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How do you get into this sport?! I did my first road bike race today . . .

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How do you get into this sport?! I did my first road bike race today . . .

Old 06-18-15, 02:28 PM
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I will say this experience has resulted in a MAJOR ramp-up in my efforts. I bought all new gears and went from a 52/42 11-28 to a 52/39 12-25 (for better cadence regulation and acceleration), totally revamped my bars/stem setup and position, and most important, STARTED RIDING MY ASS OFF. If I'm not sweating and doing at least 20mph+ everywhere I'm not riding my bike. I used to hang near other bikers on the road, even chat them up at red lights. Now I chase them down and pass them like its a finish line sprint, just to have something to motivate me to go fast on my commute haha. Also, I found a different shop that has group training rides weekly, and caters more to the road/mtn race crowd instead of the old shop I went to that caters to the vintage bike/hipster/fixie crowd.
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Old 06-18-15, 02:43 PM
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we've created a commute-racer...this is why we can't have nice things.
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Old 06-18-15, 02:46 PM
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OP - eh, if you are still having fun then I'd say you are on a good track

That's quite a bit like how I started- and yeah, I started riding HARD everywhere I went -
As long as you have fun, keep going.

The more "into it" you want to get, there's reading and specific ways of riding that are (usually) the shortest route to get faster - but keep it fun - once you stop having fun it's a slide to not racing anymore. (eg, me)

Last edited by Hida Yanra; 06-18-15 at 02:50 PM.
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Old 06-18-15, 02:58 PM
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I got into bike racing with my friends. A good friend of mine was huge into the European racing scene, and to be perfectly honest I didn't care much about the sport. Just chasing girls and swimming at the quarry. After being harassed for months by the local college kids, we entered the college relay race. Luckily, we were allowed in, and ended up winning the race. The rest is history.
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Old 06-18-15, 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Hida Yanra
OP - eh, if you are still having fun then I'd say you are on a good track

That's quite a bit like how I started- and yeah, I started riding HARD everywhere I went -
As long as you have fun, keep going.

The more "into it" you want to get, there's reading and specific ways of riding that are (usually) the shortest route to get faster - but keep it fun - once you stop having fun it's a slide to not racing anymore. (eg, me)
Yeah, you're going to find that the way to ride faster is to ride faster. But also to ride slower. (Yes, very mysterious, isn't it?)
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Old 06-18-15, 03:12 PM
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Originally Posted by mike868y
we've created a commute-racer...this is why we can't have nice things.
I shamelessly crushed a dude on my commute home last night. waited for the 1/2 mile 1% incline and put it to 400w. Blew past him and he had no chance.

I sort of wish I were joking, but he'd run a red and made me look bad.
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Old 06-18-15, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by therhodeo
Imagine if every 5k run was set up where everyone who falls off of say 18 minute pace was slowly eliminated from back to front.
Right? When you try to explain this to people, you can just see it in their eyes 'yea....no. not for me.'
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Old 06-18-15, 03:48 PM
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Originally Posted by TobinH
Right? When you try to explain this to people, you can just see it in their eyes 'yea....no. not for me.'
eh, that's only what.... 5'45" splits? <irony>
(at least, an old brain cell popped up and I think that's close - source ex mid-distance runner)
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Old 06-18-15, 03:54 PM
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Originally Posted by furiousferret
I got into bike racing with my friends. A good friend of mine was huge into the European racing scene, and to be perfectly honest I didn't care much about the sport. Just chasing girls and swimming at the quarry. After being harassed for months by the local college kids, we entered the college relay race. Luckily, we were allowed in, and ended up winning the race. The rest is history.
And he was always speaking and singing in Italian, right? Were you the one with the guitar?
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Old 06-18-15, 04:09 PM
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I always had my shirt off, and he's speaking French now!
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Old 06-18-15, 05:22 PM
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Hey, if not for that bike race, you'd never have gotten that gig with the New Orleans police and those mob killings would never have been solved.
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Old 06-18-15, 11:04 PM
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Originally Posted by furiousferret
I got into bike racing with my friends. A good friend of mine was huge into the European racing scene, and to be perfectly honest I didn't care much about the sport. Just chasing girls and swimming at the quarry. After being harassed for months by the local college kids, we entered the college relay race. Luckily, we were allowed in, and ended up winning the race. The rest is history.
Haha! I just recently watched that for the first time.
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Old 06-18-15, 11:25 PM
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Originally Posted by mike868y
we've created a commute-racer...this is why we can't have nice things.
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Old 06-19-15, 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by mike868y
we've created a commute-racer...this is why we can't have nice things.
Haha aw be nice, with a full-time job and a newborn I have to get my training in when I can!
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Old 06-19-15, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by mike868y
we've created a commute-racer...this is why we can't have nice things.
Just ask Preston about me, him and the bike path. Apparently we perform pursuits going down that thing every now and then.

