"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Why race? Seriously. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

So I am a middle aged guy that has become obsessed with cycling. I want to try road racing and intend to do some Cat 5 races starting in a month or so. I bought a powertap, get advice online, train, etc etc.

But racing is an odd sport compared to so many others. For example, I play basketball once a week and compared to basketball, road racing is a strange value proposition:
1. You can be decent at basketball without training 10-12 hours (minimum per week).
2. You can be decent at basketball and half the time (on average) you will WIN? There are many racers out there who never win anything (I admire them by the way and expect to be one of them).
3. ONly occasionally will someone get hurt in basketball or other team sports. In road racing, someone is likely to get hurt in alomst every race. Maybe multiple people. Maybe seriously hurt.
4.

5.

So I am a middle aged guy that has become obsessed with cycling. I want to try road racing and intend to do some Cat 5 races starting in a month or so. I bought a powertap, get advice online, train, etc etc.

But racing is an odd sport compared to so many others. For example, I play basketball once a week and compared to basketball, road racing is a strange value proposition:
1. You can be decent at basketball without training 10-12 hours (minimum per week).
2. You can be decent at basketball and half the time (on average) you will WIN! There are many racers out there who never win anything (I admire them by the way and expect to be one of them).
3. Only occasionally will someone get hurt in basketball or other team sports. In road racing, someone is likely to get hurt in alomst every race. Maybe multiple people. Maybe seriously hurt.
4. The time investment versus improvement curve is very harsh in riding compared to other sports.
5. Participants in other sports are (I hate to start this debate but its true) friendlier and less suspicious of newcomers (I know I know, see 3 above).

Anyway, I think I know the answers but it is a funny sport.

Looks like you started two threads--my long answer is in the other one.

The whole crashing/injury thing is a little overblown. I raced 15 cat 5 races last season and saw 3-4 crashes, nobody seriously hurt, and no bike irrevocably destroyed.

I'm not particularly competitive but I decided to take up racing this year for the opportunity to work with a team that several of my buddies are on. Of course I'd love to be the guy crossing the line first but I know that's not always going to happen but I'm cool with the idea of working together to get someone else there. With any luck, in a season or two someone else will be doing the same for me.

But, even if not, it's still fun. And *that* is the value proposition. It's not about winning inner tubes or a $5 gift certificate to the local bike shop or even getting to the podium at all (though of course that would be nice!). For me, it's about camaraderie and adrenaline.

I suck at all stick and ball sports. I could play basketball every day of my life and I still couldn't jump more than 6" off the ground. When I played little league my batting ave was 0 for three consecutive seasons. I played pop warner football and was ok but not great...and far more likely to get hurt than cycling. I played tennis..sucked. I've only been really good at one sport and that's racing cars, unfortunately costs too much money. I'm getting better at cycling and can see myself being a competitive cat 3 by years end.

But the number one reason? I really really really like it.

1. Keeps me motivated to stay in shape.
2. Feeds the competitive monkey on my back so I don't make a fool of myself racing people on multi-use paths that don't know they are in a race.
3. Getting beat regularly keeps the ego in check.
4. Most importantly it makes me feel like I am 17 years old again which is when I first raced a bicycle. (I took 21 years off of road racing and just took it up again last year.)

2. Feeds the competitive monkey on my back so I don't make a fool of myself racing people on multi-use paths that don't know they are in a race.

lol

gets me off the couch. No way I would train as hard without the motivation fo getting ready for races.

what's better than going out riding your bike hard with a bunch of other, like-minded, folks? Racing rocks!

Why not race?

1. it's fun
2. it removes the aforementioned monkey from my dorsal area
3. the sweat and pain of hard workouts brings a feeling of 'aliveness' that i find to be kind of important when one is on the wrong side of 50; it's a feeling that, while not being the best you ever were, you're not giving up. you're still good enough to push yourself. hard.
4. damn monkey!
5. even if i don't win, finishing high and beating "kids" 15 years younger than me slows the aging process. it's true. i looked it up. and if i only have one chance in a million of beating the best guy in the state.....well, today just might be my lucky day

-smoke

because it's the toughest sport there is.

