"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Question for Veteran racers

Do the pre-race butterflies ever go away?

Yes, I've done so many races it's more like pre-race boredom.

the more you race the less each one matters.

try doing a couple crits a day, or do some track omniums (multiple races in a few hours). After a few weeks you'll be pretty relaxed at the line.

Yeah, when I was only doing one or two races/year, I had butterflies. First race this year, just a little bit. 2nd race, none. They do go away with frequency. They're kind of good for your edge though. If they're accompanied by a case of the runnies, then that can interfere with prep...

I actually try hard to get myself to have those "butterflies". They make me faster.

yes and no.

yes when you're riding with a group, and on a course, that you more or less know.

no when that's not the case.

depends on the race.

Butterflies never go away.
Toilet use is increased, caffeine is in full effect and the newbs are mine.

Butterflies never go away.
Toilet use is increased, caffeine is in full effect and the newbs are mine.

That was you, eh? ;)

Yes, for local club races.
No, for State open races.....nothing more frightening on this planet than 80 or more veteran riders trying to win a sprint and claim the "plastic" trophy and $250 prize money, only to nearly get into a punch up 'cos they won't split the moola with other riders.

I pose another question to you veterans,

Why do some vets race and train like they're trying to qualify for the Olympics, and have huge egos?

...and please Botto, don't give me a tongue lashing and tell me to go back to the folding forum, and before you question my racing pedigree.....Veteran A grade scratch rider in club and state races, winner of numerous State opens, placed 2nd and 3rd in club champs, which BTW is one of the strongest in Oz...blah, blah blah.

Yes, for local club races.
No, for State open races.....nothing more frightening on this planet than 80 or more veteran riders trying to win a sprint and claim the "plastic" trophy and $250 prize money, only to nearly get into a punch up 'cos they won't split the moola with other riders.

I pose another question to you veterans,

Why do some vets race and train like they're trying to qualify for the Olympics, and have huge egos?

...and please Botto, don't give me a tongue lashing

congrats on the WTF non sequitur.

I don't want them to go away. I want to be alert and anxious - but not too anxious. I want to feel the adrenaline. If I get bored I am done.

congrats on the WTF non sequitur.

What the hell does that mean?

I don't want them to go away. I want to be alert and anxious - but not too anxious. I want to feel the adrenaline. If I get bored I am done.

I love the butterflies. They keep me feeling like I love this sport.

I'm not a "veteran", but I've found that the butterflies go away for non-important races. I've been doing a series of training crits and haven't experienced any butterflies with those.

On the flip side, I had serious butterflies going into the "queen stage" of our team's training camp.

Why do some vets race and train like they're trying to qualify for the Olympics, and have huge egos?

In a given region, there are probably vets who have trained for the Olympics. Lots of Cat 1s and 2s who just don't want to race 100 miles twice/week. So, if you want to compete against those jokers, you need to train like they do.

I get by on 8 hrs/week. While I'm not a contender, I'd say I'm competitive. If I'm ever in an M35+ race that doesn't end in a break, look out. In the mean time I'll be trying to make it into the break :o

In a given region, there are probably vets who have trained for the Olympics. Lots of Cat 1s and 2s who just don't want to race 100 miles twice/week. So, if you want to compete against those jokers, you need to train like they do.

I get by on 8 hrs/week. While I'm not a contender, I'd say I'm competitive. If I'm ever in an M35+ race that doesn't end in a break, look out. In the mean time I'll be trying to make it into the break :o

I commend you for your dedication. Even though you have less time than most you utilize the time to train right. :beer:

What the hell does that mean?

http://www.answers.com/non+sequitur&r=67

http://www.answers.com/non+sequitur&r=67

Oh. Come. On. You couldn't come back with a non sequitur reply? :)



And thanks Sub. You're making the same moves, applying your commute to your training with dedication. We all get by with the commitments we have :beer:

When they 100% go away its time to find a new sport....

Yes, I've done so many races it's more like pre-race boredom.

Exactly.

When they 100% go away its time to find a new sport....

Uh-oh.

Hi,

IMHO, butterflies should go away for your lower priority races once you've gotten a hundred or so races under your belt. I still get kind of anxious when I'm in a race where I either think I can do something or when there are a lot of big guns (vs. the usual some big guns) in the race. Also I am initially nervous when I'm racing on a course for the first time. However, after a few laps that goes away.

When they 100% go away its time to find a new sport....

Nah. If you race enough it just becomes a normal part of your week and you go to the line and race until you feel like throwing up, then race some more.

I did my first two races this past weekend.

