I got back in to cycling about 9 months ago and have logged about 5500 miles so far. Today they were holding the LA Circuit race on Westchester Parkway by LAX about a mile from my house, so I went down and checked it out. I stayed a few minutes and watched the masters sprint for the finish. I was actually surprised to see how slow the sprint was. I ride by that spot where the finish line is almost every day. There is a slight downhill about .5 miles and a very slight uphill about .2mi from the finish and the wind is always at your back. I can typically blow through there at 30mph with decent effort. It looked like the pack was doing less than 30 (maybe I'm bad at estimating speed).
I didn't stay for the cat5's since the start for the cat5's was not until after 2pm and I needed to get a ride in today.
I am curious what the typical pace for a cat5 race around here is like. Riding solo, I can average 21mph (computer average with stops for lights, etc.) for 25mi, if I go hard. My typical averages are 16-18mph. I am hesitant to race since I REALLY don't want to crash. I am recovering from a separated shoulder 7 months ago I got while MTBing. If I crash on it again, I will be in a world of misery. But still racing looks fun and I am thinking about trying it, just wondering if I could even keep up.
cjbruin
03-25-07, 08:04 PM
Based on what you typed, I think you'd be OK on keeping up with a Cat 5 crit...that said, crashes are somewhat common in crits...especially in the 5's.
You could always try El Do on a Wed night...it's pretty mellow...you can even rest for a lap if you want.
I am The Edge
03-25-07, 08:05 PM
i took up cycling less than 4 months ago and will be racing later this year. i'm in the same boat as you, already have a separated shoulder and don't want to crash either but i'm going to race anyway. misery loves company through the cat 5s. :) join a team...i joined south bay wheelmen last month but haven't done any training with them, just getting miles in my legs and getting a second bike so i can train and race on my first bike.
http://www.southbaywheelmen.org/
Chucklehead
03-25-07, 08:06 PM
just prepare like you're going ride with the 1/2/3's and you'll be pleasantly surprised. in my first 7 races, i was involved in 1 crash and narrowly avoided two others. it happens..just don't be around when it does.
voltman
03-25-07, 09:07 PM
Crit speed = my speed + 10
Cleave
03-25-07, 09:07 PM
Hello dazedone,
I raced in the Masters 45+ this morning and I had a max speed of 34 MPH and I didn't sprint. We were regularly at 30+ MPH though there were moments of 22 MPH. Average for 30 miles was 26.5 MPH. The race wasn't too hard by most standards but it was fast enough that no one got away -- including me. :D
Check out the other SoCal racing thread for more info. ;)
my58vw
03-25-07, 09:10 PM
22 - 26 AVG depending on the course -
Remember - 25 MPH is easy with the pack - 20 MPH - 32 MPH in a corner is hard!
jsigone
03-25-07, 10:30 PM
22 - 26 AVG depending on the course -
Remember - 25 MPH is easy with the pack - 20 MPH - 32 MPH in a corner is hard!
YUP........ it's not the pace to worry about, but the acceleration and consitant attacks that makes the pace ridiculous and the acceleration like top fuel drag races:eek: Either way the 30 minutes goes by FAST:D
cjbruin
03-25-07, 10:33 PM
Hello dazedone,
I raced in the Masters 45+ this morning and I had a max speed of 34 MPH and I didn't sprint. We were regularly at 30+ MPH though there were moments of 22 MPH. Average for 30 miles was 26.5 MPH. The race wasn't too hard by most standards but it was fast enough that no one got away -- including me. :D
Check out the other SoCal racing thread for more info. ;)
Cleave...was that Redlands? My neighbor was in that race and had a minor crash with five laps to go. He said that the pack thinned out pretty quickly.
1265 Lombardi
03-25-07, 11:03 PM
I got back in to cycling about 9 months ago and have logged about 5500 miles so far. Today they were holding the LA Circuit race on Westchester Parkway by LAX about a mile from my house, so I went down and checked it out. I stayed a few minutes and watched the masters sprint for the finish. I was actually surprised to see how slow the sprint was. I ride by that spot where the finish line is almost every day. There is a slight downhill about .5 miles and a very slight uphill about .2mi from the finish and the wind is always at your back. I can typically blow through there at 30mph with decent effort. It looked like the pack was doing less than 30 (maybe I'm bad at estimating speed).
I didn't stay for the cat5's since the start for the cat5's was not until after 2pm and I needed to get a ride in today.
I am curious what the typical pace for a cat5 race around here is like. Riding solo, I can average 21mph (computer average with stops for lights, etc.) for 25mi, if I go hard. My typical averages are 16-18mph. I am hesitant to race since I REALLY don't want to crash. I am recovering from a separated shoulder 7 months ago I got while MTBing. If I crash on it again, I will be in a world of misery. But still racing looks fun and I am thinking about trying it, just wondering if I could even keep up.
Just hop in and find out.:D
socalrider
03-26-07, 04:09 AM
here is a list of socal race/training rides.. some of these are race pace rides... Buds, Montrose, Como Street and Heritage Park can be some of the faster rides.. Heritage will give you good bike handling/crit training.
If you can average 21mph, then no problems with hanging in a pack. Problem with crashing is that you MUST learn to read the pack and the other riders. Too many beginners just focus on the course and getting around it. That doesn't matter one bit, it's the other guys you want to be watching. Avoid the sketchy types and stay on the wheels of the steady safe guys. Those are the ones that'll be in the top-10 at the finish and if you're on their wheels, you'l have a much easier and safer race.
Cleave
03-26-07, 07:02 PM
Cleave...was that Redlands? My neighbor was in that race and had a minor crash with five laps to go. He said that the pack thinned out pretty quickly.
Nope, it was LAX (L.A. Circuit Race).
dazedone
03-26-07, 07:14 PM
Thanks for all the replies everyone.
One thing I did not mention is that my pack riding skills are not there. I kinda get wigged out when I don't have a clear view of the road in front of me. Whenever I try to draft I am constantly slowing down and then speeding up. I am afraid of joining a club because I don't want to take someone down in a group ride. So it is a catch 22 since I need to join a club to get my skills up to par.
Does anyone know of a newbie-friendly club in the west LA/Southbay? My perception of the clubs around here is that they are seem a bit snobby, for lack of a better word.
I have a couple of friends training for the SF-LA AIDS ride and I joined a few of their rides, they are a great bunch of folks, but they forbid drafting and they tend to go a bit slower than I would like since they are training more for distance rather than speed.
dazedone
03-26-07, 07:21 PM
Hello dazedone,
I raced in the Masters 45+ this morning and I had a max speed of 34 MPH and I didn't sprint. We were regularly at 30+ MPH though there were moments of 22 MPH. Average for 30 miles was 26.5 MPH. The race wasn't too hard by most standards but it was fast enough that no one got away -- including me. :D
Check out the other SoCal racing thread for more info. ;)
Hi Cleave,
I was hoping someone on here was in that race so they could clear that up for me. I typically ride that stretch at about 18MPH going west (into the wind) and about 25-27 going east. I ride that stretch of road on 99% of my training rides since it is my way to the beach, then I go north or south from there. It would be neat to race on it, since I am so familiar with it.
How fast were you going through the turn-arounds?
Thanks,
David
Cleave
03-26-07, 08:24 PM
Hi Cleave,
How fast were you going through the turn-arounds?
Thanks,
David
Hi,
Don't know because my computer screwed up with storing the data and I don't look at my computer while I'm cornering in the pack. However, when I was at the front it was fast, when I was mid to back of the pack it was very slow. That's how races work in general. ;)