"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Let the season begin. . . . . .

I hereby declare the '07 racing season to be open!!!!!


Sorry, got a little excited becuase I just shaved my legs for the first time this season.

No! Not ready yet! Come back in late-March. Will be ready by then. I promise.

Yah man... six more weeks.

Nope first race of the season is in 4 days!!!!

Nope first race of the season is in 4 days!!!!

i thought it was your first race. period.

i thought it was your first race. period.


It is my first, which also happens to be the first race of the season! I am looking forward to ruling all Cat 5's with an iron fist!! :D

It is my first, which also happens to be the first race of the season! I am looking forward to ruling all Cat 5's with an iron fist!! :D

The Patron of the Cat 5 peloton... pure dominance and intimidation. :)

It is my first, which also happens to be the first race of the season! I am looking forward to ruling all Cat 5's with an iron fist!! :D

Report back in 5 days. Some people are just naturally gifted and very strong riders, and can hang, and even when their first race. The other 90% are usualy suffering off the back.

Report back in 5 days. Some people are just naturally gifted and very strong riders, and can hang, and even when their first race. The other 90% are usualy suffering off the back.

I was definitely a 90 percenter in my first race...

Well... by the looks of it Boonen said the season began this week.

The Patriarch of the Cat 5 peloton... pure dominance and intimidation. :)

No...it's the Patron of the Cat 5 Peloton.

Directing others to run down breaks. Deciding who gets away and who does not. Sending his "team" to the front to pick up the pace.

:D

I was definitely a 90 percenter in my first race...

You're not the only one.

It is my first, which also happens to be the first race of the season! I am looking forward to ruling all Cat 5's with an iron fist!! :D

Good luck Mike and have fun, I'll be out in 4's as well. The weather actually looks good this year! Remember as a 5 the only thing that really matters is finishing and getting your 10 and out.

I actually did well my first race. The next few after that....not so much.:D
Talk about going from hmmm I can compete to WTF. LOL

I actually did well my first race. The next few after that....not so much.:D
Talk about going from hmmm I can compete to WTF. LOL

i suppose it depends on:

1. your ability

2. previous group riding experience

3. the race: crit or RR

4. at which point in the season that you start

it's not a good idea to make your first race a crit in august, with no prior group riding experience. ymmv :)

No...it's the Patron of the Cat 5 Peloton.

Ooops. No more posting at 5AM for this guy. :D

I actually did well my first race. The next few after that....not so much.:D
Talk about going from hmmm I can compete to WTF. LOL


Yeah so did I. It was a pretty stacked 4/5 field and I finished 5th. What really worked in my favor was the weather. 40 degrees, rain and really windy. We had a 8 guys on our team and actually controlled the race until the last lap. My teammate and I along with 7 others attacked on the finish climb and there was a separation. The rest of my teammates controlled the pace of the field and we never saw them again. Perfect. Next few races didn't go well at all. I was in the bottom of the top 20 in next 3 races and dropped out of next one (in my defense it was 90 degrees with 96% humidity). 2006 was much better and I was not out of the top 12 all season.

I am thinking that I will do decent becasue there is a Cat 4/5 race as well, so the only people that are really going to be in the Cat 5 race is first timers. I have plenty of group riding expierence and feel like I am in good enough shape at least to hang with the group. From what I hear Cat 5 is normally 17 - 21 mph, which is really not that fast.

On the start is it a mad dash or kind of a everybody get rolling up to speed? A mad dash of a bunch of new cat 5's seems like a very bad thing, I have had nightmares over this. . .

I am thinking that I will do decent becasue there is a Cat 4/5 race as well, so the only people that are really going to be in the Cat 5 race is first timers. I have plenty of group riding expierence and feel like I am in good enough shape at least to hang with the group. From what I hear Cat 5 is normally 17 - 21 mph, which is really not that fast.

On the start is it a mad dash or kind of a everybody get rolling up to speed? A mad dash of a bunch of new cat 5's seems like a very bad thing, I have had nightmares over this. . .


hehehehehe even just a Cat 5 race will still be a lot faster than you think.
It usually starts with a rolling up to speed, but the speed will crank up right away as the guys do a leg check. Then it will settle down for a bit and then well it all depends on the race.

