Road Bike Racing - Considering a first race this weekend. Advice?

As the title suggests, I'm thinking about going out for a first race this weekend and I'm just looking for some advice.

Some background. I'm a commuter. I ride fixed. I average between 18 and 21 mph on my short (7 mile commute) without working too hard. I can sprint up over 30 on a flat (fixed, 69"). I've ridden a couple centuries this season. Pretty much all my riding has been solo, however. And the group riding I've done hasn't been with racer types (charity rides don't seem like a good time to put your trust in the wheel in front of you).

So here I am at the end of the road racing season, thinking I'd really like to try racing. This is more or less my last chance for the season, but I'm not sure I have sufficient experience for this to really be a good idea. I think I could be reasonably competitive speed-wise and my bike handling skills aren't bad, but I just don't have the experience riding in a pack. Is that par for the course in a CAT 5 race? Or would I be screwing things up for people that actually know what they're doing? Plus, I'd be riding a geared bike that I don't ride as frequently (read: I haven't ridden it at all in the last 2 or 3 months). I wouldn't be riding to win or anything, more just for the experience. But I don't want to mess things up for people that are actually serious about it. Oh, and the race I'm considering is the Three Village Tour Road Race in CT. It's two laps around a 10 mile course (seems sort of short, no?)

Personally, I think late in the season is the ideal time to try a race. Most racers are winding down, national competitors have already reached their peak, so the pace won't be quite as fast. Plus, it gets your hard knocks out before the new season starts. Go for it.

As for the bike, I'd ride the geared bike all week if possible just to get used to it again, but you should be fine.

http://www.jkemppainen.com/up/Owen%20Starsky%20&%20Hutch%20Signature%20Do%20It.jpg

Hve fun and stay out of the wind.

I'll repeat that point as it's really important.

STAY. OUT. OF. THE. WIND.

Good luck. :)

an end of the season RR is not a bad 1st choice for your 1st race:

1. less of a chance of getting dropped, like what would most likely happen in a crit.

2. it will get you super motivated to train through winter.

Everyone has posted some good stuff already here but let me add that I also moved from riding a fixed gear only into road racing. While you may eventually have to unlearn some bad habits, one place where riding fixed a lot helps you is maintaining a relatively high gear on the long grinding hills where everyone else in the cat 5 pack will be spinning up.

I'll be at the race too. Looks like there is an uphill finish but other than that just rollers. My season has been "over" for awhile now but seeing the last two road races on the calender freaked me out and I had to do it.

No one is really ready for their first race because it's so hard to replicate racing conditions while you're training. I have two suggestions:
1) Keep an open mind, ready to learn. This race will teach you a lot about racing. Be ready to unlearn some habits, learn some new ones, and get a good helping of what you don't know.
2) It sounds like you have a decent sprint so do as little work as possible at the beginning and middle of the race. This means more than staying out of the wind. Try to pedal through the turns to you don't have to get out of the saddle to speed back up. Relax yourself and your upper body as much as possible. Even if it feels very easy, hold your cards until the end - there will be plent of competition then and you will need all your energy.

i hope that helps. Be sure to let us know how it worked out by posting. Good luck.

Reading your post it sounds like you have very little experience riding in close proximity to others:

"(charity rides don't seem like a good time to put your trust in the wheel in front of you)."

I would recommend that you find the local training ride and do that a couple of times before you do your first race.

an end of the season RR is not a bad 1st choice for your 1st race:

1. less of a chance of getting dropped, like what would most likely happen in a crit.

2. it will get you super motivated to train through winter.

Yep yep. If you win or get dropped, you'll be itching to work hard over the winter.

Might as well give it a go.

It really doesn't take a high degree of fitness to hand in a CatV race. What it does take (if you aren't real fit) is a certain amount of savvy about group dynamics.

Group training rides are the best place to simulate race-type conditions and to learn pack riding and the "flow" of things. But it seems its too late for that.

Either way, have fun and report back

what kind of group training rides do you guys go on?

The only way to get comfortable in a pack is riding in a pack, and that means racing. Go race.

what kind of group training rides do you guys go on?

The only way to get comfortable in a pack is riding in a pack, and that means racing. Go race.

Big mean fast ones!

But they aren't races. No team strategy, no early attacks up the road. A gradual culling. The horses get to the front to up the pace, and the nancy boys are shelled on the rollers.

what kind of group training rides do you guys go on?

The only way to get comfortable in a pack is riding in a pack, and that means racing. Go race.

not necessarily.

