Road Bike Racing - Got Dropped Today...I want to know why?? lol

Hey all I am fairly new to racing and training. I have been racing for a whole 4 weeks..hehehhe...however I have been taking it very seriously. For the last 3 weeks I race a local crit every Sunday thats 15 laps on a fairly flat .5 mile course. Race takes about 35 minutes. In the 1st weeks I felt strong stayed with the main peloton the entire race and finished in the top 10-12 both times. Well today I warmed up a little longer than usual but nothing to break a sweat or anything. Got to the start feeling confident. It was a bigger field today with some college racers in the cat 5's too. Well after about 5 laps the wind was blowing hard down the back stretch! I was about 15-20th when before I knew it there was a surge I was shuffled (somehow) and off the back! I chased for 2-3 laps with no help from the rest of the stargglers and just watched the peloton pull away HELPLESS! I was DISGUSTED as it was the first time I felt like a complete loser in my new racing hobby. I don't know what I did differently. I have been drinking a energy drink b4 the races usually and didnt (but I cant see that being it) I am the lightest i have been weight wise (dieting my 5'7" frame at 165 from 228...figure I need ot be around 150) So what do you all think happened? Is it common to be in the mix one week and feel weak and get dropped the next?

Was there a difference in what you did the day before (riding, not riding, easy ride, hill repeats, etc.)?

Fitnes increases the further into the season you get. Also MORE fit people start coming out of the works. Finally, wind helps to weed out people.

I did go for a short but HARD 15 mile ride. I started with my local loop but had a nasty head wind and my legs felt like crap! So I didnt want to burn myslef up for todays crit so I turned around at the 7.5 mile mark and had a decent tail wind. Praticed sprinting intervals on the way home for short bursts. Didnt really feel tired though?? I am really bummed out but I assume the legs and breathing just arent there all the time.

I would drop a 5'7" 228lb guy on the hills like a friggin STONE.

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sounds like you are doing fine. maybe you just had a bad day or were not feeling 100% for the race. shake it off and come back even stronger for next week.

I don't know what I did differently.

Some days you get the bear. Some days the bear gets you.

For the last 3 weeks I race a local crit every Sunday thats 15 laps on a fairly flat .5 mile course. Race takes about 35 minutes.

.5 miles per lap * 15 laps * 60 minutes/hour / 35 minutes = 12.86 mph.

Something doesn't make sense here.

.5 miles per lap * 15 laps * 60 minutes/hour / 35 minutes = 12.86 mph.

Something doesn't make sense here.

"For the last 3 weeks I race a local crit every Sunday thats 15 laps on a fairly flat .5 mile course. Race takes about 35 minutes."

Some days you get the bull, some days you get the horn. You got caught off guard and gapped on a windy day...stuff happens. Better luck next race.

"For the last 3 weeks I race a local crit every Sunday thats 15 laps on a fairly flat .5 mile course. Race takes about 35 minutes."

thats a 7.5 mile crit. worthless imo. especially if you do it at 14 miles an hour. you should try to hit at least 40 laps on that thing in under and hour, and even that isnt typically fast enough pace for a 5's crit unless theres a bajillion corners..

Something is really not right with the math.

And your warmup SHOULD break a sweat. For a 35min crit, the warmup should be pretty intense.

Some days you get the bear. Some days the bear gets you.

Mark it an 8!

And, yeah, you got gapped in heavy wind. Happened to me yesterday on my RR... the 6 I was with pushed up the intensity, I got blown up, a gap was formed, and then it was all over. I couldn't get back on!

Better luck next time!

It's a 0.8 mile loop, not 0.5 miles.

Joe thanks....I knew I messed something up. Did you do Wells yesterday, man it was pretty windy in the morning. I was fortunate enough to make my way around that nasty crash in the C's

It's a 0.8 mile loop, not 0.5 miles.

20.5 mph better but still pretty slow for a 35 minute flat crit.

Gapped in the wind, all we are is gapped in the wind
Just hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy.
Gapped in the wind, all we are is gapped in the wind

.5 miles per lap * 15 laps * 60 minutes/hour / 35 minutes = 12.86 mph.

Something doesn't make sense here.

I was wondering how long it would take :D

Where can I find this race? I might could win that one. As long as I got up front an time trialed at a whopping 15 mph :D.

It's a 0.8 mile loop, not 0.5 miles.

Dang...thanks for dashing my dreams. I was ready for a road trip :D

Joe thanks....I knew I messed something up. Did you do Wells yesterday, man it was pretty windy in the morning. I was fortunate enough to make my way around that nasty crash in the C's


I was not at Wells yesterday. I plan to be there this week though.

Hey, when you lose contact while your going into the wind, then, hey, it can be tough to catch back on if enough of a gap has opened. It doesn't sound like it was much of a fitness issue; sounds more like a tactic/experience issue. The surge and shuffling happened and you were either in a bad position for responding to it, or, did not know this could happen -- and when it happened, you were done. I would not lose much sleep over it. Wells Ave crits are good; keep going. Also, it is mostly flat, but I recall a bit up on the north turn and then a bit down on the south turn.

Yep that is true...after the only real turn after the finish line it's a slight up hill. That's usually where the surge happens every lap or so. I love the race! It's great practice for sure. Although seeing that pileup on the last lap thsi past weekend was pretty scary...

I was marshalling this race and the split happened on a prime lap. If you hear the guy yell for a prime, get up in the top 10 because there will be a surge after turn one. This happened on Sunday and the peloton split in two. The second half fell apart because nobody was riding like a pack and instead let gaps galore form in front of them. Then with the wind, it was fodder time. Just make sure you have better positioning for things like that esp. on a windy day (I should know b/c I kept making that mistake last year).