"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - When do you give up?

In my race last weekend, I gave up. Here's the story:





I also got dropped off after the first 2 laps and remember seeing you, because you were the only other guy with a blue jersey. I was not to pleased with getting dropped but got 9th out of 16, so it could have been worse (Cat 5's not combined with 35+). After the race however I had a 3 hour drive back home, which was not to much fun.

At least you got some points. I need to be smarter. After I realized I would not catch the lead group, it became a recovery ride for me. At least as much recovery as is possible on a course like that.


I figured that as a Cat 5, I should just finish when I realized I wouldn't be on the podium. I'm not worried about where I could have finished, but is this a sign of desire to win or mental weakness? After my first good finish in the previous weekend, I was not keen on busting my @Ss to finish anywhere past 5th place. At what point do you lose interest?

Congrats to J.Lockdown on showing his toughness by the way.

At what point do you lose interest?

7 words into this tale.

At what point do you lose interest?

7 words into this tale.

thank you.

Usually if I get dropped, I ride as hard as I possibly can and try to pass as many people as possible, and/or not get passed. If possible I will find a group to ride with.

Last weekend, as soon as I got dropped, I retired. The reason being that I was sick and should not have even left home that day.

Top 10's are always worth sprinting for in my opinion.

in a crit, if you're otb, you're no longer racing but rather just riding in circles. just get off the course so you're out of the way if/when the race laps you and go for a ride.

in a RR, if you're otb, might as well continue, just remember that you're no longer racing but again just riding so the rules of the road apply re: cars/intersections, etc., and if another field that is racing comes along, stay to the right so you're out of the way.

edit: there are no points in Cat 5.

You could have been first if everyone else felt the same way you did and gave up!
Why give up? How will you ever get any better? You are just a wannabe racer now.

I usually only give up if I can tell that I'm not at 100%. Otherwise I'll usually keep going at it until the finish. If I get dropped and am feeling my best, I'll usually find some people to work with and pick up other dropped riders.

I was not keen on busting my @Ss to finish anywhere past 5th place.

1. You're going to be in trouble if you keep racing and actually upgrade.
2. There are no points in CAT 5.
3. Cat 5 is about experience, not winning. You should be learning how to handle yourself at speed within a pack.
4. Road racing, even in the lower CAT's takes time and dedication. If you're already frustrated, that's not a good sign.

My $.02

I always want to give up. If I don't then it's a sign that I'm not going hard enough.

edit: there are no points in Cat 5.

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/6357/points.jpg

I don't know what they're for, but they look cool.


You are just a wannabe racer now.

hmmm. I don't know. Do you acknowledge no logic from my actions?

1. You're going to be in trouble if you keep racing and actually upgrade.
2. There are no points in CAT 5.
3. Cat 5 is about experience, not winning. You should be learning how to handle yourself at speed within a pack.
4. Road racing, even in the lower CAT's takes time and dedication. If you're already frustrated, that's not a good sign.

My $.02

1. I look forward to finding out.
2. Ok
3. The pack was gone.
4. I'm over it. This has only happened once and I think my dedication is at least respectable for someone with my experience. (not that anyone cares)

Did I make it clear that I was dropped, had been chasing for ~3 miles, and was not gaining ground before making this decision?

Did I make it clear that I was dropped, had been chasing for ~3 miles, and was not gaining ground before making this decision?

That sounds reasonable.



I should just finish when I realized I wouldn't be on the podium... I was not keen on busting my @Ss to finish anywhere past 5th place.


This does not.

If I get dropped I usually continue unless:
I have a race later in the day
I have a race tomorrow
I am totally and completely blown

That sounds reasonable.



This does not.

my bad.

At what point do you lose interest?


About 60 minutes after the ref pulls me.

No pull? I'm still racing.

^^^nice^^^ Give 'er til told to stop.

