"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - What's the easiest way for me to get into racing?

I WISH I was racing... I've never been in one and I'm afraid I'll be a little out of my league as far as proper racing "manners" are concerned. What I'm trying to say is - I don't want to do something that is a no-no in the middle of the race and piss off a bunch of people who are trying to compete.

What's the easiest way to get into racing, anyway? I don't want to get REALLY into it, but I ride about 15-30 miles per day as hard as I can, so I'd like to push myself even harder by entering a race every once in a while.

I live in Baltimore, so if you guys could let me know of anything in the area that is noob-friendly, that'd be nice!

Here are a couple of ideas:

(1) Find a local club or race team that mentors new people. Do some rides where you have to be in a paceline. Get comfortable with riding close especially when the pace picks up.

(2) See if there are any clinics for new racers. There are a lot of those out in northern cal. It's a great way to learn some basic skills. Sometimes at the clinics they even do practice races.

My advice in order to stay out of trouble is..... Hold your line, hold your line, and HOLD YOUR LINE.

Especially into and out of corners. And dammit if you get boxed in on the final sprint, don't swerve into a wheel behind you looking for an opening --- hold your line!

My advice in order to stay out of trouble is..... Hold your line, hold your line, and HOLD YOUR LINE.

Especially into and out of corners. And dammit if you get boxed in on the final sprint, don't swerve into a wheel behind you looking for an opening --- hold your line!

Good advice. I'm a motorcycle rider as well, so holding my line is something that is already ingrained in my head :)

I need to get DrPete in here. He seems to be the DC/Metro go-to guy!

Try to find a "training series" criterium (usually held on a weeknight rather than a weekend) and sign up. If possible, get there early and ride the course. If you're really feeling brave, ask someone who looks like they are cornering well if you can follow behind them during your warmup.

--Steve

License and Rules:
http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2622

Balto area teams:
http://www.mtwashingtonbikes.com/TeamClubNews/

Race Calender:
http://www.mabra.org/article.php?did=419&scid=34

Registration:
http://www.bikereg.com

Tt

cmyke: Your best bet for a first race this time of year is the Greenbelt series. The C race starts at 6PM every wednesday and is 30 minutes plus 2 laps. Fairly low key, but still a decent challenge. I would start there.

In fact, I did my first race ever at Greenbelt just over a year ago.

Go to www.route1velo.com and click the Greenbelt tab, then General Info. See you there!

And here's some advice from the mighty R600DuraAce:


I seriously doubt that you will make it to cat4 alive.

Great info guys - I looked at the Greenbelt earlier today and it looks great!

Is there a good spot to see what all these classes and breakdowns mean? i.e., what is the "C race" and what is cat4, 5, etc?

So here's the breakdown:

The C race is Mens 5, Womens 4, and Juniors.

The B race is Mens 4/5 and Womens' 1/2/3.

The A race is Mens 1/2/3.

Cat 5 is the lowest category, i.e. the beginners. After 10 qualifying races as a 5, you can move up to Cat 4, where most of us live. Strong local riders usually end up in Cat 3. Cat 2's are regional badasses, and Cat 1's are national-level badasses. That's kinda the summary...

Where in Baltimore do you live? There are several weekly hard rides I know of in the area. E-mail me at thebchessl@aol.com and maybe I can help.
Howard

Dope, apparently.

Is there a good spot to see what all these classes and breakdowns mean? i.e., what is the "C race" and what is cat4, 5, etc?

see my post above

see my post above

Thanks... a lot of those links were referring to MTB competition, so I just dismissed most of it :)

Where in Baltimore do you live? There are several weekly hard rides I know of in the area. E-mail me at thebchessl@aol.com and maybe I can help.
Howard

I live IN Baltimore... the city. Crazy, I know, but it makes for some riveting riding experiences :)

I live IN Baltimore... the city. Crazy, I know, but it makes for some riveting riding experiences :)

To see how races are, you can visit Bike Jam this Saturday at Patterson Park. Events start at about 8am. Races, CAT 5 thru Pro, will occur throughout the day starting at 8:45am.

I've raced at Greenbelt. It's a great place to learn, but first you -do- need to be able to hold your line in a pack and especially through turns. I'd suggest getting into some of the faster group rides, perhaps with the Baltimore Bike Club - http://baltobikeclub.org - on the weekends. If you can hang with the 18 MPH group, then you have a good chance surviving races as a CAT 5.

Baltimore Bike Club Schedules: http://baltobikeclub.org/index.pl/schedules

A number of clubs have training races, non USCF, on weeknights depending on what facilites are available. A great way to start.

cmyke I just joined a club that offers criterium racing classes. I have no problem with the speeds and cornering but felt uncomfortable at times in the packs. That's something I hope to get used to with each class.

I spent most of my laps going ahead of the pack and riding in front (not the smartest way to conserve energy). I just found them too slow, but I'm sure that will change as the group all get more confident.

I'm also considering joining a local store's club ride (Saturday) to get more experience on the road with a group of riders and also to meet other cyclists. I don't know if I'll ever race, but the skills I'm picking up are improving my enjoyment of riding my road bike.