Thegreggwong

Hey,

I've decided to do my first race, Ive been training hard... and I think I can handle a small race. The only thing is, I dont understand exactly what I'm doing.. lol. First off this is my Race. I dont understand what the Distance slot means (ill be racing as citizen) 30min +2? Any one give me a definition on that? What should I do to prepare myself for this, I've never really experienced a race before, so I dont really know what drafting feels like to be honest. Ive ridden in a group before, but never in a race. There prob. wont be many people at this race, espeically in my category. I really wont have a great race bike, But Im not out to win, Im out for the experience. Im looking for experience that will help me ride on a college team in a year. Ive read all the other post about preperation, so I think I have a good grasp on that. Thanks for everyones help.

UmneyDurak

It means 30 minutes, +2 laps.
How confident are you riding in groups, and in close proximity with other riders?

my58vw

I think you nailed it with the last sentence... you are not there to win, you are there to experience... it is your first race, just go out there, sit in the back and "enjoy the draft". Learn all you can about working in a pack, dyanamics, etc. There is nothing to be afraid of, if you get spit off the back just keep on going, try and get back, suffer a little and have fun!

And come back and tell us about it!

EventServices

Not so sure that a race situation is the best place to get first-time experience.
Club rides are free, less dangerous.
You won't be a threat to more experienced riders.

Since drafting is a large part of this sport, I would say it's necessary to be familiar with going into your first race. Not something learned on-the-job.

Some of the worst crashes I've seen are not caused by the corners, but by the overlapped wheel.

Please don't downplay the safety of others.

skydive69

Personally, I think the best place to start a racing career is with a time trial unless you have extensive experience riding with fast, agressive riders (like in my club), with lots of sprint zones and shoulder to shoulder efforts to kick each other's butt. Furthermore, I also believe that a crit (although I think 58 started off with crits) is not the place to start racing in that they can be quite dangerous compared to a standard road race. I also personally have always had a bit of the problem with the "participatory" mentality. If I bring my bike up to the line, I am there to win which means that second place is a loss. But then again, I tend to be a bit hardcore.

my58vw

I agree totally...

I actually started with time trials... I had done 6 itts before I had even though of racing crits and rr's. I learned how to ride in a pack way before I ever did a crit. Crit s through are not the place as ^^^ said to learn things like cornering skills, pack riding skills, etc. You learn those before you even think about going and racing a crit or rr... I am still learning as 99% of the people are how to do these things...

Yet almost nothing you can do outside of a practice crit can teach you how to do it like an actual race. Have any local practice crits?

skydive69

I never realized that. I thought you jumped right in to the crazy world of crits!

EventServices

You don't necessarily need 'practice crits'.
Just take three guys and find an industrial park with several corners and no traffic.
Play follow the leader as fast as you feel comfortable.
Get used to negotiating the corners at high speed without
1. scraping a pedal,
2. overlapping a wheel
3. missing the apex
4. hitting the curb
5. hitting each other
6. getting dropped

Sorry if I'm making it sound more complex than you're expecting, but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.