When I've crossed the finish line or if everything is really sketchy in the run into the last lap. A bunch of close calls and I will sit up unless I'm feeling incredible.

I've seen 35 K purses (in horse racing) go to the last place rider due to a screw-up on the course. You bet I'm racing until someone tells me to stop. It ain't over until it's over.

About 60 minutes after the ref pulls me.

No pull? I'm still racing.


Exactly.

At the VERY least if I seriously blow-d up, I always feel like I should get my money's worth for my entry fee and ride till the end.

Then there's always that wonderful dream where I'm OTB, then there's the largest crash in the history of bicycle racing, taking out every single other rider with multiple broken bones, and I win.

NE-VAR!!! (http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/stanbush21913/neversurrender985108.html)


:p

At what point do you lose interest?

Do not compute.

As stated by others already... I'm racing until I'm pulled or cross the finish line.

I gave up at Dana Point when I was no longer chasing the pack but it was chasing me lol..

when I was younger I was militantly anti-DNF and I would berate and disrespect people who dropped out.

then I got old and fat and changed my views. if I'm dropped, and only after a full and best effort battle to stay / regain contact, I decide:
- what's the training value (I can push harder in a race setting than solo, so there's value there)
- what's the recovery cost for upcoming races (like, later today, or tomorrow).

So it depends.

In my first race, I was dropped on the first lap, but not lapped by the four leaders until right before the bell lap. I was expecting to get pulled, but they just rang the bell and cheered me on. At the time, I thought they might have forgot I was a lap down, but they got it right in the final results.

I've only given up once..my second race in Columbus, TX. 98 degrees with 99% humidity. I was fried in the first 15mi. Pulled in after the second lap. Since then I've always finished, if it's not my day I treat it like a hard training ride, but unless I'm injured or throwing up I'm not quitting.

At San Dimas in the RR I probably would have pulled out after I was dropped but I had to finish to do the crit the next day. As it was I just missed the time cutoff, which was within 5% of the winning time :mad:

At Devil's punchbowl I continued after getting dropped because pretty much everyone is dropped in that race and I wanted to see how I lasted relative to the field.

I pulled myself in one race a couple of weeks ago. I was blown and OTB. I had another race right after the one I was in. my teammate had already dropped out as well. 3rd race in 2 days. Was feeling mental fatigue as well....

....put in another lap after wanting to quit. Then looked up at the offical and gave him the "I'm done" sign (the cut off motion of your hand across the throat). Gave him some lame excuse about racing too much already this year, blah blah blah...

Then I got hydrated and lined up for my next race and delivered my best crit finish to date. I just hadn't warmed up enough in the first race.

In that instance was pulling myself the eight thing to do? I feel like crap about it and hate not having a result even if it was a crappy one. Does the next race result mean I did the right thing? I don't know.

...did I feel like a giant vagina for quitting? Yes.

I pulled myself in one race a couple of weeks ago. I was blown and OTB. I had another race right after the one I was in. my teammate had already dropped out as well. 3rd race in 2 days. Was feeling mental fatigue as well....

....put in another lap after wanting to quit. Then looked up at the offical and gave him the "I'm done" sign (the cut off motion of your hand across the throat). Gave him some lame excuse about racing too much already this year, blah blah blah...

Then I got hydrated and lined up for my next race and delivered my best crit finish to date. I just hadn't warmed up enough in the first race.

In that instance was pulling myself the eight thing to do? I feel like crap about it and hate not having a result even if it was a crappy one. Does the next race result mean I did the right thing? I don't know.

...did I feel like a giant vagina for quitting? Yes.

but how do you feel like a giant vagina when you get your best crit result.

My first road race this season, I was struggling with too much training, not enough recovery.
Got dropped in a strong headwind 15 miles from the finish, so I pushed as hard as I could to the end, caught a few people but that's not the point.

At the end of the race my legs were thrashed, sore in all kinds of places I wasn't used to,
I went on a recovery ride later that day and after resting for a day they felt great, way better than they had since I started winter training.

