MIDSOUTH MASTER CYCLING CLUB

NOLA LENDING
RACING TEAM

Ryan "Woody" Boudreaux and Jason Miller

Photo by Sharon Scheib

As we were putting together the SEECA / New Orleans Fish House racing team for the 2007 season, we began discussing strengths and what each one of us wanted to get out of the team.  I was pretty quick to volunteer to be a domestique for other riders.  I think it surprised a few folks that someone would want this role on a team of amateur racers.  I felt that good results, especially with the tactics involved in the Masters racing division, would only be possible with a team of riders working together for a common goal.  The Louisiana / Mississippi Bicycle Racing Association (LAMBRA) results confirm that this was the case for the past season as most of the points leaders are from clubs who had a team supporting them.

One of the biggest goals of our team was to work together and we quickly developed guidelines that would encourage it.  We agreed early to split any prize money equally among all team members in a race so that everyone shares in winning.  No one is going to get rich racing bikes at our level, however, so an even bigger motivation was recognition.  Riders are quick to thank teammates for their success realizing that individual strength alone will not necessarily lead to a victory.  This recognition even extended to racers on other teams.  Good racers understand good tactics and compliment individuals on competing teams when they observe it.  I think it also helps that members of our team like each other, enjoy riding together, and are truly happy for each others success.  A top finish is enjoyed just as much by the team as the individual member who won.  It works both ways because a leader who sees guys sacrifice themselves for him digs that much deeper when it is his time to deliver.

Even with a team that fosters a cooperative environment, there are still some traits that I feel will help a person function as a better domestique.  Some of those traits deal with personality while others are around riding skills and tactics.

In general from a personality type, an introverted individual who derives self-satisfaction from a job well done will do better than an extroverted one who feeds off top results.  No one sees the lead-out guy crank up the pace 1 km from a sprint finish.  Instead they see the winner accelerating through the finish line while his teammate, dead at 200 m, fights to hold the back of the pack.  A rider who goes all out chasing down a break before slipping off the back on the next climb just looks like someone who couldn’t keep up to observers up the road.  Only when you abandon your own ambitions for placing can you truly work to exhaustion in a race.  If there is a key time where the team needs everything you have and you are saving a little bit to avoid being dropped, you could be hurting the team’s chances of winning.  You need to take satisfaction knowing you performed a critical role for the team even though some riders and most spectators won’t understand your contribution.

Although personality types may help you accept performing in the shadows, a successful domestique must still be able to perform to help the team.  Having a desire to help the team leader isn’t enough if you are off the back of the pack.  If you can’t make the crucial break with a teammate in the middle of the race, you won’t have a chance to lead him out at the finish.  I think the best domestiques are the strong all-around riders who can climb, sprint and take long pulls and may be every bit as strong as the team leader.  This doesn’t need to be the case however to help a teammate.  You should understand what you are good at and figure out a way to apply that strength to benefit your leader.  If you are a strong time trialist, try going off the front of the field to make other teams chase you.  If you can climb well, help get your team’s top rider in a break away on a hill.  Look for chances to apply your strongest skills.  A strong all-around rider may have an advantage as he can be positioned near the front of the pack in the wind prepared to help out without regard to terrain or situation.

I think a few other physical abilities may help in being a strong domestique as well.  One is the ability to rapidly recover after a hard effort.  You may need to repeatedly reel in breaks and being able to quickly prepare for the next one will help out.  I also think having a quick jump is important as you can cover attacks before a gap opens or create your own attack if needed.  A good domestique will likely have the ability to win races on his own and often will during a season as roles within the team rotate.

In addition to physical skills, a strong domestique should have a good understanding of the tactical side of racing.  Being able to see a race unfold and know which riders should be covered and which ones can be left alone is a big help in conserving energy.  Riders on the same team are not always close within a group and you sometimes can’t wait to be told before you react to cover a break.  A split second may be the difference between easily jumping on the back of an attacking group or chasing aimless down the road with little hope of closing a gap.  A mistimed lead-out may leave both you and your team leader exhausted while the field flies around you to the finish.

All told, a successful domestique must be a strong physical rider in his own right with a good head for tactics who doesn’t mind performing in the shadows.  You will see these riders working at the front of races taking a lot of pride in what they do for their team.  They understand the impact they are making and that is probably enough reward.