Road Bike Racing - strategies for short race

i'll be riding as a cat 5 in my first race. it's only 17 miles. what can i expect from this? will it be fast right from the get go? are other riders going to pace themselves at all, or will it just be everyone riding as fast as they can? is there a good strategy to follow for a short race like this?

Crit or road race?

In any case, it will be all out from the start. Just try and hang in there, staying towards the front if possible.

You'll probably be surprised by the speed.

What I’ve learned in my 2 whole races….

1) It should start very quickly because everyone wants to be up front. (So do you)
2) Since this is such a short race, it will probably be flat out the whole way. Just hang on!
3) You must be up front coming into the finishing straight. You can’t win from the back. (I learned that one the hard way.)
Try not to be too nervous. It’s even more fun that you think.

thanks guys. i'll gear my training toward a full out effort the whole way. the good thing is that i have access to the course and can train on it anytime i want. i'll start timing myself over the 17 miles and see if i can get my averages up in the next few weeks.

If it is a crit, when you are practicing, stand up out of every corner and sprint back to 25plus mph. You will be doing this in the race the whole time. Come race day you will have the benefit of the draft, but the constant standing/sprinting 4 times a lap will beat you down.

If it is a crit, when you are practicing, stand up out of every corner and sprint back to 25plus mph. You will be doing this in the race the whole time. Come race day you will have the benefit of the draft, but the constant standing/sprinting 4 times a lap will beat you down.

i should clairify that this is technically a road race. although, it's sort of like a crit in a way. it's 5 laps around a 3.4 mile loop in the park.

which makes me think of another question: should i carry any gear? tube, pump, etc.... would it even be worth it?

Gear on the bike won't be necessary. If you have an extra set of wheels bring them and label them. If you flat you might be able to do a quick wheel change and get back in the race.

Make sure your bike is in good shape. Make sure you aren't missing a bar end plug and that nothing on the bike is broken in a way that could injure a cyclist or you in the event of a crash.

I would only carry a tasty beverage. If you flat, you’ll most likely be out of the race and you can walk back to your car.

Follow smoothies advice for training. Your average speed around the loop is irrelevant. You need to focus on short intense efforts and quick recovery for the next intense effort.

Sounds exciting. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I bet it will be medium-slow pace for the first part (if it's flat)and then pick up on the last lap. There are many very talented Cat 5 racers that should really be Cat 4 and occasionally even Cat3, so don't underestimate them. Remember to stay up font (TOP 10), and don't be affraid to do a long sprint at the end if you have the strength.
Good luck

17mi cat5? Wow short. In my experience the shorter the things are the faster. Depending on the course profile, the race could easily be over in 45 min.

what karesz3 said is true, there are some really strong riders in cat5, however I bet it will be flat out from the start.

Make sure you get a very very very good warm-up. I cant stress this enough. I have been shelled in one to many crits because I didn’t warm up well enough.