Road Bike Racing - My first Cat 5 race

Today I learned that training to ride was not quite the same as training to race. I also learned that my bike is unstable at speeds over 30mph and that my gearing tops out short of the better bikes.

The Cat 5 race was the first of the morning and I was wondering why all the riders I saw getting ready looked pretty hardcore (as compared to me). I believe that I was the only unaffiliated rider as everybody else looked to be wearing the jersey for one of the local teams.

The oxygen debt started at about a mile and after that I was in a two-way competition for last place. After the first lap (four mile laps) I was in sole possession of last place as the other rider pulled out after the first lap.

All in all, it was a disastrous first race. On the bright side, I’ve nowhere to go but up :)

Cheers,
-Neo

heh, heh.. welcome to the racing scene! You'll want to hook with a local club that supports new racers, there's a lot you'll want to learn. Aside from a training-regimen, there's a tonne of mental strategies and tactics you can pick up. Most likely you'll also want to learn to spin, no one can really top out their gears unless you're going downhill with a tailwind drafting an 18-wheeler truck. A 52x15t gear is good for 40mph in a sprint.

have fun! :)

to follow up on DannoWYZ's post, you probably want to find a local club and do some group rides. Most of the time the rides are no drop rides, meaning they will wait for you if you fall behind.

As far as gearing goes, let us know the gearing on your bike. You might have a compact crack which is not the best for flat races. But then again, realistically it wont make a difference until you get closer to Cat 4.

Good luck with future races!

I will definitely be looking at some of the clubs in the area. They start having their open, meet the team, rides around the end of September. I've already spoken with some of the peeps from the different teams at the local crits.

As for gearing, my I was using 50/39/30T, 12/25T. Yes indeed, I was racing a triple, ladies and gentlemen. My only other option would have been to use my steel frame. I should have a new bike by the time next season rolls around though. Still, in a few years it will give me and the guys something to laugh about :)

DFL > DNF. Good job on your first race. Keep at it.

I will definitely be looking at some of the clubs in the area. They start having their open, meet the team, rides around the end of September. I've already spoken with some of the peeps from the different teams at the local crits.

As for gearing, my I was using 50/39/30T, 12/25T. Yes indeed, I was racing a triple, ladies and gentlemen. My only other option would have been to use my steel frame. I should have a new bike by the time next season rolls around though. Still, in a few years it will give me and the guys something to laugh about :)

50-12 is enough gear...If you feel that you were spinning out, you need to work on your spin.

Nothing wrong with racing with a triple, by the way; also nothing wrong with racing a steel frame...I was on a steel frame -- and a cheap one at that, with mediocre components -- all through my Cat 5 races, and I got on plenty of podiums.

Based on the condition of my cassette after my races (flat crits) this weekend, I'm guessing I never got below my 13t.

My top speed was 38mph.

Spin faster, my man.

I've been racing a compact w/ 12-23 on relatively flat courses all season with no issues. I don't have the lungs to run out of gearing with it.

I've been racing a compact w/ 12-23 on relatively flat courses all season with no issues. I don't have the lungs to run out of gearing with it.

Yup, if it's flat, a 50 chainring with a 12-23 would be perfect -- enough on the low end and the high end, and few gaps.

Congrats...isn't it fun? Stick with it...gearing seems ok to me too....you probably just need to get more race educated and prepared....indeed, you will improve if you stick with it...in my first race this season (after 10+ years off the bike and out of racing for 14 or so years), I was lapped several times...now, I am placing in most races and looking to soon move up a category

your name is neogeek. you need confidence. Dr. Phil is a closet bike racer

Thanks for the input everybody. Sounds like I need some more seasoning. I've got one, and possibly two, more races to go before the end of the season. I don't expect to do much, but just the experience of it all will help come next season, which is really my focus.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the steel frame Coyote. I bought my Zeus in Spain before it was bought out by Orbea. It's a sweet ride and really geared for racing, but I've been freaked out by the whole weight issue, but my Zeus rides so well, that maybe it deserves a chance. Regardless, stay tuned for "My second Cat 5 race" post.

my gearing tops out short of the better bikes.

