Going through tight corners in a crit

[montage]

OK so I stepped things up a gear today, moving from the flat circular track to a twisty windy crit....and guess what...I was dropped. I just suck at cornering. I know there is an elastic effect when going through these, but I just seemed so tense and concentrated on holding the line that I seemed to lose more ground than others AND sometimes found myself on the outside of the peloton, in the wind. Sooner or later this killed me, and although I'm not going to pretend I was going to be able to contest this race I reckon that it was my poor cornering rather than fitness that screwed me over.

Advice from those in the know very much appreciated

 

[monnet]

Honestly, and you're going to find this advice pretty useless, it's practice.

1) learning the line of the corner, which in a race won't necessarily be the line you'd take on your own or at lower speed.
2) relaxing through the corner, sounds impossible but as you get used to riding through them you'll become more confident and thus more relaxed
3) getting the two above points right (combined with more race experience) and you'll get better at positioning yourself and knowing which wheels to follow.

I remember my first crit - there was what looked like a really tight right angle corner. Going round it on my own recce-ing the course I went through at about 16-17mph, in the neutralised lap we went through at 23mph, in the race I was going through at 25mph (having been dropped so I could check the speed!). Four races later I went through with the front group at 28mph. The difference was being comfortable with the corner, my positioning in the group and knowing the wheels to follow.

 

[Festina_Lente]

Above is some good advice, I'd add:

1.) Go up a couple of teeth so that you have a little gear to accelerate in, before you entre the corner. And start to sprint out asap.
2.) Position yourself at about 10 guys back, beware of the "recycling" as rider come round the edges of the peloton. When you see this happening just barge into line and move on up to you favourite position. Get use to the odd knock as you maintain this position.
3.) Don't afraid of a little wind, sometimes it's worth investing a bit, to save a lot more later...
4.) Use the normal race line; the line everyone else is using. If your confidence is lacking think, if he can get round, why can't I?
5.) Play safe, sometimes it's worth loosing .5 s in corner than .5 season in a crash!