WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT?

I DON’T know about you, but I’m pretty excited about the upcoming Two Rivers Criterium Race this weekend; the first of its kind in Nairobi! Some of you, especially those who participated in the Tour de Machakos 2018, have an idea of what a crit looks like.

In general terms: it’s a race of laps, period. It’s that simple: going round and round a given perimeter for a given number of laps. Sounds pretty easy, yes?

Well, what you perhaps fail to realise is that it is one of the hardest races one can ever do, and pretty frustrating. I mean, all you have to do is look at the number of those turns (some of them very technical) to understand what I’m saying. This is where your bike handling skills come in very handy.

So, you are approaching a corner at say 40kph, and you need to make a 90-degree angle turn without falling or getting overtaken (on the inside), not to mention that you also do not want to crash if you take too wide a turn, what will you do?

And say you managed to successfully make that turn, how will you manage to maintain your position in the bunch without over-exerting yourself? And that is another thing you have to watch out for: early burnout. It is very easy to lose your form after just two out of say ten laps.

As you can see, it is not as simple as it looks, but it is also not as difficult.

Simon Blake says that the best place to start is in the front half of the peleton, and that advice is more than useful in a Crit. What generally happens is that the bunch tends to slow down when approaching a corner, then sprint out of the turn. If you are in the front half, you’re in a safe spot as you are barely affected by the slowing down and surges. However, if you are at the back, when the front has already started sprinting, you will probably still be on your brakes, and therefore with all the surging and catching up, early burnout is expected.

Please note that I’m not trying to scare you out of the crit, I’m just asking you to be aware of everything that is happening during the race, and to know where to be and what to do wherever in the bunch you will be.

While at the front, pick a safe turn around the bend knowing that everyone else is following your lead. The wrong line could cause a major crash in the bunch. But then again, don’t go out too wide lest you are overtaken on the inside. Again, unless you are a domestique, save your energy for the sprint points and the final lap. I learnt the hard way during the TdM: I was the first into the park, and the last out.

In the front half, keep your eyes open for opportunities for sprint points, and the final lap. If the person at the front still has enough juice to continue leading the bunch, let them. Fighting for space at the front will only lead to early burnout with no benefits. Ride smart.

Rear half, well, if you find yourself in the red early on in the race, let go of the bunch and ride to finish. But be cautious, in the case you get overlapped, ride in a position where you pose no danger to the bunch. Nevertheless, there’s still a chance you could clinch a crit victory if you also ride smart and pace yourself. Even though it is not a hilly race (like Machakos or Murang’a or Gatundu or…), you can still ride smart and catch those who went too hard too early. Who knows, you might even overtake the leader.

All in all, look out for the riders around you, especially if you are within the bunch. One careless move and you’ll take out quite a number. If you feel you are not comfortable within the bunch, then either break away and stay away, or break off (achilia) from the bunch and ride to finish.

Most importantly, have fun!