Originally Posted by ypsetihw
Haha aw be nice, with a full-time job and a newborn I have to get my training in when I can!
Proper approach right now would be to sell the newborn to fund a new bike. It will also free up some training time.
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Old 06-19-15, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by dz_nuzz


Proper approach right now would be to sell the newborn to fund a new bike. It will also free up some training time.
We spend $1500/month on daycare, I could buy many bikes a year plus all the fixin's. Instead, I ride a 20 year old bike. Good thing I love that kid lol
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Old 06-19-15, 11:42 AM
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I guess that's my cue since I went to Indiana. Sadly, I didn't participate in Little 500. Really not that sad about it, was more interested in partying as much as possible while still doing well in school. When I got into the real world, I struggled to find a hobby to keep me driven to workout, since I had always trained for football and was tired of going to the gym just for the sake of it (although that's what I did, just a gym rat). 4 years ago I bought a road bike and started riding around with friends some, gradually doing more and more and started pushing the boundaries beyond what my friends wanted to. Last year, I started group riding with a shop finally and did a few races. Didn't get whipped but certainly wasn't near the podium. Did a more structured offseason program this year and made it to the podium in my 10th and final race as a Category 5. On we go. Now I am 170 pounds or less with some lingering muscle but nothing like my 185-190 lbs gym rat days. My only regret is I would have started riding right after college.
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Old 06-19-15, 11:49 AM
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Originally Posted by furiousferret
I always had my shirt off, and he's speaking French now!

This is really only marginally apropos, but there's a lot going on in this photo:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...2371403841.jpg
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Old 06-19-15, 12:41 PM
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He could be the one who hit home runs with the Bears.
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Old 06-19-15, 01:47 PM
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Got to say I have enjoyed this thread. I like reading how y'all got started.
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Old 06-19-15, 03:22 PM
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I got my first bike, a hybrid, in 2010. My (then fiancee) and I would go on leisurely rides around the neighborhood and I would be astonished at the occasional 27mph on a downhill section. A couple months later a few guys from work rode and had road bikes. They encouraged me to come along with them on a ride with them. We went 15 miles. I got home and laid on the floor for 30 minutes unable to move. It was then I knew I had to have a road bike.

I devised a plan to buy a NOS Trek 1.2 from the LBS and was happy with my 17mph average rides on my 7-10 mile route. A different guy at work introduced me to a local team and said I should go on one of their group rides. I showed up to a Wednesday Night Ride and was informed it was their 'fast' ride. I was coached how to draft, keep gaps small, not to yo-yo by a few of the other riders and while I was hurting, I thought I was doing okay by keeping up on the way out. Unbeknownst to me, the real ride starts after the 'turn'. I was dropped like I was on a big wheels in less than a mile. I got to ride the 15ish miles back home solo feeling exhausted. But I wanted more.

I started showing up to their slower-but-longer weekend rides and put in solo miles during the week. Our team leader quickly convinced me to sign up for the local crits a few months later. I resisted but eventually gave in. I "trained" my butt off for the two months and still got pulled halfway through each 40 minute Cat 5 race. I think I raced a few more crits later that year but I don't remember them as well as my first few. I've been a racer ever since. Given my middle-of-nowhere location, races are hard to come by and given my limited time to train I'm probably a Cat 4 lifer. I've had a few top 10 finishes in some crits and even though I prefer them, not that great in Road Races. If I could race every other weekend without driving 2.5+ hours each direction I could probably make it to Cat 3 just by sheer persistence. But life limits me to 5-6 Road/Crit and 3-4 CX races a year.

I still enjoy racing and use it as a constant motivator to keep riding and stay in shape. I've never lost confidence that I could do something great in a race. Even though I haven't seen the results yet, I still come back for more. Along with that, I've lost 25lbs due to riding and eating better since I started. I'm in the best shape of my life and I'll never trade it for anything.
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Old 06-19-15, 04:21 PM
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Originally Posted by globecanvas
This is really only marginally apropos, but there's a lot going on in this photo:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...2371403841.jpg
I'm not even sure what to think of that photo...
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Old 06-19-15, 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by furiousferret
I'm not even sure what to think of that photo...
I'm glad you stuck with the cycling, though I question your leg grooming, lung maintenance, shoe tying attentiveness, and choice of friends. What does the Road ID say? "In case of accident, tape my feet to the pedals"?
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Old 06-19-15, 04:39 PM
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The great thing is I can avoid all social mores of society as I'll always have an army of yes men telling me I'm still relevant.

My Road ID says if you don't know who I am ask the TMZ photog behind you!
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Old 06-20-15, 06:17 AM
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