"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Racing Season Summary

So how'd it go everyone? For me it was pretty off the charts. 50 races, 3 wins (TT, Crit, and a climbing RR), 16 podiums, 31 top tens, and a 2nd overall on the "Best All Around Rider" comp for the year. Far better than expected against the 1/2/3 masters.

Got my Cat 2 at a youthful 47.

Definitely a "Schleck the Younger".

frank schleck here, i made it to a 3 which was my main goal but being so late in the year didnt get any results at that cat.

Meh. Looking towards next year.

I'm not dead, didn't crash, and I wasn't DFL at least once. To spin this, let's just say I'm badder than someone.

My first season of racing.

61 races, two left to go
8 wins
13 podiums
24 top 10s

4 DNFs
0 DFLs

went from a brand new 5 to a cat 3 with some points.

Way below expectations. All my improvements seem to have come after the season ended. So, I'm looking forward to next season with sky-high expectations.

I exceeded any expectations I had.

This was my first year logging any serious mileage on the bike, let alone racing.

Entered my first race, got dropped (obviously). By my third race I was getting pack finishes. Recorded my first top ten finish by my 6th race, podiumed (3rd place) on my 7th race, and pack finished everywhere else (including a couple 4/5 combined races). Ran a total of 20ish races. Got my Cat4 upgrade.

Now I've got a coach and we're putting together a specific training program, so I've got high hopes for next season (and I feel they are justified seeing as I did no targeted training this year, just went out and rode my bike everyday).

I plan on being a 1 by the end of next season. Having my own car and being able to choose where I want to race should make it easier to find terrain that suits my characteristics as a racer.

Jumping from 80km crits to 100km+ crits sounds delightful, but NRC races on figure-eight, pan flat, mile long courses just isn't my bag, baby.

I'd say I exceeded expectations this year. Upgraded to 4's at the very beginning of the season (which seemed very intimidating at first), had a decent run in collegiate B's, and a good season in 4's, and made it to cat 3 despite 6 weeks off the bike from an accident. Won a collegiate hill climb, a cat 4 road race, and a speedway crit. Next year should be awesome.

Enjoyed the right amount of success to bring me back next year.
Experienced the right amount of failure to get me started earlier.

But overall, sorry to see season end.

8 races, 5th in a crit, 29th in a hill race(started 10 minutes after the race started), 10th in a hill race(taken out in a crash, got back on and finished) 1st in a cat 5, 2nd in a 4/5, two firsts in 4/5 hill races, third in an open category race. Upgraded to a 4 after 6 races. I'm happy with the results, glad the seasons over, but looking forward to next year.

7 races, 1 top 10, upgraded to 4's. That was my main goal.
P.S. Everybody who has more than 15 uscf races in their state sucks. Wisconsin blows.

7 races, 1 top 10, upgraded to 4's. That was my main goal.
P.S. Everybody who has more than 15 uscf races in their state sucks. Wisconsin blows.

Pretty sure I did around 6 races in your state, and that was around a quarter of what was available...

I can think of more than 15 off the top of my head, actually.

13 superweek races
state crit and RR
giro d'grafton
brown deer
whitnall park
Great Dane VC...two or three of them
fond du lac
wheel and sprocket
wheels on willy
baraboo sharks RR..two of those
whitewater crit and RR

If I added that up right, that's 27 races, maybe 28. I know there are more out there. At least 30 total.

I saw plenty of my friends from the cheese state coming down to the corn belt to indulge in our many races as well.

this was my first year racing and I set pretty high goals and didnt meet them. Im continuing to race in cross and will be back to road racing next year so that says something.

Besides breaking my wrist it was a pretty forgetable season but I learned some stuff about myself and can hopefully parlay that into more memorable season next year.

Well, started out with a bang then ended whimpering rather badly. I got out of the gate strong, and eventually won a sanctioned race. My only other points-getting result was a 5th, however. So I got 1/2 way to Cat 2, and my goal was to make Cat 2 this year. So a disappointment. But it was neat to win that race, and unexpected. The coup de grace on my season (which, really, was over, my cortisol had shot up and I was really on the down slope of fitness) was a hit-and-run which still goes unsolved. My bike might not even end up being covered. Luckily for me, only a broken arm; could have been worse.

Anyway, I voted Martin Elmiger. Halfway.

I upgraded to a 3 which was one of my goals. My prblem this year was a new baby and a brand new house right before racing season. My training hours sucked big time, but when I could get out, they were good miles. I think I could have done better had I trained more(duh), but I'm not particularly unhappy. I was top 10 in 95% of the races, so I couldn't expect much more for my effort.

I came out of the gate with a win in my first Cat 3 race. Nowhere to go but down from there but I ended with 22 races, 1 win, 5 podiums and 8 top tens. The downside is the 2 crashes to finish the season.

Pretty good season overall. Just started road biking this year in Cat 5. Only 6 Sask Cup events in the province though. I wish we had more :(. 1 stage race win (1 stage too), 2 top 5's, 1 top 10 in our biggest event, and two forgettable OTB placings in the Senior Men category at Provincials. Those 2/3's are faaast. I'll start next season as a 4 and see how things go from there. I actually planned to cat up by mid august this year but things didn't work out as planned. Now it's time to focus on cross season though!

but NRC races on figure-eight,

Wait, so you guys cross the course?!?

