"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Omg

Started racing this year ..entered a cat 45 and finished 36 out of 70...Im 46 years old and decided to opt out and race my age group ..today I went 25 miles in less then an hour and was dropped by the masters 40 and over ?? How much faster do I have to be ? I averaged over 20 MPH and I guess two guys dropped out ..but ,These old guys are animals ..when I ride I try and maintain over 20 MPH ..Thats not enough , Im gonna have to kick it up a notch . I guess its fun .. so competitive ..Im impressed
peace

the masters races are usually the second fastest races after the pro/1/2. They are usually all former pro/1/2 racers and a lot of experienced cat 3's, so the pace is usually blistering. You may want to start off in the regular categories and stick to them for this year. But, the more you race with the faster categories, the faster you will get. The only problem with this is that it gets expensive. If you don't ride with a club or team, try and find one. I'm sure they'll have some good masters racers who you can ride with and get better by doing so. It's really great that you're not getting discouraged by getting dropped - so many people act like it's the end of the world when it happens, bu it happens to everyone, no matter how good they are. The only way to get better is with experience, whether it's actually racing or just training right with the right people. Either way, you're on the right track and it sounds like you're off to a great start.

Agreed ^^^ ...

I do not race masters but looking at pure averages from the guys in my cat who do (i.e. masters 40+) they can be a few MPH faster than the cat 4/5 races. That said I have heard that the 4/5 races are smoother and more predictable than the 4/5 senior races.... something to think about.

thats exactly what i thought .. they are 3 or 4 mph faster then the cat 5s !
back to work.thanks for the above two posts
peace
jar
i was still shocked though..i thought i was with 40 year old outta shape guys . The twenty five mile race on flats was so fast ! It started at 1100 am and I was in my car at noon shocked ! Ive never seen this type of skill and endurance as a street troll .. Im glad I didnt quit .
peace
jar