Road Cycling - Avg Speed For Cat 5

I was just wondering what kind of average speed I need in order to compete in Cat 5 events this year. Also when does the season start having lots of races.

Somebody help vladimir! I am curious about this too! Thanks.

Crits, Road Races or Time Trials?

Crits, mid 20s range.

RR and TTs vary widely depending on terrain.

Don't be concerned if you are not doing a 26mph avg on your training rides. Once you are caught in the race the adrenaline is pumping and you'll surprise yourself by the speeds you can attain.

The best advice for preparation is to ride with riders who are better than you and tough it out. These would ideally be seasoned racers (cat 3 or 4) so you can get a feel for the speeds they train at.

Nothing will prepare you for the real thing and close quarter racing. You'll just have to prepare as best as you can and go for it. When you race, hold your line, stay off your brakes and ride like hell!

it isn't about avg speed, it's about being able to jump from 20mph to 28mph. think in terms of quickness and being able to recover quickly.

Last Cat V race I officiated at a fairly flat race course averaged 28 MPH for 30 miles of racing.
Obvioulsy, your mileage may vary depending on the terrain. But something over 25 will be a typical average.
It's keeping up with the spurts of speed that's the killer.

something over 25 will be a typical average.

An AVS of 25 mph (40.23 kph)... :eek: Ouch. (Will postpone my debut for another year or two. :D ).

For the most part you are hovering around 25+ mph but since you are in the pack you are drafting so all you have to do is be ready for the surges and slowings.

Yeah, when you see that a pack is averaging 25 mph, remember this- unless you're off the front pulling, you can sit in and hold on for the duration of most races. If you know where small attacks are likely to come up (railroad crossings, small hills, etc.) then you can anticipate accelerations to some extent. I think that doing a series of races is often the best way to acclimate to the speeds and variations of speed that you'll see.

I think I was pretty much averaging 20mph on training rides when I was racing a little, and I was comfy in the pack and even had one flat tire incident where I worked with some guys to catch the pack and then held on for the last 20 or so miles of a 100 mile race. You'll be surprised when you're in the group.

I was just wondering what kind of average speed I need in order to compete in Cat 5 events this year. Also when does the season start having lots of races.

Just go out and try it. You may be surprised by the speeds, but if you keep coming back, you'll find yourself spending more and more time in the pack before being dropped. After a couple of seasons, you may even be in front going for the final sprint....I never got there, but still had fun with local crits.

The racing season starts at different times depending what region you are in. In NorCal we just started the early season. There have been a number of races already in February. I just did my first USCF race this past weekend. I decided on competing in the Master 45+ category instead of Cat 5, figuring it would be safer riding with experienced racers. Don't know if this would work for you, 'tho.

Steve

I would like to try my hand at racing as well. So would a good goal to start be something like holding 20mph solo for an hour, considering average conditions?

I would like to try my hand at racing as well. So would a good goal to start be something like holding 20mph solo for an hour, considering average conditions?
You shouldn’t worry about speeds too much. In my cat5/4 race this past weekend the speeds went anywhere from 22 on up to 30mph on the flats. But when you are in a group of 50 people, its EASY to hold that pace for a while.
As long as you train properly you should be fine.

Racing.....hmmmm might have to try that....after some training

auricpoe-you should, NE is a pretty solid racing location (though I'm traveling to Rutgers this weekend)