Bike racing is an odd sport.
The prizes go to the individuals who win the races, but riders race as teams, and team support makes or breaks the chances of any individual to win the race.
Levels of cooperation vary tremendously from team to team. Riders on some teams work against each other. Many times I’ve heard a rider proudly say that while she didn’t win, at least she was the first finisher from her team. Teams whose riders have that attitude rarely win.
On other teams the riders have mutual non-aggression pacts, like the Russians and Germans (before Hitler’s army marched towards Moscow). On a team like this, riders promise not to pull the field and close the gap when a teammate is up the road (at least until the heat of racing makes them forget their vows); but they might not do anything else to support each other. In many Category Four (“Cat 4”) races, and some Cat 3 races, even this level of team “support” can be enough to generate the margin of victory.
On essentially all professional teams—and any teams that win big races—the organization is much more formal. Professional-level teamwork is virtually unstoppable, except by opposing professional-level teamwork—or, in extremely rare situations, by a solo rider who is just hugely stronger than the competition.
A rider on a strong team works to protect her teammate from taking the wind, chases and neutralizes breakaways set up by other teams, sacrifices her own sprint to lead out her team sprinter, and even sacrifices a wheel or her bike for a stronger teammate with a mechanical problem. A rider’s job may simply be to block the peloton, or to pick up water and food from the support cars, so that her stronger teammate can remain sheltered in the pack. Sometimes that stronger teammate has been designated to win most of the races for an entire season. Less organized teams will just work for whichever teammate seems strongest on any given day.
On professional teams, support riders get paid to protect and work for the stars on that team. The support riders are loyal, for the obvious reason that their inclusion in the team and their paychecks depend on their keeping their own ambitions in check, while they sacrifice for the team.
Why would an amateur sacrifice for a teammate?
Amateur riders don’t get paid for helping each other, but they often cooperate anyway. Different teams motivate this behavior differently. Some commit to a prize split, spending any winnings from team members on pizza for everyone after the race, for instance. This approach gives every team member an incentive to help whoever has the greatest chance of winning. Some teams base race fee reimbursement on teamwork, which makes them similar to pro teams.
Many teams have some riders who are simply willing to help others because, for one reason or another, they aren’t racing for the win themselves. Sometimes these are riders who don’t like to mix it up in the sprint. Other times it’s riders who really are selfless, or who have raced long enough to know that they are not going to win, but who still want to be part of a team win—or of sticking it to the riders on other teams. Some teams carry mutual support to a self-destructive extreme, with stronger riders sacrificing for weaker teammates. This approach ensures that all riders will feel welcome, but that no rider from the team will win the race.
What if you are on a team where all of your teammates want to win, but you yourself are early enough in your racing career that you still want to win as well? Is a fragile non-aggression pact your only option?
No! You and your teammates can take turns being the star, and still have a serious chance of winning. Not ready for that? At least make the non-aggression pact, but also help each other before races. Share the work of driving, preparing bikes, registering and so on. Stand in line and pin each other¹s numbers. Let one teammate pump tires, while another checks bottles, and another holds race licenses in the reg line. The time each of you saves by not having to stand in line is enough to allow each rider an extra potty stop or a longer warmup—either of which could make or break your race.
More organized? Have one rider reserve hotels and send race entries. In a road race, tell your teammates and clubmates in other categories if you’ll be bringing someone to feed. This is not just a selfless gesture. A significant other whose only responsibility is to feed one rider a couple times in one race gets bored and loses enthusiasm. If he or she gets to feed more riders more frequently, the job stays interesting.
What we now call active teamwork in races is still called collusion in some countries’ race rules. It’s considered cheating, because it gives riders an unfair advantage. But in the U.S.A, teamwork is legal and expected. Do it!
photo by Catherine Marsal