Road Bike Racing - a few race training questions for cat 4 and up

whats a really good top speed on flats for a cat 5?

35 mph

I am still a 5 i was lthis year and the year before that i just did day licenses etc. mainly just crits. got better this season . so i am wanting to know what type of sprint would be way more than enough speed wise to develop over the off season right now i can sprint around 37 mph . also if i climb all winter and there are some early races in my area in spring that have climbs that are lap type races for road and crits what type of speed say on a long 1/4 mile 15% grade would be enough to give me a breakaway. so if you are a 5 now or a 4 or more looking back what type of speed would just leave the field standing still so long as yo can hold the gap.

Can you slow down, use punctuation and capital letters, and rephrase these statements as questions?

I'll be more than happy to answer you questions but looking at the mess above just makes my head hurt.

If you're pulling 37mph, on a flat, sans leadout, with some fatigue in your legs, you're losing races because your timing, tactics and positioning are weak, not because you lack speed.

Can you slow down, use punctuation and capital letters, and rephrase these statements as questions?

I'll be more than happy to answer you questions but looking at the mess above just makes my head hurt.

+1. I can get about two sentences into the OP's post before I give up.

whats a really good top speed on flats for a cat 5?

At least 1 mph faster than the rest of the group. ;)

Really there is no true answer to this question. Just go out there sit in for a few races to gauge the guys your going up against. If you feel good, take off, if not, get yourself pulled around the course, and try to go for the sprint. Some times you'll get lucky, others you'll fail miserably.

I won a race in a solo break halfway in a cat5 race with a 20+mph headwind on an airfield, doing maybe 18/19mph into it, but kicking it up to 31/32 with the tailwind at my back. The following race at my local park, I sat in, and I averaged 30 flat in the group and came in 9th.

That said, it all fluctuates, so one number will not hold true for all races.

Cat 5 race running @ 50kph avg? (30 flat?) Crap, that musta been a sight.

Either way, I'm confused by the title.

A few questions..... but as I'm reading the OP, there's only 1?

Cat 5 race running @ 50kph avg? (30 flat?) Crap, that musta been a sight.



Sorry, but I gotta call BS on that one...

Most Masters 35+ races don't average 50kph...

Sorry, but I gotta call BS on that one...

Most Masters 35+ races don't average 50kph...

Shhh, this is bikeforums. Everyone here has a 400w FTP @ 60kg, but because we all race in the toughest districts in the country, most of us are terminal 3s or 4s...

:p

Cat 5 race running @ 50kph avg? (30 flat?) Crap, that musta been a sight.

Either way, I'm confused by the title.

A few questions..... but as I'm reading the OP, there's only 1?

you're not alone.

whats a really good top speed on flats for a cat 5?


do a search of this forum and the racing forums at bicycling.com, cyclingforums.com, and you'll find that your question has no answer.

Cat 5 race running @ 50kph avg? (30 flat?) Crap, that musta been a sight.

Either way, I'm confused by the title.

A few questions..... but as I'm reading the OP, there's only 1?

You're right, and I typed that in error. I meant to write in 24/5mph-ish to show that an average in one race, can result in a total different finishing place in another.

Also, I think the OP edited and simplified his post, hence now only the one question.

This is not a good thread.

About 43 mph.

I'm feeling nostalgic. The right answer is roughly 19 mph.

I'm feeling nostalgic. The right answer is roughly 19 mph.

dropped down to thirteenth gear.....