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Yeah, he's referring to before you start. If you were to warm up on the course and performed a u-turn, you could disrupt other riders, confuse time keepers (especially if it's a multi-lap course), and could affect passing motorists, which could again affect other riders.
The startsheet you normally receive 1-2 weeks before the race normaly tells you which nearby roads are suitable for warming up on, along with where the HQ is, when it opens, parking arrangements, how to get to the start* and a course description and of course your start time.
*don't underestimate how long it might take you to dawdle to the start, you don't want to be at 175bpm in the first mile because you were sprinting to the startline - trust me!!
pifko-
you don't want to be at 175bpm in the first mile because you were sprinting to the startline - trust me!!
Wait, you're NOT supposed to be sprinting to the line? I thought 'panic' was all part of the warmup process.
One of my most memorable crits was me arriving late and being so angry about wasting all my energy riding to the start of the race, I just shot off the front at the flag drop. Ended up lapping the field and winning.
hippy
Yeah I like having lots of time for fell races and you basically have nothing to do, I’ll probably be very early if I’be got a bike to deal with.
Can you explain the U-turn bit? It’s an out and back course, I’m assuming I’ll just be firing out for 12.5 miles then turning at the roundabout. Or is that while you’re waiting to start? Are you all just in a queue in order to set off?