Good luck Mike! My first race is the Feb. 18th, so I'll second your call to open race season.

Scott

hehehehehe even just a Cat 5 race will still be a lot faster than you think.
It usually starts with a rolling up to speed, but the speed will crank up right away as the guys do a leg check. Then it will settle down for a bit and then well it all depends on the race.

Now you are scaring me!!!!!!!

Hopefully I will survive the "leg check"

From what I hear Cat 5 is normally 17 - 21 mph, which is really not that fast.

Its a lot closer to 24-25mph depending on the course for the cat5s from my experience.

Race season in NC dosn't start until the end of feb.

Race season in NC dosn't start until the end of feb.

Well, except for the race last Saturday and the race this coming Saturday. Other than that ;)

--Steve

Hopefully I will survive the "leg check"

Warm up well. If you haven't gotten your HR up to LT or higher at least once before you hit the line, that leg check is gonna hurt.

I've still got until April 17th for my first race :(. Well I guess that's my cue to go put on some more trainer miles. Good luck with your early seasons! Lucky :P

Are you racing the Reno, mike9903? If so, have you done anything special to it to get ready for racing?

I am thinking that I will do decent becasue there is a Cat 4/5 race as well, so the only people that are really going to be in the Cat 5 race is first timers. I have plenty of group riding expierence and feel like I am in good enough shape at least to hang with the group. From what I hear Cat 5 is normally 17 - 21 mph, which is really not that fast.

On the start is it a mad dash or kind of a everybody get rolling up to speed? A mad dash of a bunch of new cat 5's seems like a very bad thing, I have had nightmares over this. . .

Ok, whoever you've been hearing this from, hasn't been giving you the full story. Typical Cat 5 racemight end up averaging23-24 mph, particulalryif there's no break away. But its going to be a heck of a lot faster than that for major portions of the race. assuming you get a good sized field. The attached file is from a Cat 5 circuit race last year. The average was only 22.8mph, but the maximum was 32.9 mph. (and that wasn't the sprint finish which was uphill. If you look at that file you'll see there are substantial amounts of time above 28mph and several places 30+ just to maintain contact.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/bobstewart/deland-06.jpg


You've just go to go out and experience it yourself. Odds are strong that if it's a decent field its going to be harder than you think. But that's the great thing about starting now. You'll learn exactly what you need, and have the whole season to work on it.

Are you racing the Reno, mike9903? If so, have you done anything special to it to get ready for racing?

I am racing the Reno, the only thing that I have done to the Reno to get it ready for racing is new wheels(Fulcrum 5)and tires (Conti GP 4000's). Besides that I have just been working on the engine.

And as for it starting out fast, you've got to be prepared for being shotout of a cannon. (Which means some maximal efforts in your warm up.) One strategy stronger Cat 5's will use is to sprint from the line creting an immediate selection,and culling the deadwood. Actually not a bad strategy if you're strong enough because it makes the front pack smaller, and presumably safer, and you've identified your competitors. I'm not advocating you try this your first race, but rather just saying be prepared it might happen.

This file shows you the start of a CAt 5 race exactly along that scenario, with the race going 0 to 30 from the gun.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/6799/orlandocupdata8oz.th.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=orlandocupdata8oz.jpg)

yeah...

I was a cat5 when I did Battenkill-Roubaix. I finished it in 2:44 and came in 6th, at about 21mph...the leaders finished about 5 minutes ahead of me. Note the elevation climbed.

http://d3434784.u59.websitesource.net/images/battenkill%202007%20Non-Pro%20Profile%20Elevation.jpg

That said, I think you'll suprise yourself with what you can do when properly motivated.

From what I hear Cat 5 is normally 17 - 21 mph, which is really not that fast.


This really isn't correct, last year at Pace Bend the cat 5 race was 2.5 mph ave faster than the cat 4 race. This is mainly down to the fact that c5's tend to go fast right out of the gate while the 4's and up just wait till the end and then start to lay it down.

