by Marek » Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:34 pm
Ian, Goodwood is a flat course and it can tend to get quite windy. The best way to do well in a 4th cat race at Goodwood is to save your powder till the end unless you are very strong or see a good break forming and feel that you can bridge across.
The 4th cat races tend to end up being a bunch sprint, so sit in about wheel 5 to 10 and make sure that you stay out of the wind. If you get a chance to do a warm up lap try to remember the wind direction on each section so that you can fathom out the best line to enter corners and know where to sit to avoid getting in the wind. Basically you want to save your legs for the finish. You should find it very easy to just sit in and do nothing, let everyone else do the work and tire themselves out.
If a break gets away do not panic. As it is a 4th cat race what tends to happen is the break will get about 50 yards away and then some idjut will drag the bunch back up. If the break looks as though it is working very well and is gradually moving further away, if you are strong enough then make your move. Give all you can to get onto the break, but make sure you jump from the peleton, don't be the idjut that drags the rest of the group up as that is pointless. Better in my mind to make an attempt to get there on your own and fail as opposed to snuffing out the break by dragging everyone else up.
Have fun.
Cheers
Marek....