Once you have some real fitness and pack skills you can be competitive cycling on 10-15 hrs/week of "training" (I just like to ride, so it's not really training). The more important thing is pack skills-- you can make up for a lot of lack of fitness with skill, possibly more than the other way around. And winning, or at least doing well, regularly depends a *lot* on your ability to know where to be when and how to get there. There's a lot more to it than pedaling hard and getting lucky at the line.

But *why* race?

Because it's fun. I'm sort of the opposite of patentcad-- I do most of my road "training" by myself or in small groups without a lot of the road racer ego thing. I race pretty regularly though.

(and I'm a middle aged guy who raced a bit in his late 20's then just came back to it in his late 30's and am racing better, and at a much higher level, than I did then)

Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.

That, and I like riding my bike. A lot. Racing gives my love of riding focus.

I look GREAT in spandex.

Its easier to have someone else kick your ass than to do it yourself.

Because century riding is false competiton.

Because I'm a sadist?

Well that was only true in the 4s...we'll see about this year. Haha.

because it's the toughest sport there is.

You need to try adventure racing... 72 hours of biking, climbing, swimming, running, kayaking, horse back riding, hiking, on no sleep.

You need to try adventure racing... 72 hours of biking, climbing, swimming, running, kayaking, horse back riding, hiking, on no sleep.


You need to race the Marmolada to understand true suffering. :D

You need to try adventure racing... 72 hours of biking, climbing, swimming, running, kayaking, horse back riding, hiking, on no sleep.

Please. Horseback riding? It's like driving a furry car. :p

You need to try adventure racing... 72 hours of biking, climbing, swimming, running, kayaking, horse back riding, hiking, on no sleep.

Ehh.....climbing a remote 20,000+ foot mountain is no walk in the park either, particularly when the climb lasts a minimum of 3-4 weeks :)

Ehh.....climbing a remote 20,000+ foot mountain is no walk in the park either, particularly when the climb lasts a minimum of 3-4 weeks :)

? What form of climbing is this that takes 3-4 weeks? Even on foot that shouldn't take more than a few days. And I'm not a climber (the kind with pitons), but I haven't heard of climbers who spend weeks going up a face.

? What form of climbing is this that takes 3-4 weeks? Even on foot that shouldn't take more than a few days. And I'm not a climber (the kind with pitons), but I haven't heard of climbers who spend weeks going up a face.

I think he's referring to the time it takes to acclimate to the altitude.

I wanna turn pro and I'm not kidding.

I'll race this year to have a reason to get better next year.

I sent this to some guys on my team after a couple weekend training rides getting our butts kicked by the 1/2's.

Why we do what we do.

Racing is fun

Hanging with the guy's before, during and after a race is fun

Coming up with a race plan and seeing it work even when you didn't think it would is fun

Being strong in a race so you can effect the outcome is fun

Making people hurt during a race even if you know you are only working to help a teammate is fun

Sacrificing yourself for the team may not be fun but you can feel good about yourself after the race

Doing things in 4/5 races that people usually only see in 1/2 and pro races is fun.

Working as a team is fun

Your buddy sharing his prize money to buy pizza even though he makes you buy the drinks is fun

Training is not fun. It is the one thing that makes all of the above possible. Getting your but kicked during training by 1's and 2's isn't fun. What it does do is make us stronger so when we race we can have fun and represent our sponsors with pride.

Ehh.....climbing a remote 20,000+ foot mountain is no walk in the park either, particularly when the climb lasts a minimum of 3-4 weeks :)

I can spend a month at base camp too. ;)

If you enjoy road biking and worry about training time then do not ruin it by going to the dark side and race unless you enjoy riding with your nose up another guy's butt for miles,spending lots of money on stuff to make you go faster and believe it means something,risk your safety and health again believing it's worth it all to prove what?your the alpha male.Ride for your self train when you can ,use your results as a guide not an obsession,have fun.

You need to try adventure racing... 72 hours of biking, climbing, swimming, running, kayaking, horse back riding, hiking, on no sleep.