First, congrats. I started racing last year and found that training was very different than racing. My average heart rate showed that. I track HR, speed and cadance. Do you have a cycle computer that has cadance? If you feel your hitting top gear, make part of your training focused on spinning. Ride at 100+ cadance on a regular basis so that you get the feel of that level. Pick certain rides and use the middle ring. This was the advice given to me when I said the same thing you just did. It worked. I race a three ring. Once i tracked my HR in races, i realized what I needed to do to make my training race like.

Do high-speed repeats (short bursts with a recovery) as part of your training, preferably throw these in during a longer ride. It's the jumps that hurt during a race, you have to condition your body to withstand them and then recover.

You'll get lots of these jumps yo-yoing off the back, so trying to be in the pack instead behind the pack is really important for aerodynamic help.

Congrats on becoming a bike racer. You'll get better with each race.

Congrats. What happened to you is what happens to many, many guys in their first race. You are definitely not alone.

But, anyway, isn't bike racing an awesome RUSH!

Anyway, now to the constructive criticism:

1. Bike races, especially crits, start off balls-to-the-wall right from the start 99% of the time. Get a good warm-up ("good warm-up" means getting to the start line dripping with sweat from having hit 95% of your max heart rate 2 or 3 times during your 30 to 45 minute pre-race riding).

2. It's NOT about the bike! You may want to target getting a new bike as a reward for achieving some cycling-related goal ( 15 lb. weight-loss, top 10 finish, sub-30 minute 10-mile TT, etc.). But don't expect to see a significantly better performance as a result. That comes from training and racing smart. Not from bling equipment. Anyone with enough race experience can probably tell you a dozen stories about guys with t-shirts, downtube shifters, and hairy legs who beat guys with Zipp 404's on exotic European carbon rigs.

3. Train with a plan. Develop your own plan by reading a few training books (like Joe Friel's Cyclist's Training Bible), or join a team which already follows a training plan, or hire a coach. Training to race is a year-long endeavor where you methodically follow a year-long plan, tweaking it as necessary along the way. It should NOT be a process where you pick 3 of Jimmy's intervals, 2 of Johnny's LT workouts, 1 of Lance Armstrong's favorite workout, and top it off with Tabata protocol intervals that you read about on the web. And stick with your plan. Don't abandon it as soon a you encounter one bad race. Train and race smarter, not necessarily harder.

4. Be patient. Sometimes it takes years to develop into a consistent, competitive bike racer. Don't let a few early disappointments discourage you from continuing to train and to race. It took me three years of hard training to go from DNF (my first race), to a consistent top 10 finisher. Many times along the way I could have (and was tempted to) quit. But I stuck with it and it has paid off, finally.

Good luck! Enjoy the ride.

Bob

2. It's NOT about the bike! You may want to target getting a new bike as a reward for achieving some cycling-related goal ( 15 lb. weight-loss, top 10 finish, sub-30 minute 10-mile TT, etc.). But don't expect to see a significantly better performance as a result. That comes from training and racing smart. Not from bling equipment. Anyone with enough race experience can probably tell you a dozen stories about guys with t-shirts, downtube shifters, and hairy legs who beat guys with Zipp 404's on exotic European carbon rigs.Boy does that bring back memories! My 1st crit race was the equivalent of today's Cat-5 (public category). It was downtown and actually started raining right after the start. The guy that won it was a scruffy hippy guy with a beard wearing a wool-sweater riding a beat-up old mountain-bike!!! I think he even had reflectors on the wheels.

Boy does that bring back memories! My 1st crit race was the equivalent of today's Cat-5 (public category). It was downtown and actually started raining right after the start. The guy that won it was a scruffy hippy guy with a beard wearing a wool-sweater riding a beat-up old mountain-bike!!! I think he even had reflectors on the wheels.

