What is the best time to attack in a race or group outing?

When we are in a race or simply in those moments when we like to play at being cyclists, being the protagonist of the definitive move is not always a matter of legs but of knowing how to use our bullet at the precise moment. We explain what the secret of the great stage hunters is to be able to tilt the races in their favor.

Attack at the precise moment. When intelligence matters more than legs

Whenever we watch a cycling test on TV and there is a breakaway, as we see its members we quickly intuit among whom the victory will be disputed. And not because they are the strongest, which of course, is always a plus, but because they are a certain type of runners with a special nose to know at what exact moment to play their cards and take advantage of the race circumstances in their favor.

This ability to read races is something innate that is part of the great cyclist, however, it is also an ability that a cyclist has to develop during his training and that teams value a lot when choosing cyclists for their squads.

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At the master competition level or simply in the quarrels that arise every Sunday at the start with our respective groups, it is also something that we can take advantage of in our favor. Here are some tricks to get the most out of your strengths.

The stop after a series of attacks

There are moments in races where a carousel of attack after attack begins, each one trying to be the one who takes the cat to the water. However, in this situation everyone is alert and they quickly jump to close the gaps without letting any attack succeed. It is then when we must have the cold blood to spend as little as possible in closing gaps and not enter that succession of attacks that only serve to crush our legs.

Sooner or later the legs end up stinging and there is going to be a stop. If we have known how to save, that is precisely the moment to launch our attack, forcefully, trusting in surprise. If we have known how to choose the moment and the legs accompany us, it is very possible that we will manage to open the gap enough for them to see us at the finish.

After crowning, more damage is done

When a climb arrives, the usual thing is to launch attacks on it or, at least, set a high pace that is selecting the group. Again, going against it can be an interesting weapon since, often, a small stop is produced when crowning. If we are able to climb spending as little as possible and we have enough legs to take advantage of that stop just when crowning, it will be a perfect occasion in which to do damage.

A situation that can be taken much more advantage of if it is one of those climbs that when crowning do not have an immediate descent but after them we find a false flat stretch in which the differences can be definitive. Something typical of, for example, the Flemish classics in which their walls often have a flat stretch above or a technical descent in which to make differences.

Whoever hits first hits harder

Another typical situation that is often seen in the escapes of stage races is how a cyclist attacks further than what could be expected, anticipating the fight that was expected for the last kilometers. An anticipation that often serves so that everyone else looks at each other, no one wants to spend energy in the chase and the fugitive ends up making the move good.

A risky tactic but which, however, is usually the most common way for less gifted cyclists to break the forecasts and tilt the race in their favor.

In any case, as you can see, the legs are not always the ones that decide the tests and that is the beauty of cycling: not always the strongest wins but the one who knows how to read the race best. Cold blood and saving strength to use them at the precise moment often make the difference between occupying the highest place on the podium or being one more.