This really isn't correct, last year at Pace Bend the cat 5 race was 2.5 mph ave faster than the cat 4 race. This is mainly down to the fact that c5's tend to go fast right out of the gate while the 4's and up just wait till the end and then start to lay it down.

I heard that the Pace Bend race is a good race as well, do you know when the registration opens? I am sure that the BSK/Bike World team will have a good showing there as well.

And as for it starting out fast, you've got to be prepared for being shotout of a cannon. (Which means some maximal efforts in your warm up.) One strategy stronger Cat 5's will use is to sprint from the line creting an immediate selection,and culling the deadwood. Actually not a bad strategy if you're strong enough because it makes the front pack smaller, and presumably safer, and you've identified your competitors. I'm not advocating you try this your first race, but rather just saying be prepared it might happen.

This file shows you the start of a CAt 5 race exactly along that scenario, with the race going 0 to 30 from the gun.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/6799/orlandocupdata8oz.th.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=orlandocupdata8oz.jpg)

If I may ask, how much do you weigh? I'm just looking at other people's Average Power figures and comparing them to my own.

holy crap, I thought those were the average watts for the whole race at first...

Yeah so did I until I realized he had the selection :)

I heard that the Pace Bend race is a good race as well, do you know when the registration opens? I am sure that the BSK/Bike World team will have a good showing there as well.

PB is one of the best races of the year, beautiful setting great course, usually perfect weather. Reg should be open in about a week. Definitely do this one!

If I may ask, how much do you weigh? I'm just looking at other people's Average Power figures and comparing them to my own.

way too much. 90kg at that point

holy crap, I thought those were the average watts for the whole race at first...

No, the point of that graph was to show the hard start. If you look at the whole file. I missed the 2 man break, sat in and didn't work much, then solo'd the last 2 laps for 3rd. So it was hard at the beginning and end but almost no work in the middle.

If I could do that for a whole race I'd think about quitting my day job.

I am looking forward to ruling all Cat 5's with an iron fist!! :D
You might want to have your iron fist replaced with something lighter. Iron is heavy.

Have fun!

So if my first race (of the season and my career) is a time trial, do I qualify as a racer? Would abh allow me to have my bars lower than my saddle?

Do I need to bring my license to every race (first time racer)?

our races are still a month away. this off-season has felt very long to me.

Do I need to bring my license to every race (first time racer)?

Yes, until you're on a first name basis with the guys running the races :lol:

Does anyone laminate their licenses, because if I've gotta tote it around with me, I'm considering it.

Ok, whoever you've been hearing this from, hasn't been giving you the full story. Typical Cat 5 racemight end up averaging23-24 mph, particulalryif there's no break away. But its going to be a heck of a lot faster than that for major portions of the race. assuming you get a good sized field. The attached file is from a Cat 5 circuit race last year. The average was only 22.8mph, but the maximum was 32.9 mph. (and that wasn't the sprint finish which was uphill. If you look at that file you'll see there are substantial amounts of time above 28mph and several places 30+ just to maintain contact.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/bobstewart/deland-06.jpg


You've just go to go out and experience it yourself. Odds are strong that if it's a decent field its going to be harder than you think. But that's the great thing about starting now. You'll learn exactly what you need, and have the whole season to work on it.

Merlin, just curious, which race was this? (Wondering if it was one of the ones I did last year).

Bob

Does anyone laminate their licenses, because if I've gotta tote it around with me, I'm considering it.

Office Depot. They will photocopy your card (front and back) and then laminate it, for about $4.00 per card. I have a couple of spares in case I lose one. Much cheaper than the $15.00 replacement card fee USAC charges.

Bob

Deland circuit race

Deland circuit race

I remember that one. Each lap when the pack came around to the start/finish area the pace got crazy fast because everyone wanted to show off for the spectators. Once out of sight down the road the pace would drop way down and no one wanted to take a pull.

Bob

yeah I was off the front for a half a lap.When I got to the front no one would pull thorugh so I just took off instead of towing everybody.

Mike there has been a course change to the Tour of New Braunfels RR here is a link to the new course

Linky (http://www.toporoute.com/cgi-bin/getSavedRoute.cgi?routeKey=NUVIXUWQCYHVYPE)