That hurts. But I love seeing those animals out there!

Thanks for the input guys. I hope I didn't give the impression of blaming my ride for my last place finish as I know that my training wasn't what it should be. Of course, blaming the bike helps me convince the wife to let me buy a new bike. When I keep losing with the new bike, then I'll blame the intensity of my training routine and explain to her why I need to buy a new bike computer that has a cadence/HR function, etc.

I hope to implement most of the advice you guys gave me to one extent or another.

Thanks again,
-Neo

1. Bike races, especially crits, start off balls-to-the-wall right from the start 99% of the time. Get a good warm-up ("good warm-up" means getting to the start line dripping with sweat from having hit 95% of your max heart rate 2 or 3 times during your 30 to 45 minute pre-race riding).

2. It's NOT about the bike!

Bob

Bob is spot on.

You have to warm up hard for races. If I don't get my heart rate up a couple of times before the race I really suffer on the first surge. The older I get the more important this seems.

It is all about the engine on the bike!

Oh yeah. if you check the results they always put the DNFs under the guy that finished DFL for a reason.
You finished, they quit.

I just signed up for my first Cat 5 race. What is the best way to warm up? Do you bring a trainer or just ride around the start area?

I just signed up for my first Cat 5 race. What is the best way to warm up? Do you bring a trainer or just ride around the start area?

It depends on the race. I bring a trainer to most crits because it can be hard to get a good warm up on city streets, and a good warm up is very important. At road races I almost always warm up on the road.

Have fun.

I just signed up for my first Cat 5 race. What is the best way to warm up? Do you bring a trainer or just ride around the start area?I usually warm up for 45-60 minutes before a race. On the road is better because I need to gradually increase the intensity during the warm-up and do several intervals and max-HR sprints in the last 15-minutes. You should get to the start-line nice and sweaty with maybe 10-minutes of rest max. :)

Thanks for the input guys. I hope I didn't give the impression of blaming my ride for my last place finish as I know that my training wasn't what it should be. Of course, blaming the bike helps me convince the wife to let me buy a new bike. When I keep losing with the new bike, then I'll blame the intensity of my training routine and explain to her why I need to buy a new bike computer that has a cadence/HR function, etc.

I hope to implement most of the advice you guys gave me to one extent or another.

Thanks again,
-Neo

I think you've learned the most important thing from BF you need to learn :) Also the last few steps would be power meter, aero wheels, and (based on a recent thread) a trip to a wind tunnel. I haven't done that last one but it sounds good.


Thanks for the input everybody. Sounds like I need some more seasoning. I've got one, and possibly two, more races to go before the end of the season. I don't expect to do much, but just the experience of it all will help come next season, which is really my focus.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the steel frame Coyote. I bought my Zeus in Spain before it was bought out by Orbea. It's a sweet ride and really geared for racing, but I've been freaked out by the whole weight issue, but my Zeus rides so well, that maybe it deserves a chance. Regardless, stay tuned for "My second Cat 5 race" post.

I need more seasoning too. And I've been at it for 25 years.

cdr

..Keep going.. you see what you are up against.. just think how sweet it is going to feel to actually be able to stay in that lead group.. and then start making them hurt.. keep it up..

you will progress faster than you think you will. and it will feed your ..growing addiction... MUUUUWWAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAaaaaAAAAa

I think you've learned the most important thing from BF you need to learn :)

I kind of backfired on myself by winning races on an old bike with modest training... still got the "new" bike though :D

DFL, Finally figured out what that means!! Been there, done that, twice. Then i learned to draft. Not in much better shape, but made it to 12th of 35. :) My sage advice, is find a wheel, draft, find another wheel, draft, and draft some more. Long training rides help, but the wife and kids aren't so supportive of that, but wheelsucking they have no problem with..