I'm not sure if your allowed to throw a bottle towards the end...thanks again for posting and cheers on the wins
On the subject of coming out of a corner on to the front/back straight get your position way before you arrive so you have protection and not have to go further back to get out of the wind. Also to, if your not strong enough and your Infront the headwind will slow you down like a parachute and the stronger riders behind you will crash into you, so bare this in mind to.
Yea interesting indeed, not much unlike what we do every race, anyone else watching this and thinks they are not ready to race as yet, you never will be, just go and do it, you get dropped, so what. Your hardest race is always the first ( not saying it get any easier thou) Do not keep putting it off, the season will be over for yet again for another summer.
Robert Dulany, you're right. But I'd say I'd speak for most here that melbman wasn't referring to those kind of people in fairness. He is mostly right, and it was an extremely good point to make. Yours is too, but applies to a much smaller context. Cheers!
yo virgin! Right on for the quick upgrade! You are with the big boys now and it only gets harder 10-fold in the 2's and Pro's Hey the biggest problem I see is cornering here in this video. This is the biggest problem in the Pros today. There are some guys that are doing it right but this group is scary for the most part. Learn to corner proficiently and that will also catapult you!
Good work.....each step up gets exponentially faster.....it amazes me how much energy riders waste during a ride/race......note....if there are any corner(s) near the finish line....be FIRST out of the corner.....if guys beat you....then that's okay.....
+Anthony Escobar Follow me on Strava the link should be in the description of the vid. I would say only about 5-6 hours a week recently. When I'm full go it's a steady 9-12 hours. I'm a big believer in time isn't as important as effort. I will get a what I do for training vid up soon!
I thought the length and analysis was perfect. each topic will dictate the length, So don't worry about the length ever. Content is important over time and or frequency. Keep on spinning!
Good vid. Agreed though, boring to watch the initial ride on wheels, but good tactics, which more importantly for me, is the interesting part. Good win.
"Sit in to win", but you have plenty of strength to win a prime or 2 and still win. As you upgrade it won't be that easy.😉 I like to attack in crits cause it's fun. Having a bmx background almost guaranteed me a good finish no matter how I raced.
I do messenger/Courier work i avg 40 hours a week on my bike. I want to try crits this late june but thinking these guys are gona smoke me its a different kind of riding im thinking
nicely done. This will be my first year crit racing, should be interesting to say the least. My channel (just started) is a vlog mix of progress and daily life. Keep it up as I, among others, enjoy the content
Man I feel like I could do very well in a cat 5 race because I have great fitness and have been absorbing so much info from these analysis vids, but I would just feel so out of place joining a race on my 800 dollar shimano sora road bike that I got off of craigslist and being surrounded by all these dudes with 2,000 - 7,000 dollar bikes 😑
LOL too bad Canada sucks for Crit. Crappy roads, 25 km hr head wind daily with Weird 20 km hr cross winds. We get or ass beat up badly by the winds near the lakes. Speed sometimes looks like you are being pulled back lol. Try doing that on a 14 kg road bike with 32c tires serious workout .
my tips to win: 1) sit in the wheel 2) be acceptably fit 3) have fast twitch muscle genetics 4) poke ur head out 200m to go and smash. No one likes a camper but he wins
Condensed version, you have to be in the right position and use power. New cyclist racers don't have the power to even be in the right positions. Many times, they're dropped and taken off the course.
I’m racing my first race this weekend and trying to get some advice I should have remembered though this is cycling. Every single video is cynical judgmental review of their pissing match. If it didn’t inspire me so much to beat you all I’d pull out like your fathers should have.
A mile is 1.6 km, mph is mostly used in the uk as well. It depends what you use in your country. To me, mph is easier to understand than km/h because ive been brought up on it. Each to their own.
Thanks for putting up a cat 5 only video. As a guy who is planning to race crits and road races this year for the first time, this is helpful. I thought I'd have to hit 1400+ watts in a sprint to win a cat 5 sprint but maybe not.
It all depends. i thought the same thing too. In the next few vids I hit some higher numbers to win but it is more about how gassed or fresh you are when the sprint starts!
