First, winning is hard. So hard that you need to be sure that you've already laid the ground work for when you don't win.
Some good pre race excuses:
- Man, it's hot and muggy today. (any weather related issues are handy here... rain, cold, heat, etc).
- I think I over trained on Thursday at the Great Valley Crit trying to grab Kincaid's wheel.
- I raced this morning, and I'm not sure my legs are strong enough for a second race today.
- I'm not well hydrated.
- I think I'm getting a cold (this will also work as a training excuse: I've had a cold this week, so I didn't get to train much).
- man, my allergies are bad today!
- My hamstrings are tight.
Okay, now here's mid race strategy:
- be sure to do one really hard effort at the front or bring a team mate back. This shows that you have good form and are a "team player"
- when you drop out, immediately check your bike... either the chain or the back break (this will give the impression that you had a mechanical issue... and look how long you stayed on while the back brake was rubbing!)
However, it's all about the post race talk. Every rider loves to stand around and talk about what they should've done in the race. Where they should've attacked, how they grabbed the wrong wheel: "he looked strong, but he gapped at the first hill!". The hydration issue comes in handy here too... "I lost one of my bottles on the first turn!". Oh, and always make sure that you think the guy that won is in the wrong cat..."man, he's sandbagging, he's a former mountain bike champion and should be a Cat 2!"
In full disclosure, I've heard every single one of these comments.
Keep an eye out for my "favorite races to attend"... meaning the races that have flush toilets available!