Reading your post it sounds like you have very little experience riding in close proximity to others:

"(charity rides don't seem like a good time to put your trust in the wheel in front of you)."

I would recommend that you find the local training ride and do that a couple of times before you do your first race.

Well, yes, this is true. However, I would have thought my statement that "Pretty much all my riding has been solo, however" would have been more of an indication of such. I wasn't trying to hide this fact. My experience riding in a group is limited to a) training rides for the centuries I've ridden (only 3-4 other riders) b) the charity ride I did a few weeks ago (ride organizers explicitly discouraged drafting) c) Critical Mass rides (obviously not a race mentality). Oh and I joined up with the local racing club (Team Bike Alley) at the beginning of the summer for one of their "recovery" rides. But I was being sociable towards the back of the pack and didn't notice when the smaller group I was with got dropped off the back. Sort of discouraging, and it didn't really work with my work schedule very well anyway.

Anyway, I guess my uncertainty wasn't completely unfounded, but I'm hearing that perhaps I shouldn't worry about it to much. I guess I'll go for it (javashane: see you there!). So, given my inexperience, where should I ride? Obviously not pulling in the wind, I've gotten that one straight already. Perhaps close to the front but on the outside edge? Anyone care to guess what the average speed for a Cat V race will be? I'm confident I can pull close to 25 over a 20 mile course. Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind (pun intended) and push out front and treat it like a time trial? :rolleyes:

Well, yes, this is true. However, I would have thought my statement that "Pretty much all my riding has been solo, however" would have been more of an indication of such. I wasn't trying to hide this fact. My experience riding in a group is limited to a) training rides for the centuries I've ridden (only 3-4 other riders) b) the charity ride I did a few weeks ago (ride organizers explicitly discouraged drafting) c) Critical Mass rides (obviously not a race mentality). Oh and I joined up with the local racing club (Team Bike Alley) at the beginning of the summer for one of their "recovery" rides. But I was being sociable towards the back of the pack and didn't notice when the smaller group I was with got dropped off the back. Sort of discouraging, and it didn't really work with my work schedule very well anyway.

Anyway, I guess my uncertainty wasn't completely unfounded, but I'm hearing that perhaps I shouldn't worry about it to much. I guess I'll go for it (javashane: see you there!). So, given my inexperience, where should I ride? Obviously not pulling in the wind, I've gotten that one straight already. Perhaps close to the front but on the outside edge? Anyone care to guess what the average speed for a Cat V race will be? I'm confident I can pull close to 25 over a 20 mile course. Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind (pun intended) and push out front and treat it like a time trial? :rolleyes:

I'm hoping you mean in a group.

If not, you are either a genetic freak unlike anyone else I've heard of, as you haven't done any interval training to speak of, or you will be in for a rude awakening.

I'm hoping you mean in a group.

If not, you are either a genetic freak unlike anyone else I've heard of, as you haven't done any interval training to speak of, or you will be in for a rude awakening.

I looked down at my average speed 15 or so miles into my 75 mile (solo) ride last Saturday and decided 22mph was probably a little fast. I slowed it down a bit from there, but I certainly didn't bonk at any point on the ride and I wasn't really working all that hard. Granted those first 15 miles were relatively flat with just a few hills, but they were also mostly in light city traffic. I don't think I'm a genetic freak by any stretch of the imagination, maybe my computer isn't reading properly.

I looked down at my average speed 15 or so miles into my 75 mile (solo) ride last Saturday and decided 22mph was probably a little fast. I slowed it down a bit from there, but I certainly didn't bonk at any point on the ride and I wasn't really working all that hard. Granted those first 15 miles were relatively flat with just a few hills, but they were also mostly in light city traffic. I don't think I'm a genetic freak by any stretch of the imagination, maybe my computer isn't reading properly.

So did you mean 22mph, or 25mph?

There's a vast difference between them.

So did you mean 22mph, or 25mph?

There's a vast difference between them.

I mean I know I can maintain 22mph on a fixed gear w/ 69 gear-inches for a good stretch without going into max effort type territory. And that with some taller gearing, not having to spin so fast on the downhills, a bike that weighs a good 8-10 lbs less and pushing myself a little harder, I think I can bump that up to 24-25. I'm probably totally wrong. Inexperienced, remember? Talking out of my ***.

Just an FYI:

Wind resistance does not increase in a linear manner as speed increases.

From Kreuzotter.de:

Wattage Speed (mph)

200, 21.6
220, 22.4
240, 23.2
260, 23.9
280, 24.6
300, 25.2

Edit: Those numbers are for me, at a whopping 5'7", 143lbs, riding in the drops. The bigger you are, the greater the differences should be.