Really like the quality over quantity. This video was packed with a lot of useful info and not too long or drawn out. Keep em coming just like this!
I was thinking about trying a crit race at some point (more likely next year) but the more cat 5 races I watch... it looks scary as hell out there lol
I've been riding for only 2 years as an amateur and this is my first time watching a Crit. I think it's very cool and your explanations during the ride makes me feel like I'm right there in the group..Cheers!
Great advice in this vid. Went away, changed my tactics and ended grabbing a 2nd in a cat 4 crit yesterday. The key thing that I took away from the vid was using your power to get into the position you want within the last lap rather than assuming a massive sprint will win you the race alone. Almost worked a charm!
Nice job James! Glad I could be of some help keep at it and the wins will come!
That is outstanding news James!! Well done bud!!
I thought I was watching the Vegan Cyclist lol.
SAME!
thought he just changed his name
Lol
Same
Dude… nice analysis and details. Good job
Very informative! So glad I saw your video before my first crit in three days. I’m subscribed. Thank you!)
I am planning on returning to "Crit" racing after many years of not racing in this manner. Sounds like some great, practical advice. Thank you
Sorry the quality is poor. I will work on getting these long vids uploaded with better quaility!
The quality seems pretty decent man, don't sweat it. First time watching your vids, good stuff, keep it up - subbed.
Cycling Virgin the blog is great Bro..... were just missing your blogs. Not a lot of great blogs out
Soon...
36 miles per hour for a sprint in a CAT 5.. Not to many of the people behind you can do that speed. Good Video thanks
That was a Epic finish and a very well informed instructional video for beginners entering the sport. I'm just getting into the sport. A strong athele, but you helped me understand that it's not all about power. Definitely longer detailed videos would help a ton. Thanks.
Ya this is exactly my problem, I tend to loose focus and the group speed kicks up near the end and my position is weak. Need to be fresher so I am in the right frame of mind not just surviving.
This was great info thanks
finally a valid use for social media and go pro cameras
I know, right, not like catching corrupt cops or politicians or criminal neighbors, but cycling vids and stuff.
how many people in the field and how many minutes, or miles is your race? So your physicality has a lot to do with your wins aside from strategy.
Manhattan Beach GP you can actually sit a little OTB and just coast into the turns without touching the brakes. Accelerate a bit, slowly drift off the back again and repeat. Last five laps, move up.
Still watchin brotha! Eternally good!
Keep these breakdown video coming bro. Good riding out there !
Yesterday I signed up for my first Cat 5 Crit. Thanks for the tips. I learned some things.
Subscribed because of the water analogy 🤙🏿
Is that guy with the purple specialized at 12:28 riding the aluminum or carbon fiber frame?
Aluminum. Allez!
@@CyclingVirgin what do u think about those bike....I'm seriously considering getting one to start my season next year with dura ace components I'm not a big fan of carbon bikes
just what I needed since I began cycling some weeks ago. Greetings from Portugal, wish we had those crits here.
I know it’s cat 5 but they need to train in groups ( chain gang in the U.K.) They would learn so much and gain confidence riding closer. There is absolutely no drafting just so much wasted energy as you said. Chain gangs are brilliant trying especially if there are mixed categories trading together, we cut our teeth on them in the 80s. The tall guy at the back seems to have too much leg stretch.
Cool video man well done. Gives me some more info for when I try my first race this season. Keep em' coming!
Lot of wisdom here. Where you need to work the hardest in a lower category race is just to get into position on the final lap. Then, you just go with what you have left for the line, win or lose.
What was the average speed of this race? Sprint speed?
Cool video.What's your FTP?
I'm racing in the 9-14 category in the Whiskey Crit this Saturday and I'm planning on doing a solo breakaway for the win. The entire course is under 11 km, 10 laps of just over 1 km. The other juniors all do about 24 kph on training rides and less than 32 kph in group rides. I can hold 40 kph for 10 km, most likely more on race day when I'm fresh, have a clean bike, and have all the preparations. My teammates who are adults in category 2-5 say I'm very strong and if I do breakaway, I won't see the other kids again. I'm doing the fastest local group rides and it's about 38 kph for about 100 km. I just did a 210 km ride at 33 kph average. Do you thi nk I should go for the breakaway or should I wait for the sprint? I am a sprinter but I'm also good at time trialling. I can provide my Strava profile if you need. Thanks.