When I think of figure-8 tracks I think of Hillbilly's racing buses around a dirt-track....

I wanted to be a 3 by the end of the season. This turned out to be a little unrealistic considering:
Sucky Sprinter,
Got married in the middle of the season, spent 1 month off the bike, and another getting back into shape.
Moved to Denver from SanFran in the end-ish of the season, spent another month making red blood cells.

I won 2, got a few top 10's, learned that I'm a decent hillclimber, and have the potential to be a decent TTer too. Learned that I don't like criteriums, learned that wet sand is REALLY slick, headwinds in a race are my friend, I like descending, and i'm pretty decent at it too. I learned about training with power, and I (finally) learned to let the numbers go in the important races. I learned a lot of good and bad things about teamwork, I learned that neutral water is absolutely my friend. It's not about the bike, but I still "need" a new one. i learned that eating right can really help both on and off the bike. I learned to let other people do some work, but I'm still working on that. I learned that holding back on day 1's race only to get a flat in day 2's race really sucks. Never hold back ( for me at least). I learned that spinning is NOT the answer to being a faster bicyclist ( i don't know why everybody loves it so much honestly). I learned that caffeine is a diuretic (that one sucked), and even though it's not about the bike, I love my bike.

I still need to learn how to read a pack sprint, pin on a number so that it won't flap, and convince the wife that weekend long races are a good thing for our relationship. That'll be for next year. That and finally getting up to the 3's (or 2's, that's cool too).

good thread topic. I'm not sure anybody else wanted me to ramble, but it's nice to reflect.

Wait, so you guys cross the course?!?

When I think of figure-8 tracks I think of Hillbilly's racing buses around a dirt-track....

http://www.quadcitiescriterium.com/maps/

http://www.quadcitiescriterium.com/maps/

The USPRO course is like that in shape as well.

http://www.quadcitiescriterium.com/maps/

http://www.quadcitiescriterium.com/maps/

The USPRO course is like that in shape as well.

Ok, that makes much more sense.

My season went too well. I know that sounds strange to say, but I upgraded to cat 3 at the start of the year and my goal was to be a factor in races by the end of the season. Then I got 5th in my first cat 3 race, 2nd in my 2nd, 1st in my 3rd and 1st in my 4th. For the season, my stats were 15 races, 3 wins, 3 2nds, 1 3rd, 1 5th, 2 6ths.

I'm proud of those results, no doubt, but they kind of put me in a motivation dilemma. Obviously I should upgrade, but honestly, I have zero motivation for racing against the pros. None. My mentality is totally weekend warrior. But I don't want to sandbag either. So? Hmm.

1 word for my season "Garbage" looking toward next year and maybe even racing like I planned to do this year.

Early season: 8th, 6th, 7th
Peak Month: 5th, 1st, 1st
Summer Base: 2nd, 33rd, 2nd
This week: 1st
One race to go for the season on the 8th of October. A couple of "non-priority" races in November for the fun of it before leaving Japan.

So far, all in all as I hoped for.

They agreed to upgrade me from 5 to 4 based on Japan races, so that was my "upgrade of the year" to get me started in Feb as a 4 with a goal of making 2 in the year.

Fitness continues to progress, though slower and slower.

This year: one of two goals was realized. I still have one race yet to go, so there's an outside (minimal) chance both will be realized.

Next year: all goals will be realized. Lucrative pro contracts to follow.

Next year starts Sunday. Watch for reports.

I'd say Andy Shleck. I didn't plan on getting into racing this year, and had as my solitary goal to ride a 4:20 century. I wound up racing, got on a team, got a few top-20s, got out of the 5s without hurting myself, and rode a 4:05 century this weekend.

Pretty well. After two ACL reconstructions in September of 06 and February of 07, and an unwelcome/unexpected continuance of my 60hr per week get up at 4:45am job...I still manged to upgrade to 3 via 10 top 10s.

I'll let you know at the end of the season.

Definitely Andy Schleck for me. I started racing road in February as a 5, upgraded fast from there to 4. Took two months to upgrade to 3, which was my original goal for the year. Then reset my goal to making it to 2 this year. Got almost all the points I needed in the first month I was a 3, but then we had a racing drought in the area (nobody wants to put races on when it's hot, I guess), so I was stuck at that point for a while. We've had a few races in the last few weeks, and I went up to Maryland two weeks ago to try to get the last point I needed. I won the Murad road race, so that put me well over the requisite number.

Rough stats for the season:
65ish races
1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 4th as a 5 in combined 4/5 or 3/4/5 races.

All top 10s in the 4s, moving up after about 7 or 8 races. Several podiums there including Meadowmont (tough hilly crit) and the Old Town Crit in Rock Hill, also a painful little crit course.

About 26 top tens as a 3. Lots of those were in sanctioned races but ones that don't count for 3 to 2 upgrades. Two road race wins as a 3, both out of long breakaways. Those rocked. Several other podiums, largely on hard (read: hilly) crit courses.