The best way to avoid riding in the pack and avoid all the crashes is to make sure you are pulling on the front. Go there as soon as the flag drops and try to set a hard but not too hard of a pace, one you can hold for 10-15 miles or so. Its a great way to make friends with everyone in the pack and get great training in.:D









ok, stay out of the wind, I guess that was already covered. I did my first race late season, great fun and a great time to do it. As soon as the guy in front of you starts opening up a gap between his front wheel and the guy in fornt of him's back whell, go around guy and grab that next wheel. You do not want to have to keep trying to bridge back up becuase you were on a fading wheel.

I think your biggest risk is the pack handling. I don't think the risk is high enough to skip the race. Just keep your head up and try to be fluid. Nothing sudden in any direction, and don't panic.

Other than that, have fun and post back a report!

I think your biggest risk is the pack handling. I don't think the risk is high enough to skip the race. Just keep your head up and try to be fluid. Nothing sudden in any direction, and don't panic.

Other than that, have fun and post back a report!

yep.

The best advice I got before my first Cat 5 race was: Be up front, but not at THE front.

Just an FYI:

Wind resistance does not increase in a linear manner as speed increases.

From Kreuzotter.de:

Wattage Speed (mph)

200, 21.6
220, 22.4
240, 23.2
260, 23.9
280, 24.6
300, 25.2

Edit: Those numbers are for me, at a whopping 5'7", 143lbs, riding in the drops. The bigger you are, the greater the differences should be.

incorrect please visit the momentum portion of your physics class, p = m*v

A person 72" tall, 180lbs:

220w= 21.4mph
240w= 22.1
260w= 22.8
300w= 24.1

How am I not correct? You're getting less return for each increase of 20w. Thus you'd have to increase your power output by a larger amount than a smaller person to achieve the same velocity. The big guy has to put out 335w to go the same speed as the smaller person at 300w.

Alright, so clearly I was totally deluding myself about how fast a pace I can maintain. I took the geared bike to work (the long way this morning) and was only able to maintain about 20mph. I didn't want to push it too hard given that the race is tomorrow and I guess some of it just has to do with not being super used to the bike and the fit not being spot on, but I really was expecting to be faster on it, not slower! Anyway, I'm super excited for the race. Worst case, I just chalk it up to a learning experience, right? Thanks again for all the advice everyone; I'll be sure to report back on how things go.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Well, back from the race. It was definitely fun and I think I have a much better feel for what not to do. Starting off I did pretty well. I put myself about 1/3 of the way back from the front and stuck well up the first long, twisty ascent, even gaining a little bit without working too hard. That first climb split the pack in two, I was with the front group. About 5-ish miles in was a tough climb, I'd say around 15%. I momentarily forgot I had gears and mashed up the thing geared way too high (44x15, I think, yikes!). That dropped me way back and I was too tired to catch back up. There were 4 or 5 others that got dropped on that hill and in retrospect I should have just stuck with them, but I tried pulling back up to the pack, couldn't make it and then couldn't even stick with the smaller group after all that effort. So I was alone for a good 10 miles before the trailing group caught up to me. I stuck with that group until the very end when everyone started sprinting up the last climb (the same one that separated the groups at the beginning, start and finish were in different places). I just couldn't keep up after going it alone for so long and trailed out the back. I think there were a couple people that finished behind me, but certainly not many.

Anyway, good learning experience. Clearly I need to train more on a geared bike, but I knew that going in. I'm just so used to being stuck with my gearing. I was really amazed at how much of a difference being in the pack made. I know everyone's advice was the stay out of the wind, but riding it was a whole different thing than reading it. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement to go do it. I'll definitely be back next season!

Congrats. Glad you had a good time and have some learned lessons. You'll be learning until your last race.

The best advice I got before my first Cat 5 race was: Be up front, but not at THE front.


+1

Great report! I had a teammate in the cat5 race, and he was telling me that it was a pretty tough pace. He also said that he didn't think he realized that this guy went off the front and managed to get like a 2 minute gap the first lap. All carbon, zipps, etc, didn't look like your typical cat5!

They moved the finish line from that area where the festival was to the hill that you finished on after the cat 4 race. Probably would have made my finish a lot better. . . I looked down to make sure that my bike wasn't in reverse as I went from second wheel to who-knows-what in that flat, wide open sprint.

I think I caught the most air I have in a bike race coming out of that descent and onto that intersection- there was a bump in the pavement that could have sent me over the people in front of me!