After the Tour of the Gila in April, my team and I drove straight through to Redlands, California. We then split up, with riders and staff heading back home and to work on Monday – we would reconvene in 10 days’ time for the Redlands Classic. I was lucky enough to stay in Redlands for the week (thank you to the Wilson’s for hosting me!), just a mile away from the famous Sunset Loops.
In between Gila and Redlands, I ate a lot and didn’t ride my bike – just kidding. Each day, I rode a stage of Redlands; course recon. I even drove up the mountain one day to Big Bear Lake where the Stage 1 Time Trial was supposed to take place – a freak May snowstorm and 35-degree weather ended up forcing the stage to be cancelled. This created a weird debate on whether or not Stage 2 was now Stage 1, or if it was still Stage 2… Anyway, I rode the Oak Glen circuits and finishing climb (Stage 2), the Highland circuit race (Stage 3), and the Sunset Loops (Stage 5). I did ride into downtown Redlands one day, scouting out the crit course (Stage 4), but with parked cars, tons of traffic, and eight intersections, it didn’t make sense to recon the course until race day.
When pre-riding road race courses (i.e. doing course recon), there are a number of things that you should be paying attention to:
Pinch points: when the road narrows, a roundabout is coming up, or the road pitches from 2% to 15%; these are pinch points. Everyone outside the Top 10 will slow to a crawl. Depending on the severity, if you’re in the back half of the group at a pinch point, you might even have to stop. When you know a pinch point is coming up, get to the front. It’s easier said than done, but the energy saved by coasting through a corner at the front of the pack can mean the difference between following the winning attack, and getting dropped.
Tactical areas: most courses have one or more defining features that create the winning attack. For example, the Intelligentsia Cup Elgin Road Race was defined by a single hill. The rest of the 8-mile lap was mostly flat, but halfway through was a sharp corner at the bottom of a 40 mph descent, immediately followed by a 20-second kicker with grades of 15+%. All of the significant breakaways went on, or right after this hill – this is because it the hill is the hardest part of the course, and being able to attack here gets you an instant gap because the field is tired. Corners are another great place to attack, as long as you know what’s coming. The closer you are to the finish line, the more important it is to be near the front through the corner. If there’s a corner inside 200 meters to go, whoever leads through that corner is going to win the race.
Places to move up: fast sections of wide open road are some of the best places to move up. Every race is different, and so is every peloton, but a steep climb on a narrow road is definitely NOT a good place to pass – you’ll end up using far more energy moving up on a climb than coasting up the side of the pack, and using the momentum of the draft. Passing into or through a corner is also a good tactic, as long as you’re not dive-bombing 50 guys and causing a crash. When everyone begins to slow, you can wait on the brakes, pass a few guys, and then slot in. Just be smart, and don’t do anything that your mom wouldn’t be proud of.
Pro Tip: Look for nature break areas. For the most experienced and well-hydrated riders, look for areas of quick cover in case of a natural emergency. While a big bush may suffice, the sharpest athletes will look for neighborhood Port-a-Potty’s. Check the front yards of half-finished houses, or a soon-to-be-traumatized fan with an RV.
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When the Redlands Classic finally began, I felt like I was racing it for the second time. Each stage, I was able to use my knowledge of the course to race, not like a rookie, but like a Redlands veteran. I was never surprised where the breakaway went, where the peloton blew up, or where riders got pushed into the grass; I saw all of it coming. Course recon doesn’t guarantee that you will win (that usually comes down to having the legs), but it will certainly help you avoid those dreaded rookie mistakes.
Course Recon Part III: Time Trials – coming this weekend. The most important application of course recon: time trials, where every second counts, and hitting a turn at full speed vs taking a little bit too much off the gas, can mean the difference between winning and losing.