Point is, in race season you get your intensity training from racing, if you get dropped you put in a hard training session.

If you give up once you're out of the podiums, you'll never get to the podium.

It is interesting that the general trend is that the higher the category, the sooner you quit after being dropped. Stage races are the exception.

It is interesting that the general trend is that the higher the category, the sooner you quit after being dropped. Stage races are the exception.

guess i just don't fit in with the cat 5s :D

being a cat 5 though, quitting means riding in the small ring until they say it's over.

My first road race this season, I was struggling with too much training, not enough recovery.
Got dropped in a strong headwind 15 miles from the finish, so I pushed as hard as I could to the end, caught a few people but that's not the point.

At the end of the race my legs were thrashed, sore in all kinds of places I wasn't used to,
I went on a recovery ride later that day and after resting for a day they felt great, way better than they had since I started winter training.

Point is, in race season you get your intensity training from racing, if you get dropped you put in a hard training session.

If you give up once you're out of the podiums, you'll never get to the podium.

Sounds like Piece of Cake.

I pulled out of a race when I could adapt to the heat. It wasn't really like I pulled myself out. It was like the bike went left and I fell off. I was fried and had to hitch a ride back to the finish.

I've quit several races after a flat, wheel change, then failure to chase back on. I could have ridden it out doing a couple more road race laps, but there were other fields that probably would have had to pass me. I'd rather not be a nuisance when there is no point.

Point is, in race season you get your intensity training from racing, if you get dropped you put in a hard training session.

Agreed. Last year I gave up after getting dropped in quite a few road races. This year I plan on finishing even if I get dropped, for the training benefits. I'm fitter and a bit smarter now though, so hopefully the droppage will not occur with as much regularity...

On BF you're going to hear a lot of crap about how quitting the race after being dropped is weak, indicates a lack of mental/moral fortitude, blah blah blah. As you may have gathered from my first sentence, my feeling is that this is just so much hyper-macho crap. What the "keep racing, no matter what," crowd is forgetting is that, once you are dropped, you are no longer racing. There are no prizes, either material or metaphysical, for finishing a race OTB.

That said, I would probably keep riding under most circumstances. In a long RR, especially a hard one with lots of attrition, it makes sense to finish, if for no other reason than to get back to your car, but also because the motivation of the race will make you ride pretty hard and get in some good training miles. It's also somewhat of a relief to get dropped and still find yourself with a mid-pack placing. It's a decent way to get an indication of your form, even if what you learn is only that you were better than 30 other people who got dropped.

In circuit races, there are a lot of factors to consider. If you get dropped on the last lap, you might as well drive it as hard as you can to the finish. Other than that, it depends. Actually, there are lots of things that you'll consider in a longer RR as well. No one can make the decision for you, and anyone who belittles you for choosing to abandon is a fool. What I'm trying to say is that I have no problem with choosing to continue riding after being dropped, I just object to the idea that doing so is a matter of character. I will go so far as to say that continuing to ride after being irrevocably dropped from a crit is fairly pointless, and continuing to ride when in danger of being lapped in a crit is downright dangerous. In the last crit I did, we were cursing the lapped riders, of which there were scads. It's a serious hazard. I think that that the standard response to being dropped in a crit should be to DNF. Other than that, do what you want.

The times I've placed best in races was when i've felt like quitting in the first 10-20 minutes of them.

After 10 minutes more, I'm just like oh okay. So this isn't TERRIBLE.
Then I just kind of go numb to the pain.

If the race is hard enough that I get dropped permanently, rarely am I ever in the condition where riding further will give me good training miles. The usual progression is that I get dropped in the hills (at 84 kilos, I am no featherweight), I make it back on after the hill, and then get dropped for good at some later stage of the race. When I am finally dropped for good, I am shelled like a walnut hit by a falling piano. No good training comes from riding further than I have to in that condition. Noodling along at less than 200W with destroyed legs doesn't count as training. It's not even recovery anymore. Just flogging a very dead horse.