Hey man - question, how did you get your power and rpm meters up on there?
Gamin Virb Software.
This is very informative.
great, love the purple bikes
With the Zebra forks!
Cycling Virgin, how do you train for these races?
Also curious about the best way to train for crits!
Tabatas. Look those up.
high intensity interval training. gcn has a good vid on it!
Where is this race? Love your commentary and advice. Never raced. Would like to this season. Im 53.
not new to racing, but really enjoy your vids and commentary. Glad I found your channel. Subbed.
Wow best race video for a beginner ever, the strategy of no strategy cat 4-5. If your not a sprinter what is your end strategy? Break early break hard?
Would you say at a cat 5, you still need an average speed of 24-28mph to compete ?
Very useful video! What kind of camera you used to record this race ?
Good tips and nice to see a cat 5 race in action. May have to try one of these.
10:34 guys, is that a tcr or a defy?
I'm about to do my first D grade criterium in Australia. I'm 92kg with an ftp of 400w. Any advice ? I'm pretty unfit
killin' it CV... keep it up
I knew this was Arizona! Awesome seeing this done at home. Where can I find these local crits? What's your Strava?
Great race man!
Are you racing with your new 2017 Specialized Allez Sprint? How is it?
Your cadence is crazy. How do you keep up
I thought Crits were Fixed Gear races... learned something new
Only reasons I can think of to use brakes on these flat crits: 1. an unavoidable crash in front of you ; 2. very, very tight corner , and in that case, very light speed scrub based on anticipating the entering, apex and exit.
Do you know what your FTP was at that time?
Yes - thank you for this. Keep bringing it please. Shorter but more frequent is my vote. Training and nutrition info would be great too
Have you raced with Michael hemmerlin?
Totally agree, to conclude, you want to know the distance you can go from initiation of sprint to finish line. And if you have some real sustainable speed, take it hard to those cat-n-mouse, reluctant finishers.
I subscribed. Awesome stuff.
Thanks for the great info....it looked chilly then but is one water bottle the way to go....I'm not sure if your allowed to throw a bottle towards the end...thanks again for posting and cheers on the wins
On the subject of coming out of a corner on to the front/back straight get your position way before you arrive so you have protection and not have to go further back to get out of the wind. Also to, if your not strong enough and your Infront the headwind will slow you down like a parachute and the stronger riders behind you will crash into you, so bare this in mind to.
Fun watch! And that Phaeleh background tune :)
Are you coming back to blogging?
is that a 52cm allez sprint in purple?!!! fuck i've been for one since last summer
Great race!
Loved it. Thank you!
Thank you!
Yea interesting indeed, not much unlike what we do every race, anyone else watching this and thinks they are not ready to race as yet, you never will be, just go and do it, you get dropped, so what. Your hardest race is always the first ( not saying it get any easier thou) Do not keep putting it off, the season will be over for yet again for another summer.
melbman43 I'm at 210lbs and my power to weigh ratio is 3.26 for 5min. seriously considering doing my first race soon.
Robert Dulany, you're right.
But I'd say I'd speak for most here that melbman wasn't referring to those kind of people in fairness.
He is mostly right, and it was an extremely good point to make. Yours is too, but applies to a much smaller context. Cheers!
Great video - thanks! subscribed
Subscribed...great stuff
Thanks for the info. Great information.
Congrats. Short and sweet works best n my IMO. I hope my schedule lets me begin racing some crits,
Racing next year mate. good to watch these and get some ideas of what to expect. thanks. #subscribed
Sit in to win !
yo virgin! Right on for the quick upgrade! You are with the big boys now and it only gets harder 10-fold in the 2's and Pro's Hey the biggest problem I see is cornering here in this video. This is the biggest problem in the Pros today. There are some guys that are doing it right but this group is scary for the most part. Learn to corner proficiently and that will also catapult you!
