"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Race Season Complete....Now What?

Just finished my first full race season - no podium finishes but a handful of top 10s. Kept the rubber-side down the whole season and got my upgrade to a 4 and had 3 top 15 finishes in the new CAT.

Now what does a racer do now that the season is complete?

I have cx season starting in a few weeks but this will be more "fun" racing than competitive. A few moutain bike races and a few fun centuries on the calendar. I got on my bike this morning for my normal Monday morning spin but felt unmotivated because I didn't have a race to train for.

Just finished my first full race season - no podium finishes but a handful of top 10s. Kept the rubber-side down the whole season and got my upgrade to a 4 and had 3 top 15 finishes in the new CAT.

Now what does a racer do now that the season is complete?

I have cx season starting in a few weeks but this will be more "fun" racing than competitive. A few moutain bike races and a few fun centuries on the calendar. I got on my bike this morning for my normal Monday morning spin but felt unmotivated because I didn't have a race to train for.

Preseason '08 training?

Just finished my first full race season - no podium finishes but a handful of top 10s. Kept the rubber-side down the whole season and got my upgrade to a 4 and had 3 top 15 finishes in the new CAT.

Now what does a racer do now that the season is complete?

I have cx season starting in a few weeks but this will be more "fun" racing than competitive. A few moutain bike races and a few fun centuries on the calendar. I got on my bike this morning for my normal Monday morning spin but felt unmotivated because I didn't have a race to train for.

Your season is exactly like mine. I did have two podiums though.

My plan is to do 2 long ass rides a week and race cross whenever I feel like it until February. Also thrown in ther will be some SST to try and increase my FTP. March I will start my speedwork and go from there. Hopefully it will lead me not getting my ass kicked in the 3's.

Cool. I still have the Fall (Collegiate) Mountain Bike series going, and one more road race.

But really, start training for '08 now. You don't do the intensity, and you may want to take some time down, but cycling is cumulative.

Now what does a racer do now that the season is complete?


Keep riding with intensity.

I keep up the focused intensity training year-round. I never do enough volume to challenge good recovery, so I always feel pretty good. I may partake in some cyclocross this fall on my single-speed.

the fall is a good time for centuries.

Cyclocross = mud = ruined BB's + ruined hubs = SUCKS!

Oh, and you must own a house with an outdoor hose in order to participate with Cyclocross. See above ^^

Yeah, I've got my red Bridgestone RB-1 all set up for single-speed duty right now. Should be great for CC. In really bad weather, my single-speed Stumpjumper :)

Hmmmmm.... My Stumpjumper is (was?) about to get eBayed. Maybe it'll get SS'ed now instead...

Hmmmmm.... My Stumpjumper is (was?) about to get eBayed. Maybe it'll get SS'ed now instead...

If you want, I can build you up a wheel on a White Industries ENO Eccentric hub. I've got one on the Stumpjumper and one on the RB-1. It's a brilliant way to adjust chain tension with vertical dropouts. I'd do it just out of the joy of building another wheel.

http://www.bikeman.com is my ENO dealer...

Yours is a hardtail, right?

Yeah, it's a hardtail, but the more I think about it, the more i'm sure it's going to end up on eBay. I'm buying a Fixie, and I don't think I need 5 bikes *cringe*.

lol, SS MTBing is really fun around here though...

Just finished my first full race season - no podium finishes but a handful of top 10s. Kept the rubber-side down the whole season and got my upgrade to a 4 and had 3 top 15 finishes in the new CAT.

Now what does a racer do now that the season is complete?

I have cx season starting in a few weeks but this will be more "fun" racing than competitive. A few moutain bike races and a few fun centuries on the calendar. I got on my bike this morning for my normal Monday morning spin but felt unmotivated because I didn't have a race to train for.

Complete? Shoot, we've got four more weekends of racing yet.

Maybe you need to drive to Florida. Come down this weekend and race Palatka.

COMPLETE? There are still 4 months of sunshine left where I come from :D But yeah, the end of the season is a good time for a week off the bike followed by base miles for the next season. Oh yeah, and now's the time to change your bike/frame if you plan on doing that for next year.