Sprinting for 15th...

[Mapster1989]

Sprinting for 15th place in road races... just why do people do it?

I've heard of many occasions where you see the 4th cats sprinting for 'the places that don't matter' and then causing crashes as a result. If you're not at the front, no need to sprint IMO.

*Rant over*

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

 

[zizou]

It is mostly about being caught up in the moment but i suppose it can also be good training for when you are in contention- can be hard to replicate a race pace effort outside of a race

IME the people doing stupid shoot in a sprint are often the same people who cant hold their line or who dive up the inside (etc) so the problem is going to be happening earlier in the race too rather than just at the finish.

 

[ColinJ]

It's also about points. I'm halfway through David Millar's book and he mentioned the pressure for pros to accumulate points. His bonus was based on how many points he could pile up so he could be in the stupid situation where he earned more for finishing top 10 a few times than actually winning an important race!

But it didn’t make sense to me that there could be such massive fluctuations in what I was paid. Bonuses didn’t motivate me – my goals were always to win certain events and become the best rider I could be – it was never about going to a certain race because it was easy to score points, or defending fourth place at another race in order to secure the points. Yet that is what I had to do if I wanted to fulfil my bonus requirement. Effectively, there was no point in going for the big targets because that meant using other lesser races as preparation events and thus scoring fewer points and not making the bonus. It wasn’t an ideal situation.

Millar, David (2011-06-16). Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar (Kindle Locations 2902-2907). Orion. Kindle Edition.

 

[Mapster1989]

It's also about points. I'm halfway through David Millar's book and he mentioned the pressure for pros to accumulate points. His bonus was based on how many points he could pile up so he could be in the stupid situation where he earned more for finishing top 10 a few times than actually winning an important race!

I don't mind sprinting for a top ten but anything outside of that is pointless.

You get the situation where you have some riders slowing down as they know they cant win and others hammering it to the line from behind. The crashes are inevitable.

I suppose in the pro peleton this wouldn't be so bad as it comes with the job but when you have amateurs that have broken bones and off work for said amount of time due to something that could be easily avoided it gets a little silly.

Before anyone says anything I know cycling can be dangerous just highlighting something that could be avoided.

 

[VamP]

I don't mind sprinting for a top ten but anything outside of that is pointless.

You get the situation where you have some riders slowing down as they know they cant win and others hammering it to the line from behind. The crashes are inevitable.

I suppose in the pro peleton this wouldn't be so bad as it comes with the job but when you have amateurs that have broken bones and off work for said amount of time due to something that could be easily avoided it gets a little silly.

Before anyone says anything I know cycling can be dangerous just highlighting something that could be avoided.

What if you gain 5 places in your sprint, is it OK to sprint then? In a lot of bunch finishes the difference between 10th and 15th is say 2 bike lengths. Who's allowed to sprint and who isn't?

 

[Mapster1989]

What if you gain 5 places in your sprint, is it OK to sprint then? In a lot of bunch finishes the difference between 10th and 15th is say 2 bike lengths. Who's allowed to sprint and who isn't?

The point I'm trying to make is there are a lot of crashes due to riders thinking they're Mark Cavendish when they're racing for indescript places in the race. Admit it, most crashes are at the end of the race due to this very reason.

 

[rich p]

The point I'm trying to make is there are a lot of crashes due to riders thinking they're Mark Cavendish when they're racing for indescript places in the race. Admit it, most crashes are at the end of the race due to this very reason.

Yeah but the point VamP is making is that you don't know where you're going to finish until the sprint finishes, innit

 

[Herzog]

Sitting up in the last hundred meters when you know there is a group approaching from behind is not a good idea...

 

[VamP]

The point I'm trying to make is there are a lot of crashes due to riders thinking they're Mark Cavendish when they're racing for indescript places in the race. Admit it, most crashes are at the end of the race due to this very reason.

10th place gets you a point. 11th gets you nothing. In a bunch sprint realistically 20 riders have a chance of making the top ten. The maths is there for all to see. Yes there are crashes in the sprint finishes, but in cca 20 races I have seen maybe 5 crashes, and only one was in the sprint finish, so it's not as big a problem as people make out.

Incidentally, about two hours ago I missed out on 10th place by about 6 inches

 

[Mapster1989]

Incidentally, about two hours ago I missed out on 10th place by about 6 inches

What you mean? 6 inches is a MASSIVE amount.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

What you mean? 6 inches is a MASSIVE amount.

That's not what she said

 

[VamP]

What you mean? 6 inches is a MASSIVE amount.

It's the longest distance in the world when you just can't, can't close it...

 

[screenman]

I have often sprinted not for the 15th place but to beat the people around me.

 

[oldroadman]

I have often sprinted not for the 15th place but to beat the people around me.

That could come under the heading of a pointless exercise. In both meanings of the phrase. Have some respect for yourself and fellow riders, willy waving "I beat you for 17th" is for kids.