"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Are you ready to race?

I think I'm getting there. Feeling very good on the bike lately on the fast group rides like Nyack. Solo'd off the front today on the Park Ridge ride, got an OK gap for 3 miles or so, then one of the faster 40+ vets, Sandy (the local Zipp rep) bridged up to me, couldn't quite hold his wheel and we got reeled in a mile later (I think if he had eased up enough for me to grab his wheel and recover for a minute we might have worked together and held it out until the end). Then in the last mile I'm on Sandy's wheel again. I turn around and we have a gap (I thought the whole pack was right there). But I couldn't hold it again, he actually did stay away (in front of the sprint by 500 meters at end), they caught me in the last 200 meters and dropped me like a boat anchor. But lots of time at the front or even off the front, and even when utterly gassed my recovery was pretty good.

How this will translate into my ability to hang with the 35+ boys in NY City on March 2 remains to be seen, but I'm feeling leaner, meaner and fitter than this time last year. My knee seems to have responded to the first Synvisc injection too (series of three, artificial knee fluid for arthritic knees like mine) and that's feeling much better too. Hope to be strong enough to work for the leaders on my team, maybe do some chasing, blocking or leading out. That's if I don't get killed in a crash or utterly shelled of course.

We're all peloton dogs. And every dog has his day. Who knows? Maybe Pcad jumps on the right wheel, gets in a 4 man break, the peloton gets hit by lightning and I get a place.

Woof.

Here's a video from the Park Ridge Ride, AKA the Tour de Fred (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBOn2iD0A9A). Not too many Freds on the day in the video however. Pcad has the pink band across his butt and the roadsign green Pearl Izumi windbreaker hanging out of back jersey pockets as usual. It was roughly 28ºF that morning.

I'm no where near ready. I'm still overweight and out of shape. The good news is at least I'm consistant. :D I have three weeks to go until my first race, the only thing that may help me is that it is a flat race so my weight won't hurt me too much. I am hoping to lose another five pounds by then though.

I'm also hoping that the computrainer training plan from Hunter Allen that I have been using will help me get ready as well. I'm doing my weekend rides outside but I'm stuck on the trainer during the week.

I really want to race. Soon. Gotta wait though...

Sounds like you're about there pcad. Have you made any changes to your training now that you have power data?

Two comments pcad. Too many stops and too damn many trees. If you come out west for that vacation this summer, stop in Laramie andIi will show you a route without either.................but I get to draft!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. Nice video and pretty good music.

Don't know if I'm ready, but I can't wait.

I can't compete with everyone's years of racing experience, or power-data-gathering-and-spewing tools, but I raced last week, will race next week, and then two weeks after that. The experiences will make me HTFU, because although I'm strong, I'm fit, and I've got the mental part down, I need the actual races to really learn how I have to race.

I could be leaner, meaner, stronger, faster, but that will come as the season unfolds.

I'm happy to be healthy and have an outlet for my competitive spirit. Everything else is a gift.

Don't know if I'm ready, but I can't wait.

+1
what is it, like 2 more months?

im still fat, im still slow, but damnit im looking forward to getting tossed out the back of a cat-5 race in a few months. just need to wait for the local group rides to start up. after a race or 2 ill decide if i want to join a team or not.

A week ago I thought I was ready. After today, I'm not so sure. I suffered terribly in the crosswind and was eventually spit out. Cherry Pie is coming up fast (2/10) and I don't know what my fitness is going to be like.

Well, I still have some fitness left from racing cross, so *want* to start racing now. However, I know I won't be able to recover well from the visits to the pain cave... And it's not like there's any racing for us in the frozen North East for a while...

I'm just getting my diet back in order and finishing up on my early season workouts (mainly to improve my body's ability to recover.) I still have some weights to lift in the next couple of months (for hypertrophy and strength.) The intensity work will begin when I do my first race of the season at the end of March. All this so I can have my first peak at the end of June/early July...

Damn this bike racing and it's impact on on EVERYTHING I do... Does anyone else miss riding 'just for fun'?

I'm no where near ready. I'm still overweight and out of shape. The good news is at least I'm consistant.

I'm somehow overweight and in shape. I don't know if that's better or worse.

+1
what is it, like 2 more months?

Less if Parkside runs on a similar schedule to last year.

Will find out next week.