Add another student to your class on Crit Racing! Keep up the GREAT work!
Good work.....each step up gets exponentially faster.....it amazes me how much energy riders waste during a ride/race......note....if there are any corner(s) near the finish line....be FIRST out of the corner.....if guys beat you....then that's okay.....
Just curious as to how many hours a week you put into training? I like the video.
+Anthony Escobar Follow me on Strava the link should be in the description of the vid. I would say only about 5-6 hours a week recently. When I'm full go it's a steady 9-12 hours. I'm a big believer in time isn't as important as effort. I will get a what I do for training vid up soon!
cat 3! great job man
You guys did very good ... watch the WILLIAMS brothers.. good to see that you moved up to Cat 3 you need to come to chicago and race
Yeah I sub to their channel those guys are machines!
Channel name??
Jeff White nationnumber1beast that's his Channel name but one of the brothers are on a different team now
I thought the length and analysis was perfect. each topic will dictate the length, So don't worry about the length ever. Content is important over time and or frequency. Keep on spinning!
Good vid. Agreed though, boring to watch the initial ride on wheels, but good tactics, which more importantly for me, is the interesting part. Good win.
"Sit in to win", but you have plenty of strength to win a prime or 2 and still win. As you upgrade it won't be that easy.😉
I like to attack in crits cause it's fun. Having a bmx background almost guaranteed me a good finish no matter how I raced.
Some really good tips, love these sort of vids, 30 mins racecasts are ideal I rekon... good job tho!!
Great 👍
Dude! I just found your channel, I love it already, I agree with the mention of VC, he's awesome. Great vid, you earned a sub. :)
I do messenger/Courier work i avg 40 hours a week on my bike. I want to try crits this late june but thinking these guys are gona smoke me its a different kind of riding im thinking
you just helped me a lot
nicely done. This will be my first year crit racing, should be interesting to say the least. My channel (just started) is a vlog mix of progress and daily life.
Keep it up as I, among others, enjoy the content
Most of the world perceives speed in KMH. Please help
NIIIIIICE!!!!!!
Man I feel like I could do very well in a cat 5 race because I have great fitness and have been absorbing so much info from these analysis vids, but I would just feel so out of place joining a race on my 800 dollar shimano sora road bike that I got off of craigslist and being surrounded by all these dudes with 2,000 - 7,000 dollar bikes 😑
Beat them on that bike.
LOL too bad Canada sucks for Crit. Crappy roads, 25 km hr head wind daily with Weird 20 km hr cross winds. We get or ass beat up badly by the winds near the lakes. Speed sometimes looks like you are being pulled back lol. Try doing that on a 14 kg road bike with 32c tires serious workout .
my tips to win:
1) sit in the wheel
2) be acceptably fit
3) have fast twitch muscle genetics
4) poke ur head out 200m to go and smash.
No one likes a camper but he wins
+Declan Cargill Most commonly used excuse for being lazy:
1)Genetics
lol true, but i wasn't complaining i genuinely win races coz i can sprint.
Condensed version, you have to be in the right position and use power. New cyclist racers don't have the power to even be in the right positions. Many times, they're dropped and taken off the course.
Thumbs up
Haus means thirsty in my language haha.
I’m racing my first race this weekend and trying to get some advice I should have remembered though this is cycling. Every single video is cynical judgmental review of their pissing match. If it didn’t inspire me so much to beat you all I’d pull out like your fathers should have.
Funny, but no real attempts at getting away. A fairly fit duo could ride away
find fresh air fool
Lol
Nice vid but the rest of the world is waiting for the USA to convert to metric! Wtf is a mph?
A mile is 1.6 km, mph is mostly used in the uk as well. It depends what you use in your country. To me, mph is easier to understand than km/h because ive been brought up on it. Each to their own.
Sandbag much? 😂😂😂
I'll watch... But man.. stop yawning in your video.. edit that out! 🧐
It was cool until you started bragging. Its annoying.
Yank doesn't have a clue.