THE ELIMINATION RACE or DEVIL TAKES THE HINDMOST is the race of the dark shadow were at the end of each lap the ‘cloak of the dark shadow’ falls on the last rider over the lap finish line and they are eliminated. The process of the grim reaper the Devil continues until there are only two riders left for the final lap and the first over the line at the end of the lap is the winner.
So to run through the race, this will be written with the likes of Tameside as the basis; not the Velodrome for the tactics vary for on there.
The race commences with all the riders setting off on a lap of the circuit at a steady & controlled pace and as a group and not as a sprint lap so that those at the front get an unfair advantage – if this occurs the race commissar will not ‘fire the starting gun’ and a second steady & controlled pace and as a group and not as a sprint lap will commence.
When the race commissar is of the opinion that at the final part of a warm up lap that the group is together sufficiently and riding in a steady and controlled manner the ‘starting gun’ (gun or bell) will be fired or rung – if the commissar so feels numerous pre race laps may have to be undertaken to get all riders in a group to commence the race.
At that point the race is on and as per the opening paragraph, the race is not about who is over the finish line first for each lap, bar the last lap, it is about who is last over the line at the end of each lap.
So it’s a race about total awareness of all the riders about you and more so your positioning within the group – this is far more so on the velodrome track.
Lets play out a Tameside scenario, coming out of the last bend into the finishing straight you are at the rear of the peloton and on the inside line nearest to the run off area, you have choices how to get out of there so not to be the last over the line and eliminated.
The first is spotting a gap between riders in front of you and sprinting into that gap thus forcing another rider to be the last rider and thus eliminated – the issue with this is that the peloton will be fairly tightly packed together and many riders in the early stages of the race so gaps will be few and far apart and you have the safety aspect to contend with one being the rider in the front of you applying their brakes and you having to take abrupt evasive action. (not such an issue on the velodrome for all riders are on fixed wheel therefore the ‘braking’ is only if somebody breaks by slowing their crank revolutions but even in such a case the change in speed is gradual not abrupt)
The second is you as the last rider backs off the pace so your front wheel is behind the second to last rider and you swing right and accelerate around them making them the last rider and thus eliminated. The acceleration can be a brute exertion of leg and lung force to come around them or if you have spotted the situation early enough it can be more tactical and planned – backing off two to three bike lengths behind the last rider / peloton, riding in the decreased pressure zone the ‘slipstream’ and accelerating into it and utilising the slipstream to slingshot you past the last rider / peloton and as such it will provide you with the acceleration and speed that it will be extremely difficult for those following to latch onto your wheel so you avoid the last rider over the line and elimination.
Riding towards the rear of the peloton to attempt to conserve energy ( see comments later about riding at the front of the peloton) can be a dangerous game fraught with risks of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being eliminated. Additionally it can also be counterproductive for instead of conserving energy and power you will for most laps have to exert short sharp bursts of speed burning up energy reserves to keep having to manoeuvre and accelerate out of potential elimination positions within the peloton.
The counter-alternative is ride at the front of the race but here you are the ‘air-breaker’ who experiences 100% of the air resistance, those following in your slipstream encounter far far less air resistance so burn far less energy, the downside if you are the last rider in the line of riders you run the risk of tactically being boxed in, trapped as last rider and therefore the next to be eliminated.
Riding in the slipstream conserves a lot of energy especially if riding in close formation, distance from the front riders back wheel to your front wheel is circa 150 / 200mm. The air resistance is incrementally reduced as you go along the line of riders with the benefit also incrementally decreasing. The second to last rider in the chain of riders is the one with the greatest reduction in air resistance, for the last rider carries the burden of negative air resistance caused by the vortex and negative pressure coming off their back profile & rear of their cycle – this acts like an air resistance anchor called ‘drag’.
Thanks John a great feature, there was some great riding at the World Cup especially in Luke’s event, the oh so complex Madison! Match sprinting was ace too!
Thanks Nick, will be good when part 2 is put up and the fuller picture can be envisaged.
Yes there was some great racing at the the Worlds with some great tactics, I do not think I have lost the ‘tactical brain’ for numerous times sat watching I would make comment ‘he / she should do X’ then 30 seconds later it occurred or the tv expert said the same – and I got a prod from Susan ‘you got there before them again’
Pity my riding does not match – over 9 months since last track ride due to the dragging on construction / alteration works and following recent information it could be months more due to track damage (not had any comments since the track expert inspection in the last week or so). Totally missing my once or twice per week track sessions. Also where my back had its three breaks suffers a lot when I have to do many repeat bursts of speed / power
My coaching was principally the endurance events – scratch, points, elimination / devil and the pursuits 4km, Team pursuit & Italian plus team sprint and some junior sprint work. Must have been OK for some of my ‘youngsters’ made it to the top.
Used to enjoy riding the Madison but another non event now due to my back but more so my weak left shoulder from its dislocation when a 3.5 times over the limit drunk driver hit me from behind – Madison is as much mental strain as physical. ( it could be adapted to be a Tameside race )