I think I'm getting there. Feeling very good on the bike lately on the fast group rides like Nyack. Solo'd off the front today on the Park Ridge ride, got an OK gap for 3 miles or so, then one of the faster 40+ vets, Sandy (the local Zipp rep) bridged up to me, couldn't quite hold his wheel and we got reeled in a mile later (I think if he had eased up enough for me to grab his wheel and recover for a minute we might have worked together and held it out until the end). Then in the last mile I'm on Sandy's wheel again. I turn around and we have a gap (I thought the whole pack was right there). But I couldn't hold it again, he actually did stay away (in front of the sprint by 500 meters at end), they caught me in the last 200 meters and dropped me like a boat anchor. But lots of time at the front or even off the front, and even when utterly gassed my recovery was pretty good.

How this will translate into my ability to hang with the 35+ boys in NY City on March 2 remains to be seen, but I'm feeling leaner, meaner and fitter than this time last year. My knee seems to have responded to the first Synvisc injection too (series of three, artificial knee fluid for arthritic knees like mine) and that's feeling much better too. Hope to be strong enough to work for the leaders on my team, maybe do some chasing, blocking or leading out. That's if I don't get killed in a crash or utterly shelled of course.

We're all peloton dogs. And every dog has his day. Who knows? Maybe Pcad jumps on the right wheel, gets in a 4 man break, the peloton gets hit by lightning and I get a place.

Woof.

Hi,

Well I think I'm in a similar boat. I'm still a few pounds heavier than last August, but lighter than a year ago at this time. I feel decent climbing -- especially for this time of year -- but I still can't stay near my one teammate who's 20 lbs lighter than me. :eek:

Already changing my race calendar and I may do a 67 mile road race next week. At the same time I'm not too confident about being able to stay with the peloton. :o I'm leaning towards doing it because it will at least be good training even if I get dropped. :rolleyes:

Why not, after several hundred races what's one more DFL. ;)

I might be in the small minority here, but here goes:

I'm going into the first ~5 races of the year knowing that I will get crushed. I mean, absolutely destroyed. And, oddly, I'm fine with that. This is something stated by every wannabe Tour contender since Lance started winning, but really, I'll just be there for training. If I could make a $25 charitable donation and get the same increases in fitness out of a solo 3hr ride, I'd do that, and avoid the drive. But, sadly, it doesn't work that way.

Last year, I got dropped in my first two races, blew up while driving the chase for a teammate in the third, and finally finished my 4th race of the year, about 20s behind the leaders in a brutal circuit race. DNFed my next race, then finished three races in a row, actually doing something valuable in the last one. Summer rolled around, and I went from being pack fodder to breaking away three races in a row.

I'm in better shape than I was last year at this time, and I weigh less than I did then. But there is no way to adequately prepare yourself for a Pro/1/2 race when you have terrible circulation to your feet and are limited to indoor training on the rollers. I can knock out some mean 10-20min intervals, but I don't have the snap, 1min power, or recovery ability to survive a high paced, technical crit right now. No way.

P.s. I'll be at Parkside too, you Wisco folks.

I think I'm getting there. Feeling very good on the bike lately on the fast group rides like Nyack. Solo'd off the front today on the Park Ridge ride, got an OK gap for 3 miles or so, then one of the faster 40+ vets, Sandy (the local Zipp rep) bridged up to me, couldn't quite hold his wheel and we got reeled in a mile later (I think if he had eased up enough for me to grab his wheel and recover for a minute we might have worked together and held it out until the end). Then in the last mile I'm on Sandy's wheel again. I turn around and we have a gap (I thought the whole pack was right there). But I couldn't hold it again, he actually did stay away (in front of the sprint by 500 meters at end), they caught me in the last 200 meters and dropped me like a boat anchor. But lots of time at the front or even off the front, and even when utterly gassed my recovery was pretty good.

How this will translate into my ability to hang with the 35+ boys in NY City on March 2 remains to be seen, but I'm feeling leaner, meaner and fitter than this time last year. My knee seems to have responded to the first Synvisc injection too (series of three, artificial knee fluid for arthritic knees like mine) and that's feeling much better too. Hope to be strong enough to work for the leaders on my team, maybe do some chasing, blocking or leading out. That's if I don't get killed in a crash or utterly shelled of course.

We're all peloton dogs. And every dog has his day. Who knows? Maybe Pcad jumps on the right wheel, gets in a 4 man break, the peloton gets hit by lightning and I get a place.

Woof.

I'm assuming this 3/2 race is a crit. On a closed course, turns, etc...need to do 2 min on 1 min off type intervals. around the turn, accelerate, sit in, turn accelerate...

