I used to love getting into the breakaway
when I was racing.
Limitless food and drink
and your own personal team car,
but how do you actually get
into a breakaway?
Well, in this video I'm going to go through
some tips that hopefully will help you
make those early breakaways.
[music]
Don't go crazy.
It's really easy to try too hard.
Relax.
It can actually be counterproductive
to try too hard,
and when the break actually goes
you have exhausted yourself.
You haven't even got the legs
to follow the attacks
when you actually want to.
Yes, I've done it countless amount of times,
been an eager beaver,
gone for every attack,
and when the one that goes sticks,
I don't have the legs to follow.
I even get dropped by the peloton.
A good trick is to limit yourself.
Go for around three or four attacks
and make those bullets count.
You only have a few,
so you want to use them wisely.
Surf the wheels.
Try to follow attacks instead of attacking
on your own.
Find wheels that you can get tucked up in,
in the shelter,
away from that wind.
That way, you can make more of those efforts
going off the front of the bunch.
Try not to do those big solo attacks
because that way you waste all your energy
and you're more than likely
going to miss the breakaway that sticks.
Think about it, be clever, be sneaky.
Surf the wheels,
look for the riders that have the momentum,
that are heading off the front of the bunch.
Get into their slipstream.
That way, hopefully,
you'll meet that breakaway.
Save your efforts.
Yes, save your efforts for a good moment.
There's no point attacking on a big highway
into a block headwind.
No.
Be clever and be smart.
Look for the moment
where you've got a tailwind
or you're going into a smaller road
or even you've got a crosswind.
That way, the peloton
will find it far harder to chase.
Also, if it's in a small road,
that will only need three or four riders
to block that road.
That way, if they think,
"No, we're not going to chase,"
then you've got those seconds up the road
and you're more likely
going to stay away.
There are some really well-known
breakaway protagonists.
Yes, riders like Thomas De Gendt,
Thomas Voeckler, Steve Cummings,
Jens Voigt.
Well-known breakaway specialists.
If you saw one of those guys
attacking during a race, well,
you would know those are the wheels to follow.
Those are the wheels you want to sit on
because there's a good chance that
if they're in it, it might stay away.
Use your momentum.
The key to making a good attack
is to use your momentum.
Attack hard and fast using
a much greater relative speed
than the peloton.
You can do this in a few different ways
but what you want to do is make sure
you attack full 100%,
hard and fast.
If you do a soft attack then it's far easier
for all those riders to jump on your wheel
and neutralize your attack.
Use the speed of the bunch.
Come from a long way back,
use that speed of the bunch.
Hopefully, the peloton will open the door
and kabam.
Yes.
You don't have to touch the brakes
and you can launch your bid for freedom.
When you're really suffering,
so is everyone else.
It's a good point where the breakaway
might just succeed because everyone
is wishing for the breakaway
to disappear up the road.
That way, they can have a little bit of rest,
but this, unfortunately,
is the best time to launch your attack.
Don't worry.
You can relax, settle down,
and get back into a nice tempo
once you've established that break.
There might be some grimacing faces
behind from the peloton
and it might be strung out for a little bit,
but hopefully, they'll give up
and you'll be let go
to break free up the road.
There is a reason that directeur sportifs
scream at their riders
when they see them sitting
at the back of the bunch,
because to be honest, well,
you're not going to be able to get anywhere.
You're no use at the back of the peloton.
No, you won't be able
to make the breakaways
or even make the attacks,
so get to the front.
You'll waste more energy at the back
when you've got that elastic band effect,
so get to the front.
That way, you can use that fresh energy
to make those attacks.
Look how brutal it is at the back
of the peloton here.
All strung out.
Trust me, it's not a nice place to be.
Wear a skin suit.
Yes, get those aero gains.
After all, you want to save
as much watts as possible
and ultimately go as fast as possible.
Get rid of your cape.
No matter how cold it is,
you want to get nice and fast and aero.
When you've made the breakaway,
that way you can put on your cape
once you've established that gap.
Make yourself as aero as possible,
so get rid of all those floppy jerseys
and be fast.
Finally, enjoy it.
When you've made that breakaway,
you've got the best seat in the house.
Soak up the atmosphere from the crowd.
Enjoy it.
You're at the front of the race.
You've got the camera on you.
You are the rider that everyone is watching.
Also, great opportunity
to make the most of speaking
to your directeur sportif,
getting loads of food and drink.
Ultimately,
you're going to miss all this stuff,
all the hard stuff that happens
behind all those breakaways,
those splits, those crosswinds,
those gutter action,
and there's a better chance that
you'll make that winning breakaway.
Then if you're lucky,
you've made that winning breakaway
and you have the legs,
this is when you can go for glory.
Go for victory.
Get your arms in the air
and feel a million dollars.
Unfortunately, I didn't do it often.
That's come to the end of this video.
I hope you've enjoyed it,
and I hope it's given you some tips
to think about when you're out there racing
trying to get in the breakaway,
but let us know what are your best
breakaway moments of last time
in the conversation below.
Let me know your thoughts of the video,
and I'll hopefully see you in the next one.
Take care.