Track Fights Strategy

This is a very basic run down on only some of the strategy that you may use in an average Track Fights. There is so much more that I could fill a book so take the time to pick the brain of the oldest, savviest riders you know if you want more.

Points:
You tend to win points in one of two ways. Either you win sprints outright or you break away for a couple laps. Maybe even lap the field. Attacks that stick almost always occur immediately following a sprint. Usually it's the two or three guys that won the sprint happen to end up with a gap on the field and they quickly get it together and punch it. When you are in a breakaway you are winning points for every sprint that you are out until the field gobbles you back up or until you gain shelter behind the back of the field. If you gain shelter behind the field just before a bell lap then that whole field can now sprint for points even though you've only been hanging on the back.

Sprints:
If you want to win a sprint you'll need to be one of the top three or four riders coming out of the last corner and you'll need to crack open a decent sprint to boot, assuming you have one to crack open in the first place. If you can't figure out the wheel to be on or you find yourself with bad position before the last corner like say, the front of the field, then as the saying goes, When in doubt, lead it out. You won't win by leading out a sprint but if you can keep sprinting to the line without leaving char marks on the road from your explosion you're almost guaranteed a good place and you'll be with the leaders if that sprint turns out to be one that forms a breakaway.

Getting Dropped:
First of all, don't get dropped. Burn whatever matches you have to to stay with the field. If you're getting gapped then figure out why your getting gapped and put a bandaid over it. If you're getting gapped after all the sprints then start leading them out or fight for top position going into them so you have more field to drift back through. Keep your line and sprint hard so you don't cause a crash.

However sooner or later you may find yourself staring across a gap the size of the Grand Canyon. Figure out what you did that squirted you out the back like you drank the water in Mexico and don't do it again. Most likely it was thinking you could sit back for a sprint or sucking the wheel of someone that popped. Toss any idea you may have about pacing yourself out the window cuz you're in for some hurt. If you have any matches left, light em. Once you hit the back of the field, don't wait around punching tickets, keep going right to the front. You're gonna need some slack when the next sprint comes around and also by being at the front you may be able to secretly slow the field down a little to give yourself a chance to recover.

If you know you're never going to make it back up to the field. Just sit up and soft pedal. You're not learning anything by time trialing behind the field and you're not getting a single point back there. Drop back to the field and try to get some points to start digging yourself out of that hole. Lots of people are going to get dropped and you're now racing against them.

For example, take two riders that both get dropped early in the race. Neither are strong enough to make it back on. One sits up, takes a breather, and drops back to the field. Once he is in the field again he manages to squeak out fourth in one sprint. The other rider keeps pushing in no man's land for most of the race before getting lapped and never gets a single point. At the end of the race both are one lap down but the rider that dropped back and got the single point beat the other and got a better workout and tactical experience. The one that dropped back will do better next week. The one that dangled for twenty laps got better at time trialing.

There is one caveat to this. If you get dropped near the end of the race then fight like hell to stay on the lead lap. Staying on the lead lap will probably keep you in the top half or two thirds of the results list.

The take away from this is if you get dropped and can catch back up then absolutely do it and do it fast. If you can't then drop back and start racing again. When you're in the pack learn how to stay in the pack and if you're surrounded be people that can sprint faster than you learn how to win points in spite of them.

Good Luck!

P.S. Results from Round 2 are up.