Conserve

Bike races often come down to only three, four or five massive explosive efforts throughout the entire distance. Closing that gap, making the break, holding the wheel up that climb, responding to that attack or nailing that bunch sprint. That’s it. Those critical moments are going to require the effort of your life though. Don’t waste your energy on the things that don’t matter.
Save your energy for the last third of the race. The majority of the time the winning move will come during this period. You’ll see many people try to get away at the beginning of the race. That’s fine, let them go.

It’s not all for nothing though. Riders in the break will force the rest of the peloton into an defensive position. There are always riders willing to go out in an early break for various reasons.

Know Your Competition

The statement above does not come without its exceptions. If the strongest five guys of the race decide to attack at the beginning of a 100km race and you know they have people working for them, then there’s a good chance you should make an early move with this group. I’ve been in dozens of races where i’ve been in early moves that have stayed away. You just need to go with the right group. This has more to do with the combination of riders rather than the strength of them (which often goes hand in hand). A chasing peloton will almost always be faster than a small bunch of riders. It’s not a matter of how much time you can get on the peloton; it’s how much time they allow you to get. Getting the peloton organised is the issue, and understanding who is working together is key.

Know the Gap

Pay attention to gap of the breakaway in the race. If you can see the break, watch for when they pass a landmark and time the gap from when the last rider passes it until the front of the peloton hits it. Is it increasing or decreasing? Always know the race situation so you can judge your strategy.

Attacking

You know those times where someone attacks and everyone else in the peloton sits there looking at each other while more riders hop across and to the break and it just rolls away? Do you ever think, “that’s the move, but i’ve completely missed it”?
there is an art to attacking and the reaction of the peloton will differ depending on how you attack. Often the best time to attack is after a series of moves when the riders chasing are tired or psychologically worn out. You need to attack hard in these situations in order to get away and you have to commit to it.

The “soft attack” works brilliantly if you want to slip off the front and not stir a reaction from the bunch. The peloton will often let you ride away as they won’t see you as a threat. Don’t do this for nothing though. Make sure you do this at a critical time of the race where your move is going to stick or create a good situation for a teammate.

Know The Wind

Study at the course map before the race and know the direction the wind is blowing from. Crosswinds can split the bunch into multiple echelons and completely turn the race upside down. If the race is approaching a corner and you have a strong headwind or tailwind, get to the front of the bunch before the turn because this means the crosswinds are coming. As difficult as it may seem, it’s much easier to be rolling in the front echelon with a crosswind rather than being stretched out single-file in the gutter trying to catch a non-existant draft and closing gaps. Of course everyone will want to be in this front echelon, but fortunately many people haven’t studied the course or get caught sleeping.

If there is not a crosswind capable of blowing the bunch apart, it’s still important to know the wind direction so you can hide in the bunch. Always try to move up in the bunch by catching a draft from a rider(s) coming up beside you. The more you can keep your nose out of the wind, the more energy you’ll save for the finish. You only have so many matches you can burn. Use them wisely.

Know Your Strengths, and More-so, Your Competitor’s

Are you weak on the climbs? Then position yourself at the front of the bunch just as the climb is starting and slowly drift back in the peloton so that you use as little energy as possible.

Are you a poor bunch sprinter? Then it’s best that you try to win from a small bunch.

Are you a good time trialist? Then try create a situation where you can win alone.

Study the Finish

Most road races at the amateur level finish where they started. Whenever I do a road race i’ll ride backwards along the finishing straight for about 5km as part of my warm up. I’ll look at the terrain to see if there are climbs, descents, corners, etc while memorising every detail and keeping the distance in mind. It’s obvious that races are only won at the finish and after all your hard work you don’t want to go down the toilet because you didn’t know that you had to be first around that final corner or up that steep climb.

Judging the Finishing Distance

The notion of starting your sprint at 200m to go is actually quite arbitrary. It’s a good gauge in races where the finishes are flat and fast. It’s too premature to begin sprinting if the finish is on a climb or into a block headwind. It’s not far enough if the finish is on a descent where you’ll get up to 70km/hr. Judge your finishing sprint based on the amount of time you know your body can do for a maximum effort for. On a flat finish, 200m means a 20-30 second all-out sprint effort. On a climb, this might mean starting your sprint at 100m remaining.