I was too busy shivering at the line to have pre race butterflies. Although, when I started falling behind, I started thinking pcad cycling zen comes from self loathing and I told myself to push it as hard as possible since it was all about going hard or going home. I didn't drive that much to stop trying. And it worked :)

Seeing people crashing in front of me did get the adrenaline going though!

Nah. If you race enough it just becomes a normal part of your week and you go to the line and race until you feel like throwing up, then race some more.


I have raced in another sport at a very high level. Every national and world champion in that sport says they get the pre-race jitters every time the hop on the starting line. If you get to a race and are just ho-hum about it it may be time to try a new activity. I have been doing this on and off for 15 years and still get that adrenaline rush when the starting gun goes off....

Never really went away and I'm going into my fourth year. Each season follows the same pattern, though: nervous to point of shaking at first race, to near boredom and irreverence at final race. I figured out after a while, though, that a lot of my problems with nerves were due to the fact that I wasn't a good fit as a road racer. I have the tactical capacities of a newt. But my strong ability to hold a high wattage over a long period of time made me a halfway decent time trialist. And I never get nervous before a time trial: I just get amped; I love them.

This year I'll probably just ride the RR as training. And knowing that, I doubt I'll get nervous.

Anyway, long story short: once you figure out what type of racer you are, you'll be less nervous about possibly losing in an event for which you aren't suited.

I still have them at the line every race, but as soon as the gun, or air horn, or official starts it they immediately go away until the end of the race.

Only if I know: the fast guys in the race, the course, and it's not an important race to me.

Actually, they're still around, I can just push them into the background really easily.

I tend to get them either when I know I'm one of the strongest and I should be able to win (pressure) or when I know I'm going to be hanging on for dear life. Not too much anxiety about being pack fodder.

I have raced in another sport at a very high level. Every national and world champion in that sport says they get the pre-race jitters every time the hop on the starting line. If you get to a race and are just ho-hum about it it may be time to try a new activity. I have been doing this on and off for 15 years and still get that adrenaline rush when the starting gun goes off....

I've raced at a pretty high level in cycling, and only get any nervousness at nats, and it usually goes away when the gun goes off. After that it's just racing, and while my tactics may be different at that level (I'm not going to win nats) the racing isn't a whole lot different. During the regular race season I really don't get any nervousness. Doing 2 fields in a day where there are 4 races for each makes race starts pretty routine.

http://www.answers.com/non+sequitur&r=67

As always, Botto, your reply amazes, amuses and astounds me, you sir, are the master of sarcaustic wit.
I dips me lid.

Back to the OP's question....
Never do a fart in the shower before a BIG race....they tend to be liquid. :eek:

[QUOTE=waterrockets;6320338]In a given region, there are probably vets who have trained for the Olympics. Lots of Cat 1s and 2s who just don't want to race 100 miles twice/week. So, if you want to compete against those jokers, you need to train like they do.

I get by on 8 hrs/week. While I'm not a contender, I'd say I'm competitive. If I'm ever in an M35+ race that doesn't end in a break, look out. In the mean time I'll be trying to make it into the break :o[/QUOTE


Waterrockets,

In my region there are Olympic gold and silver medalists, whom I raced and trained with, man are they tough yet smooth as silk and most are pretty laid back and easy to get on with........they're just out having some fun these days. We also have the 30-35 yrs old World Masters track champ who trains the World juniors track champ, so the racing here is very competitive. The only problems are ex Olympic and National champs who had too much "JUNGLE JUICE" in their heyday and fried their brains...mad as cut snakes and hate it when Ive beaten them.

Do the pre-race butterflies ever go away?

I still find my heart racing when I think about racing. It may be the night before, the week before, the month before, the quarter before the actual race. The whole adrenaline thing though, jittery, cold sweat, heart pounding. I lose my appetite (try not to think of races before dinner), get antsy (try not to think of races when laying in bed or watching a movie), start to get sort of a narrowed tunnel vision kind of thing (muted sounds, bright lights).

The day of the race? No. Took about 10 years for the pre-race jitters to pretty much completely go away. Yeah, I look forward to it, there's some pressure, but no more than when I approach a favorite exit ramp with no traffic in front of me. It's a nice opportunity but there'll be more.

I end up focusing on not forgetting things, usually dress less than an hour before the race (no matter how early I get there), don't warm up very much, and start the race wondering what's gonna happen.

At the line it's either "I really should have gone to the bathroom before I lined up" or "can we start already".

I get final douse of race jitters when it's all together at 5 to go. Then I start getting nervous. Usually in the last lap or two it peaks because that's when I'm still hoarding my energy but I'm trying to balance it out with moving up.

After the race I feel like I just got a massage. Usually, esp after a good race, I just want to go to sleep. Driving home I stay right and watch everyone pass me.

cdr