Canada Cup #2 Mont Tremblant Quebec. We had 5 laps of a very similar course to what it has been for the last few years. The weather was great! (hot and sunny). I knew that I felt pretty good in my warmup and after having some bad luck at Baie Saint Paul last weekend I was hoping for a clean mechanical free day and the only worry in my mind was flat tires. I made it 4.6 of 5 laps before I ripped my front tire open. I was in a very solid top 5 position and had a very good chance to be top 3. I was gassing it really hard on the last lap emptying the tank on the final climb before we hit the nasty decent onto the bike path and then into the village. Starting the decent I came up on a group of riders (being lapped) and some of them had a hard time understanding that I am lapping you and that you need to get out of my way. When a pro rider is lapping you that means they are going a substantial amount faster and that by not moving out of the way you will be costing them time, placings, UCI points and of course some cash. It usually works out for the best of both riders (the lapped and lapper) to just move. Now there is always certain situations where you cannot pull slightly out of the way but that is very rare. Some pro's are much more agressive than others and holding a rider that is lapping you up could possibly work out not so well for both party's. Some of the top Pro Men will be passing you no matter where on the course they are and if you let them or not, they are going by you. Another great situation is when you are passing a group of racers (being lapped) (and for example a group of 4) the first 3 in the group move out of the way as soon as they hear "pro rider" being called out, the person at the back of the group decides to take the opportunity to get passed 3 more riders and pass them! What they don't realize ( not sure how they don't) but they are being lapped too! It gets really good when you get the classic " I am racing too" or how about a few "F offs"? I received both of those comments on Saturday and they could of easily been avoided by just pulling out of they way! When I personally approach a lapped racer I call "pro rider". And on that call you should move. If not you get another "pro rider lapping you, please move". If the racer is still infront of me after two pretty obvious calls to pass I am not warning you anymore and I am going to come by. I will call either "on your left" or "on your right" as I am going to pass you.
I was held up on Saturday by a rider that I for sure knows how this situation goes! I called out to pass more than I should have and I got desperate to get by and with no racer in their category anywhere in sight of them, they didn't move so I took the pass. I flatted and had to run the whole decent to the tech zone where I lost 11 placings, UCI points and money. Anyways enough of a of a rant here, but it is very frustrating when racers still do not understand this topic.
1 comment:
Sounds rough man, pisses me off just hearing about it! They'll know how it feels if one day they are in the same position, and they'll wish they had moved over themselves.
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