Max, recovery type stuff...long rides "away" are great for road racing and overall fitness. Not for crits so much. Ride, then up and max acceleration, sit, recover, then do it again.

BTW...if you get into a crash, what's your next bike?;)

Seriously, if you are doing crits, I'd get a stiff al frame/bike, like a CAAD9 and use it for that. Something stiff, light and fairly inexpensive. I'd not take the Six/13 to a race, just in case.

3/2 race is a circuit race, 4 laps around the 6 mile Central Park road in Manhattan, other races in the Spring Series are all the same, the Brooklyn races are a 3 mile circuit. Mainly flat, one short hill in Central Park. Why wouldn't I race the Six13? It's a racing bike.

I'm ready to go. 2 weeks into the training crit series I'm feeling pretty good about the upcoming season. I've got more speed and fitness than last year, now we'll see if I can put it together and get some good finishes. The tactics thing has never been my strong point, putting the hurt on, I can do. :D
Hoping for early season success and I'll probably blow up like a carbon bike in the sun by April. :eek:

'Blow up like a carbon bike in the sun'?

By the way, ten years ago I'm in Fort Meyers FL in late March. I go on the shop ride there and it's ballistic, me and this guy from Michigan both got shelled 5 miles from the end of a 30+ mile hammer session. We were trying to get in shape for the season in NY and Michigan, and in South Florida everybody was in mid-season form. I was told they don't race there much in the summer, it's too hot. Again, this was mid-1990's.

I felt great in early Jan, was putting in lots of miles. Work and weather got in the way since and I'm now troughing and feeling like crap. 5 weeks until the first real race, so hopefully I'll get there in time.

Are you ready to race?

Nope.

pcad will be fine.

CPark will be manageable. Not that I finished any of the last few P123 races I entered there (and those were a while ago - 10+ years ago) but it's similar to Prospect and I can hang at Prospect in the M35.

If you're contemplating going off the front of a group ride then you'll be fine. Don't kill yourself at the bottom of the hill, wait till the left curve to dig deep, and don't let the gaps go on that one deceiving false flat where it always goes ballistic. Otherwise you can sit in if you feel like it. Actually you probably will have to sit in as some of those Sony guys are known for taking off. So you'll be "blocking", not sitting in.

Oh and keep your mouth closed where all that horse doo is spread over the road (if it still is).

btw if you feel like driving up to Bethel let me know and you can do a race for free (M40 or whatever Cat you are). For being a BF character.

good luck at CP,
cdr

pcad will be fine.

CPark will be manageable. Not that I finished any of the last few P123 races I entered there (and those were a while ago - 10+ years ago) but it's similar to Prospect and I can hang at Prospect in the M35.

If you're contemplating going off the front of a group ride then you'll be fine. Don't kill yourself at the bottom of the hill, wait till the left curve to dig deep, and don't let the gaps go on that one deceiving false flat where it always goes ballistic. Otherwise you can sit in if you feel like it. Actually you probably will have to sit in as some of those Sony guys are known for taking off. So you'll be "blocking", not sitting in.

Oh and keep your mouth closed where all that horse doo is spread over the road (if it still is).

btw if you feel like driving up to Bethel let me know and you can do a race for free (M40 or whatever Cat you are). For being a BF character.

good luck at CP,
cdr

does that offer stand for all bf characters, even the unlikeable ones?

Thanks for the Bethel offer cdr, used to race there, but my team will be in NY City this Spring, so I'll probably be down there.

As always Stay Out of the Yogger's Liane.

3/2 race is a circuit race, 4 laps around the 6 mile Central Park road in Manhattan, other races in the Spring Series are all the same, the Brooklyn races are a 3 mile circuit. Mainly flat, one short hill in Central Park. Why wouldn't I race the Six13? It's a racing bike.


Cuz if some idiot isn't paying attention and Pcad puts his body in the hands of Sir Isaac Newton, there may not be a Six/13 anymore.

How this will translate into my ability to hang with the 35+ boys

You're setting the initial bar pretty high. Kudos.

3/2 race is a circuit race, 4 laps around the 6 mile Central Park road in Manhattan, other races in the Spring Series are all the same, the Brooklyn races are a 3 mile circuit. Mainly flat, one short hill in Central Park. Why wouldn't I race the Six13? It's a racing bike.

exactly.

Still not managed to get on a group ride yet :(
Will probably race before doing my first group ride.
Will probably be breathing out of my @rse within 5 minutes having got dropped by the cat 5 field.