Piece of cake....

We have twins, I get more sleep at a 24 hour maintain bike race...



Now, back to the OP...

Why race? I dunno, just to see if you're doing it right?

You dont need a reason.

If you enjoy road biking and worry about training time then do not ruin it by going to the dark side and race unless you enjoy riding with your nose up another guy's butt for miles,spending lots of money on stuff to make you go faster and believe it means something,risk your safety and health again believing it's worth it all to prove what?your the alpha male.Ride for your self train when you can ,use your results as a guide not an obsession,have fun.

Whoa there.

Thats kinda an angry post, what gives?

Whoa there.

Thats kinda an angry post, what gives?
Looking at some of his other posts, he seems like an angry person in general. :) Not a good way to live.

I can spend a month at base camp too. ;)

Ehhhhh......I'm not talking about the tourist walk-up with people to carry your gear for you (Everest)....I mean some remote mountains in Canada (Mt. Logan) and Alaska (Mt. McKinley). When the summit is 25-50 miles from where you start....and you're on foot dragging 100-150 pounds of gear with ya.....it puts things in perspective.

Besides, an Everest climb usually takes at least 6 weeks. Sometimes you can waste quite a bit of time waiting on a weather window. On McKinley, it's not uncommon to get snowed in at 17,200 feet for a week while waiting to make a summit bid. Even if the weather appears to be clear when you leave 14k feet, if you don't have at least a weeks' worth of food and fuel, you're asking for trouble.

Jon Waterman wrote a pretty good book, "In the Shadow of Denali" - should check it out. He even goes into a little bit of his famous climb when him and 2 other guys climbed McKinley in winter, and faced windchill temps of -148 degrees F.

Here's the book that Art Davidson wrote regarding the winter climb:

http://www.amazon.com/Minus-148-Degrees-Winter-McKinley/dp/0898866871/sr=8-1/qid=1170641292/ref=sr_1_1/105-2716769-1741222?ie=UTF8&s=books

Climbing is good for riding....provided you don't injure/kill yourself :). Mountaineers are some of the fittest people going.

If you enjoy road biking and worry about training time then do not ruin it by going to the dark side and race unless you enjoy riding with your nose up another guy's butt for miles
You just described any group ride.

...spending lots of money on stuff to make you go faster and believe it means something
Uh, non-racers do that too, probably moreso than serious racers.

...risk your safety and health again believing it's worth it all to prove what?your the alpha male.Ride for your self train when you can ,use your results as a guide not an obsession,have fun.
You risk your safety and health any time you get on your bike. Don't kid yourself. Yes, your chances of minor injury are probably higher when racing, but it's the SUV that didn't see you that'll take your life...

And the alpha male thing seems to happen more among the rec riders. At the end of the day, nobody judges your bike/clothing/anything else in a race--only the results and your riding ability. So in that respect, it's actually a much more "pure" version of cycling.

We all admire your anti-racing crusade, pedalhard.:rolleyes: Please stop blaming us for your lack of motivation, courage, desire, or any combination thereof.

I wanna turn pro and I'm not kidding.

Consider a higher paying profession. McDonald's is hiring.

Looking at some of his other posts, he seems like an angry person in general. :) Not a good way to live.

He's just mad he dropped 5k on a bike and got spanked by some masters twice his age.

He's just mad he dropped 5k on a bike and got spanked by some masters twice his age.

A solid guess... definitely bitter about something.

A solid guess... definitely bitter about something.

Another 400 Watt victim I fear :(

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4448/r62yv0.jpg

Another 400 Watt victim I fear :(


:beer: :beer:

Impossible for one's psyche to recover from that kind of thrashing... :D

If you enjoy road biking and worry about training time then do not ruin it by going to the dark side and race unless you enjoy riding with your nose up another guy's butt for miles,spending lots of money on stuff to make you go faster and believe it means something,risk your safety and health again believing it's worth it all to prove what?your the alpha male.Ride for your self train when you can ,use your results as a guide not an obsession,have fun.


