Comments on: Catastrophic Failure. Lake Washington Velo #2 / Gig Harbor http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/2008/08/03/catastrophic-failure-lake-washington-velo-2-gig-harbor/ Brian Snyder... Making Frank Sinatra Look Like a Hobo Since 1975 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:08:21 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: the doctor http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/2008/08/03/catastrophic-failure-lake-washington-velo-2-gig-harbor/comment-page-1/#comment-308 the doctor Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:42:04 +0000 http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/?p=232#comment-308 All I have to say is block me all you want, yell at me, call me names, whatever. Just ride your bikes in a safe way. Like tonight, but the opposite... All I have to say is block me all you want, yell at me, call me names, whatever. Just ride your bikes in a safe way. Like tonight, but the opposite…

]]> By: Heavy D http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/2008/08/03/catastrophic-failure-lake-washington-velo-2-gig-harbor/comment-page-1/#comment-305 Heavy D Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:11:38 +0000 http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/?p=232#comment-305 I have to say that shutting up, sitting in, sipping water, and eating solid food in a race is good for a change. Calling myself out, I have said more than a few things in the midst of racing this season - no harm - just part of the game in my book. Afterward I grab a beer and forget about it. I assume they do too. -D I have to say that shutting up, sitting in, sipping water, and eating solid food in a race is good for a change. Calling myself out, I have said more than a few things in the midst of racing this season – no harm – just part of the game in my book. Afterward I grab a beer and forget about it. I assume they do too. -D

]]> By: David http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/2008/08/03/catastrophic-failure-lake-washington-velo-2-gig-harbor/comment-page-1/#comment-303 David Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:58:41 +0000 http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/?p=232#comment-303 I am the loud Wines Rider. I am sorry that I yelled, I was heated because of racing. I should have approached your team afterwards and expressed my concerns with the blocking. Byrne has been racing well by constantly attacking and sending riders up the road, however blocking is bad form and so is yelling. I am sorry. I am the loud Wines Rider. I am sorry that I yelled, I was heated because of racing. I should have approached your team afterwards and expressed my concerns with the blocking. Byrne has been racing well by constantly attacking and sending riders up the road, however blocking is bad form and so is yelling. I am sorry.

]]> By: name http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/2008/08/03/catastrophic-failure-lake-washington-velo-2-gig-harbor/comment-page-1/#comment-301 name Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:31:00 +0000 http://twowheelsandotherthings.com/?p=232#comment-301 I was at the race Saturday and while I think the solo wines guy was louder than he needed to be - he was not so far off-base. I think a team like Byrne/Cucina/Starbucks suffers from not have a wealth of upper-cat riders on their team to explain the finer point of race tactics. If you look back at the season and those teams that typically use some method of blocking it's these teams, and not the Hagens/Carter/FirstRates/Garage/Wines teams. In the case of Saturday - you had 1 of 4 in the break and even if he was the strongest rider on any given day - you knew on this day he had already done a hard race. If I was on your team I would have brought the race back for 2 reasons: 1. Greg was probably tired and not the right guy for the break for your team. 2. Dustin and you had points for the series - not Brad. "Blocking" is a bit of a touchy subject and generally considered negative racing. Actively trying to thwart a chase by messing up a paceline, pulling up to the front to ride slow, overly breaking in the corners of a crit, or worst creating a "wall" in the front is generally considered bad form, but yes - not illegal. You should pull through always - if you aren't chasing and find yourself at the front you just roll off. "Policing". Policing is riding top 5, just behind any sort of chase. If somebody tries to bridge to the break, your job is to jump up to their wheel just sit there getting a free ride. They turn to ask you to pull through, and you just say, "can't work - we're in the break". Two things can happen: 1. The guy gives up and gets absorbed back into the field where you return to your policing job. 2. He bridges, and now you got a free ride to the break, and you've improved the teams odds by adding a second guy to the move. Yelling rarely makes people want to help, but had Wines organized enough of the other teams he probably could have gotten something to organize. That dude has gotten top 3 at most Sewards of late. If he was smart he would have appealed to the other teams to try and get them to chase, or explained to you guys that you were actually worse off having the one tired rider in the break. I was at the race Saturday and while I think the solo wines guy was louder than he needed to be – he was not so far off-base. I think a team like Byrne/Cucina/Starbucks suffers from not have a wealth of upper-cat riders on their team to explain the finer point of race tactics. If you look back at the season and those teams that typically use some method of blocking it’s these teams, and not the Hagens/Carter/FirstRates/Garage/Wines teams. In the case of Saturday – you had 1 of 4 in the break and even if he was the strongest rider on any given day – you knew on this day he had already done a hard race. If I was on your team I would have brought the race back for 2 reasons: 1. Greg was probably tired and not the right guy for the break for your team. 2. Dustin and you had points for the series – not Brad.

“Blocking” is a bit of a touchy subject and generally considered negative racing. Actively trying to thwart a chase by messing up a paceline, pulling up to the front to ride slow, overly breaking in the corners of a crit, or worst creating a “wall” in the front is generally considered bad form, but yes – not illegal. You should pull through always – if you aren’t chasing and find yourself at the front you just roll off.

“Policing”. Policing is riding top 5, just behind any sort of chase. If somebody tries to bridge to the break, your job is to jump up to their wheel just sit there getting a free ride. They turn to ask you to pull through, and you just say, “can’t work – we’re in the break”. Two things can happen: 1. The guy gives up and gets absorbed back into the field where you return to your policing job. 2. He bridges, and now you got a free ride to the break, and you’ve improved the teams odds by adding a second guy to the move.

Yelling rarely makes people want to help, but had Wines organized enough of the other teams he probably could have gotten something to organize. That dude has gotten top 3 at most Sewards of late. If he was smart he would have appealed to the other teams to try and get them to chase, or explained to you guys that you were actually worse off having the one tired rider in the break.

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