"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - First race disasters?

A little frustrated today... I was doing the Tour de Syracuse omnium this weekend, which was pretty much my first races (a few citzens races and mtb/cyclocross racing). Short version: I DNF'd both races. Long version:

So friday I am out for an easy ride the day before the crit and get a flat. This is my first flat in over a year, and joke with my buddies that I'm glad I got that out of the way. So of course, 3rd lap of the crit while sitting comfortably in the pack I run over something sharp and put a 1cm gash in my tire/tube. End of race.

What ever, the road race is more my thing anyways. I felt great in warmups (well rested :)) and was sitting comfortably in the pack again during the first 8 or so miles, starting to move up to go with any attacks on the hills coming up, when the rider in front of me stops dead on a small roller due to dropping his chain, and having nowhere to go I run into him from behind. The bike was ridable, so I tried to chase back on but the shifting was going nuts and jumping all over the place, and after 5 or so miles of chasing down stragglers who got shelled on the hill, my chain decided enough was enough and snapped (the rear wheel had come off in the crash, must have damaged the chain?). Game over, second day in a row.

Anyone else have their racing "career" get off to such a start? Or just lousy race weekends and want to vent?

Guess what?

You're not injured or out a ton of money. You did fine!

I don't remember a crash in the cat5 35+. Were you in the under 35 group?

In my first crit I had a guy brake hard right in front of me. We both went down. I think the mark left by that crash might still be there after 10 months. I got up and finished the race.

missed my start in the first crit i entered. I was hanging out by reg b/c I thought that's where they'd start. it was one of the 'early bird' training crits, so they let me hop in.....but still

It was 40* and raining my first race, and I had no cold weather gear. So, I raced in a sweater, and nearly froze to death.

Also, I was lapped twice on a 1.5mi circuit. Good times.

So of course, 3rd lap of the crit while sitting comfortably in the pack I run over something sharp and put a 1cm gash in my tire/tube. End of race.

What ever, the road race is more my thing anyways.


Why didn't you take a free lap in the crit?

How do you know a RR is "more your thing"? This was your first race.

Get back out and try again. Often.

Ya, I crash a lot. It happens. It sucks.

I crashed in one crit and finished 2 laps down in another this weekend. Rain is bad.

my first race I got dropped, nothing unusual there.

second race, I looked down to get in the toe clips and ran into the guy in front of me. we both went down (low speed) and I taco'd my front wheel.

total distance covered: about 20 feet.

First race mistake: Hammering on the front like it was a group ride.

First crit, I was hanging mid-pack, and coming out of the turn into the backstretch, someone touched wheels a few riders ahead of me and took out me and two others. Everybody else jumped up and ran off to the start/finish for their free lap, but I'd gone down on my hip so hard I couldn't stand, and I just rolled off into the grass while a course marshal grabbed my bike. Few weeks later and doctor appointments later, I was still walking funny.

So you got out easy, relatively speaking.

Why didn't you take a free lap in the crit?

How do you know a RR is "more your thing"? This was your first race.

Get back out and try again. Often.

I don't have a spare wheel, unfortunately. And it was the far opposite side of the course, so by the time I got back around and changed the tire and tube it would have made no difference. I wish (in retrospect) that I had rolled to the start/finish line and to get pulled, because then I would have gotten some points for the overall, but oh well. Oh, and the road race was quite hilly, and that's my strength, hence why I was targeting that more.

And I'm already planning on getting back out there soon, no worries.

I don't have a spare wheel, unfortunately. And it was the far opposite side of the course, so by the time I got back around and changed the tire and tube it would have made no difference. I wish (in retrospect) that I had rolled to the start/finish line and to get pulled, because then I would have gotten some points for the overall, but oh well. Oh, and the road race was quite hilly, and that's my strength, hence why I was targeting that more.

And I'm already planning on getting back out there soon, no worries.

Assuming you were in the Cat 5, under 35 crit, you wouldn't have won anyway. My teammate took out the win and he's a baaaaaaad man.

;)

-mark

you could use tubulars and ride them flat if necessary

not a 1st race, but last year I got hit by a car warming up for a road race. then crashed about 5 miles into said road race. not a good day at all.

Guess what?

You're not injured or out a ton of money. You did fine!

+ 1.

A chain will cost you $$, a carbon frame that got cracked in a crash will cost you $$$$.

Well, on saturday I got dropped in the crit at the ventura stage race which was supposed to be an "A" race for me (but didn't work out due to illness). I was 2nd in the prologue and then got dropped wearing the green jersey.

When I got home, I found my second flat tubular in 2 races. The tires cost like $70 a piece. I'm going back to clinchers for now.

Assuming you were in the Cat 5, under 35 crit, you wouldn't have won anyway. My teammate took out the win and he's a baaaaaaad man.

;)

-mark

I would have liked to have just finished with the second pack, or at least not get pulled. That front group was really strong, I highly doubt I could have ridden with them (at this point ;)).