I guess it depens on what you like,during the season I do no legs but come winter I'm leg pressing 900lbs 5 sets of 6 and squating 300lbs the same.I get a kick out of watching all the big guys freak when they see the skinny guy working his legs .


Dude you can't have it both ways. Either you want to be competitive and measure yourself against others. Which means buying a license, registering and putting yourself and your ego on the line, or you don't.

If the answer is you don't. you don't ahve the privelege of yapping about how you sqaut more than others in the gym. Either your willing to compete and be measured or you're not.

.


Dude you can't have it both ways. Either you want to be competitive and measure yourself against others. Which means buying a license, registering and putting yourself and your ego on the line, or you don't.

If the answer is you don't. you don't ahve the privelege of yapping about how you sqaut more than others in the gym. Either your willing to compete and be measured or you're not.

Pedalhard's anti-racing rant strikes me as too silly and bone headed to warrant a thoughtful response. He's entitled to his perceptions. And the best part is those are HIS ideas, not yours.

Don't worry about it boys. Bike racing is life and death to those who are talented at it and take it seriously - but at the end of the day it's an amateur sport that we do for FUN. It's difficult, challenging, and not everybody can do it. But it's still a recreational sport if you're not a pro (and even if you are it doesn't tend to pay very well). So take Pedalhard with a grain of salt - AND the sport of amateur bicycle racing.

I love riding and I do enjoy racing even though I'm not very good at it. But it's secondary to my love of cycling. And racing ENHANCES my cycling experience enormously. So do the friendships I have made through the sport. If it didn't do those things, I wouldn't do it. What would be the point?

^^^^^^

I'd completely agree with your take Patencad. What bugs me is Pedal Hard's inhernet contradiction. You can't denigrate competition, at the same time you proclaim yourself as superior.

Either you take the postion that you want to compete, or that you don't choose to compete. Either one is a valid choice; but you can't say "Competition is stupid, and by the way I'm stronger than you."

I really find it funny how pissed my posts make some people,not a thicked skined bunch are we!I have however found out why, your all AMERICANS dumbest people on the planet, living in the world of dreams,we are the best.

I really find it funny how pissed my posts make some people,not a thicked skined bunch are we!I have however found out why, your all AMERICANS dumbest people on the planet, living in the world of dreams,we are the best.

And we find it really funny how pissed our posts make you. Almost as funny as you saying that bike racing is somehow an American thing, when really it's infinitely more popular in Europe. Do all those French/Germans/Basque/Spanish/Belgians/Dutch etc. have "wantabe racer dreams" too? Far more Europeans work much harder at bike racing than any of us ever will... and let's not forget the Aussies.

I'll remember to tell the patients I'm operating on that I'm one of the dumbest people on the planet. I think I owe it to them. :rolleyes:

So far, the only thing that you've conclusively proven in your posts is that you're too slow to race and don't like Americans. Did I miss anything?

I really find it funny how pissed my posts make some people,not a thicked skined bunch are we!I have however found out why, your all AMERICANS dumbest people on the planet, living in the world of dreams,we are the best.


I'm not American, and I think you're an idiot too.

I really find it funny how pissed my posts make some people,not a thicked skined bunch are we!I have however found out why, your all AMERICANS dumbest people on the planet, living in the world of dreams,we are the best.
We are not pissed, we make fun of you. I guess ignorance is a bliss. :rolleyes:

If you enjoy road biking and worry about training time then do not ruin it by going to the dark side and race unless you enjoy riding with your nose up another guy's butt for miles,spending lots of money on stuff to make you go faster and believe it means something,risk your safety and health again believing it's worth it all to prove what?your the alpha male.Ride for your self train when you can ,use your results as a guide not an obsession,have fun.

I thought pedalhard was serious until you guys pointed out the sarcasm.

Racing can be fun but I think it's more satisfying than anything else. To know that my body is at the limit brings peace to my mind for some reason.

Endorphin addiction.

hm apparently pedalhard is from canada. i thought canadians were suppose to be nice, and i thought they were suppose to have good grammar...