Still not managed to get on a group ride yet :(
Will probably start a race before doing my first group ride.
Will probably be breathing out of my @rse within 1 minute having got dropped by the cat 5 field.

fixed for authenticity.

does that offer stand for all bf characters, even the unlikeable ones?

I can't extend the offer to anyone, otherwise we'd have no prize money. But you in the purple skinsuit from way back, come up to the desk and talk to me.

cdr

I can't extend the offer to anyone, otherwise we'd have no prize money. But you in the purple skinsuit from way back, come up to the desk and talk to me.

cdr

maybe we can get morgan stebbins to bring his old one as well?

Cuz if some idiot isn't paying attention and Pcad puts his body in the hands of Sir Isaac Newton, there may not be a Six/13 anymore.

He can spring for system six upgrade, he fear not of legitamate crash upgradis Cannondis.

fixed for authenticity.

I was trying to be a little optimistic...

I'm 90% of my Race Form as of now.

My first race isn't until Feb 24th, and I won't be in full Race Form until the middle of March. I plan on just sitting in on my first race.

Currently I have 3 more weeks of strength training in the gym before workouts on the bike start.

Nope, not ready.

Mentally - completely ready
Physically - not so much, but then again it's about 3 months until the season starts.

I took nearly 2 1/2 months off the bike....I'm nowhere near ready. Maybe by June/July

definitely ready for Cat 5 pack fodder, with another 1-2 months I should stand a good chance at placing

'Blow up like a carbon bike in the sun'?

By the way, ten years ago I'm in Fort Meyers FL in late March. I go on the shop ride there and it's ballistic, me and this guy from Michigan both got shelled 5 miles from the end of a 30+ mile hammer session. We were trying to get in shape for the season in NY and Michigan, and in South Florida everybody was in mid-season form. I was told they don't race there much in the summer, it's too hot. Again, this was mid-1990's.

The state championships are in early June down here. Not really any races from mid June until September. Just got back from the 80 mi local hammerfest. It's been fast since Jan 1.

Today's Nyack Ride was pretty fast, mainly because Ken Lundgren a 27 year old Cat 2 for Northeastern Hardware (one of the faster Cat 2s in NJ) was going to the front and laying down the law. I later found out one of the boys I kept jockeying for wheel position with was Scott Bodin, a local vets legend (I think he's early 40's). I felt fine, was at the front all day, got 7th (out of about 20 guys left at the end) in the sprint going up the hill in Nyack even though I started from the back. Felt good going up that hill in Nyack, if I had started 4 positions further forward (at the bottleneck spooky take your life in your hands blind curve after a 35mph downhill start of the uphill jam) I would have been top 5 for sure.

Here's what I've discovered as Peloton Fodder for Life: the slower you are, the more critical it is to ride at or near the front. If you hit the redline, there's more wheels to grab as you fade away if you start from slot 4 in a 55 man field than there is if you start fading from position 39. And of course the fewer guys there are in front of you to crash, the lower your crash risk. Exponentially lower. Pcad doesn't ride at the front because he's a he-man. He rides there because he's a Big Chicken Wussy. But he's not stupid either.

Most days.

Mentally - completely ready
Physically - not so much, but then again it's about 3 months until the season starts.

dude.. it's a month and a half, man. stop saying 3 months!

Three months? Closer to three weeks. My first race is March 2.

I took nearly 2 1/2 months off the bike....I'm nowhere near ready. Maybe by June/July

bullsiht. you may be behind, but if you're up for it, it's only going to take you 6 weeks.

I took nearly 2 1/2 months off the bike....I'm nowhere near ready. Maybe by June/July

Were you hit by a bus? Abducted by aliens? Deported to Guantanamo as an Al Queda operative?

I'm trying to imagine how anyone here could take 10 weeks off the bike, but it's not happening. Help me GW.

Were you hit by a bus? Abducted by aliens? Deported to Guantanamo as an Al Queda operative?

I'm trying to imagine how anyone here could take 10 weeks off the bike, but it's not happening. Help me GW.

real life.

I'm in better shape now, in the middle of winter, than I was in the middle of racing season last year. Somehow I managed to pull out middle-of-the-pack Cat 5 finishes last season, so hopefully I can get the jump on the field during my remaining Cat 5 races and put in some top-10s. At least before anyone else gets into shape...

real life.

F real life.

I'm with Pcad on this one.

Priorities:

1. Bike
2. Food
3. Other people
4. Real life

F real life.

i have been for 17.5 years.