I raced in 5 or 6 P/1/2/3 events and got pretty decent results in them- a couple of breakaway top-tens and pack finishes otherwise, so hopefully I'll do reasonably well as a 2.

My season went too well. I know that sounds strange to say, but I upgraded to cat 3 at the start of the year and my goal was to be a factor in races by the end of the season. Then I got 5th in my first cat 3 race, 2nd in my 2nd, 1st in my 3rd and 1st in my 4th. For the season, my stats were 15 races, 3 wins, 3 2nds, 1 3rd, 1 5th, 2 6ths.

I'm proud of those results, no doubt, but they kind of put me in a motivation dilemma. Obviously I should upgrade, but honestly, I have zero motivation for racing against the pros. None. My mentality is totally weekend warrior. But I don't want to sandbag either. So? Hmm.

Upgrade. A P12 win is better than ten cat3 wins.

Martin Elmiger wins quite a bit actually.
Tour Down Under - '07
A few one days here and there, including last week.

You might have wanted to use the name Steve Morabito - one pro win

Hi,

Picked Frank because Gibby Hatton actually said hi to me at a race. :rolleyes:

Won a Masters race (first win in a gajillion years) but didn't make my 40K TT goal. :o

A couple of short TTs and a road race before the season is done.

Martin Elmiger wins quite a bit actually.
Tour Down Under - '07
A few one days here and there, including last week.

You might have wanted to use the name Steve Morabito - one pro win

You're probably right. I picked Elminger based on his almost exactly mid pack finish at the tour, and the fact that he's not on most people's radar...

You're probably right. I picked Elminger based on his almost exactly mid pack finish at the tour, and the fact that he's not on most people's radar...

this is the road bike racing, not road cycling, or the tour de france section. ;)

Beyond expectations by far. 26 races
* 11-1st place finishes,
* 3 additional podium finishes
* 5 additional top ten finishes outside of the podium
* a state TT championship
* currently ranked the number 1 cat 3 individual TTist in the country by USA cycling over the past 12 months

Does 2 races count for a season? 2nd in one practice crit 'C' race. And DNF in my Cat 5 crit. But in the DNF I was 4th-5th wheel the whole time. And then flatted. HR was comfortable and I was comfortable. Even bumped hands with another rider, neither of us panicked.

Pretty good. Finished all my races, had a couple of top 5's, never worse than midpack. And upgraded to Cat 4, finally. If I do well in the Mt. Diablo Challenge, I'll call it an Andy Schleck year.

36 races.

1 win, 2 seconds, 1 third, a hundred DNFs. Absolutely horrid season.

* currently ranked the number 1 cat 3 individual TTist in the country by USA cycling over the past 12 months




I'm right behind you, ranked 702nd.

I'm not dead, didn't crash, and I wasn't DFL at least once. To spin this, let's just say I'm badder than someone.

That about sums up my season. I got out of it everything I could have reasonably hoped for, and had fun doing it. When are the early birds? :D

This is tough because the first half of the season was way beyond my expectations. I got a podium in my first race of the year and was top seven in the next two with a shot at winning in both. April brought my A races and then I got really sick. From then on I've haven't been healthy for any length of time. I should have been a 3 by the end of April, but now I'm 8 pounds over weight and battling my colitis and a really jacked up back. My goals are to be back to my fighting weight by Jan 1 and really start working on improving my sprint for next season. I've got some good target races and hopefully I'll be on form for them.

I won a few

I lost a few

I had fun

I'll be back

4 training crits in Jan.
9 day stage race in Feb.
Retired straight after.
Comeback planned for 2010 at age 45, if I can hold out that long.

I‘d say I had a Frank Schleck year.

39 races, 10* wins, 20 podiums, 33 top 10’s.
1 TT Course record, 1 Hill Climb course record.
I had some great races, but didn’t meet my goal of making it to Cat 1.

I just calculated that I won $1,965 in cash this season.
Unfortunately I spent over $6,000 in bike parts, race entries and travel.

* 6 of the 10 wins were at weeknight twilight races

I vote PM as mistaken identity. Wrong brother. Either that or the expectations were through the roof!!!

Not too good. I didn't race enough. A few top 10s, 1 crash, 1 DFL. Cannot upgrade though.
Hopefully early next season I get to move up to Cat4. Until then, have fun on the bike again.

I never really got into shape. I'm firing up the weights nowadays preparing for next season. I noticed that I didn't have the "kick" that I had last season.

Had a blast at Hilltowns though.

I pleased with my first season racing, I moved up to Cat4 early in the season, had some decent results, did some 3/4 races, got totally shelled in one 3/4 crit. The 2nd half was not as fun, I had a handful of crashes and a few disappointing races but ended on a positive note. My last race was the most fun this year.

I am looking forward to a real training schedule over the winter to be set for next season.

Not a bad season for me. I accomplished my goal of upgrading to a 3, all due to 3 race wins this season. Goal for next season is to upgrade to a 2. I have one point now, so I have a long way to go. Next up though, cyclocross season :)