| I would not remove the derailleurs, at least the rear. Starting
off in a 90" gear or so, what he'll probably be pushing at the end,
will slow his total time down.
If he is serious about this, I would borrow a set of tubulars from
a friend and pump them up hard.
You'll have to check the race rules about the starting positions,
if you can hold him at the start or not.
steve
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| In Europe this is a pretty standard race for children. Switzerland has local
races and a national final in this class.
The start should be on the bike, feet clipped in, held by a judge. Keep
the derailleur, but figure out which two gears he'll need. It's worth
practising, as 1 Km can be pretty long when you're going all out.
Ken
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|
My son has been in several road sprints and rides in track events
at Trexlertown Veoldrome. The road events usually do not allow
you to use fixed gear set-ups. Those are only used on velodromes.
I suspect that (.2) is correct that one of the judges will hold
him at the start. Suggest that you practice this at home prior
to the race since it often feels awkward at first. With the one
kilo distance you will want to shift gears. Improtant!! USCF has
significant gear restrictions for Juniors. Biggest 17-18 gear is
52/15. They are even more restrictive for younger riders. I would
find out if there is a "roll-out" limit by age group. If there
is, have a good shop set it up for you.
Last thing to check is if it is an individual time trial of some
type of matched sprint. If there are several riders in each heat,
drafting could make a big difference at that distance.
P.S. If he breaks 1:10 - sign him up for the Jr. Nationals!
Good Luck
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