Road Bike Racing - Thinking of racing, questions

Hey all,

I've been thinking of racing since watching the TDF the last week or so (geez, am i really that predictable..)

Not so much to win or anything, but to give my training and riding a goal of sorts. Plus, it might be fun.

Criteriums are apparently more dangerous than road races, so i'll stick to road racing I think.

I don't really cotton to the idea of wrecking a lot, and from what I have read on the net, the masters races are the best safety wise. Can a 35 year old newbie race in masters where its safer, or do I have to do time in class 4 and 5 or ??? Really, I don't know a damn thing other than racing looks like fun and I don't like the idea of roadrash/contusions/bruises/broken bones.

I guess my basic question is this:

Is there any good way to maximize the racing and minimize the chance of wrecks?

take care,

Jester

yeah... don't do criteriums.... LOL

but road racers are often alot harder to find...

I finally quit racing after being way too close to a few crashes. I was unable to race without constantly being scared that any second I was going to go down.

All you can do to minimize crashes is to race and ride with a better class of riders. I did weekly rides with the same 40 guys and saw one crash the whole time. These guys were good strong riders.

You don't say, so I'll assume you haven't been riding with a group. This is the first place to start riding to get acclimatized to handling yourself in and around other bikes. Pacelines, etc... are Bike Riding 101. Century rides often attract racers out for a training ride. You can hook up with them there.

Remember the magic words; "Mind if I pull through?", meaning do you mind if I take a place in this pace line and share the work, or "Mind if I sit in?", meaning I'd just like to sit back here and draft and stay out of your way. If they look at you like you're an alien from outer space, then shrug their shoulders and ignore you, that means OK. If they ride away from you, that means NO. If you can hook up regularly for a club race or training ride, that is the ideal.

A whole lot of riders find that any desire for racing is fulfilled right at this level.

If you are 35, I think that's were the age break is now, I don't think you have to ride category 5 races. But remember, the 35+ guys are still very fast and they will expect you to be able to ride. So make sure you can before you get in a race.

Read "Serious Cycling" by Ed Burke. It will book teach you alot that you need to know about racing.

1. You must begin in Catagory 5. Frequently, this means racing with all age groups at the same time, especially in criteriums. Also, most masters classes are limitied to Cat 1-4, though I've raced as a 5 in the master class.

2. To upgrade to Cat 4, you must race in 10 mass-start races. Since road races are harder to be found, if you're looking to upgrade, crits are the fastest way to get race experience.

3. Many times crits have a Cat 5/4 race, so you're racing with some fast people, especially those Cat 4 youngsters. If you're in danger of getting lapped, the race official may pull you early from the race. Your day is over, though you haven't "finished" the race. Even so, it counts as a mass-start race for upgrade purposes.

4. The question is: Do you race in the Cat 5/4 race with the young guys, or the masters race with the Cat 1-4 old guys? Either way, you're probably going to get pulled in a crit, early on. Here on the east coast I've not seen a true masters Cat 5 race.

5. Cat 5 crits are scary at times, no doubt, especially early in the race. However, the close-quarters racing is very good experience.

6. Last week I raced in a Cat 5/4 race and one of the racers was a semi-pro XC racer just getting his road racing feet wet. Yeah, he killed everyone. I didn't care, I was there for race experience and to work towards Cat 4.

7. Racing isn't for everyone. If you find that it's not for you, that's fine, at least you gave it a try. And remember, don't take it too seriously. Have fun and keep your expectations in line.

Depending on the area you live in, there may be races that have a citizens class. i.e. open to anyone who is not a cat. rider. I raced for a few years in Wisconsin and these races were fairly common. It was easy to find 3 or 4 a month.

Try out some local TT races first.

Originally posted by don d.
Read "Serious Cycling" by Ed Burke. It will book teach you alot that you need to know about racing.

an excellent suggestion, I have read this same book and it is a really big help if you are thinking about racing...

Go out and watch a race too before you do it. Get an idea of how everything works. Afterwards you can chat with some of the racers too if you want to.

Group riding skills are important though. If you have not done any group rides go to your local shop and ask about them.

I did my first RR this last weekend and there was only one guy out of 40+ that I had seen at any of the crits I have been doing. I chatted with about 20 guys (the ones near the front) and most of them only do RR.

I just got out and did it one day and have been having a great time since. I have race reports from my races this year on my site if you are interested in what happens on the left coast.