Sounds like Piece of Cake.

Cherry Pie actually.

Good job last night, btw :thumb:

All going well, I should be in that race next week.

On BF you're going to hear a lot of crap about how quitting the race after being dropped is weak, indicates a lack of mental/moral fortitude, blah blah blah. As you may have gathered from my first sentence, my feeling is that this is just so much hyper-macho crap. What the "keep racing, no matter what," crowd is forgetting is that, once you are dropped, you are no longer racing. There are no prizes, either material or metaphysical, for finishing a race OTB.

That said, I would probably keep riding under most circumstances. In a long RR, especially a hard one with lots of attrition, it makes sense to finish, if for no other reason than to get back to your car, but also because the motivation of the race will make you ride pretty hard and get in some good training miles. It's also somewhat of a relief to get dropped and still find yourself with a mid-pack placing. It's a decent way to get an indication of your form, even if what you learn is only that you were better than 30 other people who got dropped.

In circuit races, there are a lot of factors to consider. If you get dropped on the last lap, you might as well drive it as hard as you can to the finish. Other than that, it depends. Actually, there are lots of things that you'll consider in a longer RR as well. No one can make the decision for you, and anyone who belittles you for choosing to abandon is a fool. What I'm trying to say is that I have no problem with choosing to continue riding after being dropped, I just object to the idea that doing so is a matter of character. I will go so far as to say that continuing to ride after being irrevocably dropped from a crit is fairly pointless, and continuing to ride when in danger of being lapped in a crit is downright dangerous. In the last crit I did, we were cursing the lapped riders, of which there were scads. It's a serious hazard. I think that that the standard response to being dropped in a crit should be to DNF. Other than that, do what you want.

Racing isn't about prizes. It's about suffering.

Racing isn't about prizes. It's about suffering.

or winning.

or winning.



they go hand in hand. you suffer to win.

Cherry Pie actually.

Good job last night, btw :thumb:

All going well, I should be in that race next week.

Thanks. All was going well until the crash at the end that took out my main competitor for the April series. Sucks because it was coming down to a great sprint to determine the series winner.

</threadjack>

they go hand in hand. you suffer to win.

but losers suffer as well.

I don't have much experience yet, but my best result came in what surely seemed like my easiest race yet. Felt awful during warm-up though.

Racing isn't about prizes. It's about suffering.

If you get dropped without suffering, you should really reevaluate your racing skills. Something's wrong if you get popped without suffering.

If you get dropped without suffering, you should really reevaluate your racing skills. Something's wrong if you get popped without suffering.

I don't know. Sometimes I get some wicked cravings for a cheeseburger. :rolleyes:

Or maybe you're ready to suffer, but you just decide you'd rather go hit on one of your competitor's girlfriends. :lol:

I don't quit unless I'm pulled by an official. If I get dropped, the race becomes whatever training I can get out of it. I paid my fees, so I keep going.

Quitting is not good for the ego.

Racing isn't about prizes. It's about suffering.

Racing is about suffering? I don't think so. Suffering is an integral part of racing, but I don't sign up for races because I want to suffer. I sign up knowing that I will suffer, and I accept that, but it's not the point. There's a lot more to it.

In any case, as someone already said, if you're doing it right, by the time you get dropped you are already suffering tremendously. So if that's your goal, it's not like a DNF means you failed. Chances are that it means you succeeded. But my goal is to race well, not to suffer or get dropped. Racing well pretty much always means suffering, and sometimes it means getting dropped. That's how it goes.

Apropos of nothing, I actually think that maybe the expression used in the OP, "giving up," is part of the problem. It implies that there is still something to be gained by continuing to ride. Often, there isn't. The pros recognize this, and that is why you see them pack it in so readily once they are OTB in a crit or something.