"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - First race today...

Did my first ever mass-start road race...Now that was an experience...a fun experience!

I was racing in the Good Friday Road Race in Hamilton, Ontario. I think there was close to 200 guys in my start wave (Master3, Senior4). The roll out was calm and then the pace picked up. Within a km or so we had our first crash, wheels clipped, guy went over the bars and did some nasty damage. He's in hospital in critical condition.

I followed my team directors instructions...Sit at the back at the start and watch for the crashes and avoid them...We both knew that I had no business up front anyway.

Once we got past the crashes the pace picked up and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the winter training and 2 week Georgia trip has paid dividends. The small climbs were much easier then last year and I was actually enjoying them.

I didn't do much in the race, as I expected, but I did my share of pulling in the little breaks that developed behind the main field. I tried attacking on the hills, but quickly realized that this was a futile game since there was no real place for me to go.

It's all a learning game and I have a lot to learn and still lots of training to do before I can consider myself in the same league as the guys that were in the top half of the group.

In the end I had fun and that's what it's all about...

Our team was pretty successful with a win, a second place and third place in various categories...

Very cool!! Can't wait to get my first race in sometime in the next month or so!!

I was there too (see sig for bike, you might recognize)

The first crash happened just next to me, about 2-3 guys across. Braking (leading into the first corner??) (which was a very tight corner) led to a bunching in the field and lots of locked up tires and so on and so forth. I managed to come out clear on the right side of the road (almost in the ditch mind you).

The first lap was full of sketchbaggyness...to say the least. Way to many crashes from riders behind plowing into the riders in front of them.... Lots of crossed wheels and no one holding their line through corners or in the wind.

There was one more serious accident with the rider completely unconscious looking up at the sky, sprawled out and dreaming of better days. That was at the bottom of a long and fast descent. I am pretty sure I heard one of the race officials say something about a stem breaking on that one.

The race calmed down after the first lap.

I ended up finishing in the back of the chase pack.
The lead group has 8 mins on us by the end.

****ty races like this make me want to stay away from racing.

200 riders in one wave? That sounds dangerous and irresponsible, what were the organizers thinking?

vjp

I was there too (see sig for bike, you might recognize)

The first crash happened just next to me, about 2-3 guys across. Braking (leading into the first corner??) (which was a very tight corner) led to a bunching in the field and lots of locked up tires and so on and so forth. I managed to come out clear on the right side of the road (almost in the ditch mind you).

The first lap was full of sketchbaggyness...to say the least. Way to many crashes from riders behind plowing into the riders in front of them.... Lots of crossed wheels and no one holding their line through corners or in the wind.

There was one more serious accident with the rider completely unconscious looking up at the sky, sprawled out and dreaming of better days. That was at the bottom of a long and fast descent. I am pretty sure I heard one of the race officials say something about a stem breaking on that one.

The race calmed down after the first lap.

I ended up finishing in the back of the chase pack.
The lead group has 8 mins on us by the end.

****ty races like this make me want to stay away from racing.

Your bike looks BA!

200 riders in one wave? That sounds dangerous and irresponsible, what were the organizers thinking?

vjp

I agree! We will see what comes out of it. I know there was a lot of protest, post race, about the field size.

Looked at the results and it seems I didn't do too too bad for getting dropped out of the lead group after an idiotic crash that sent riders mad sprinting to break away....

32/90 in S4
87/200 in Wave 1


Your bike looks BA!

THANKS!

Would of liked to do better.
Theres always next weekend!

200 riders in one wave? That sounds dangerous and irresponsible, what were the organizers thinking?

vjp

Agree!

Congrats

Good job dood! Get your ass out of the back of the pack asap though, get that bike handling legit so you can stay safe and fast.

I ended up finishing 76th out of 100+ in my category...9 minutes and change shy of the lead group...

Next race will be a bit more to my liking. I'm a lightweight and there's more sustained climbing on that one. I should be able to make more ground on the big guys...

That's the problem here in Ontario, it's all about the sprints and the breaks...When you weigh 135lbs and are built like Pantani it makes it a bit tougher...

I ended up finishing 76th out of 100+ in my category...9 minutes and change shy of the lead group...

Next race will be a bit more to my liking. I'm a lightweight and there's more sustained climbing on that one. I should be able to make more ground on the big guys...

That's the problem here in Ontario, it's all about the sprints and the breaks...When you weigh 135lbs and are built like Pantani it makes it a bit tougher...

Hey! I'm 140 lbs and love hills as well.
I could see us working together at the niagara classic RR :thumb:

This is why USAC doesn't allow fields of more than 50 for cat 5s. Or 75 if mixed with other categories. I guess Canada does things differently.

This is why USAC doesn't allow fields of more than 50 for cat 5s. Or 75 if mixed with other categories. I guess Canada does things differently.

I'm moving across the border.

200 riders seems pretty insane to me. Glad the race was still fun for you, rbart.

Markieta, do you ride with team in town here?

This is why USAC doesn't allow fields of more than 50 for cat 5s. Or 75 if mixed with other categories. I guess Canada does things differently.

The first Cat 5 RR of the season here in WSBA had about 90 people, on a tiny one-lane road. There were some nasty crashes and they started splitting up the 5's fields after that. (not sure why it was so big in the first place, certainly they knew the rules?)

Then again I bet there would have been crashes with just 50 5's.. and we lost about 40 people in the first lap anyway. Good times.

200 riders seems pretty insane to me. Glad the race was still fun for you, rbart.

Markieta, do you ride with team in town here?

I would be if I wasn't tied up during the week when most groups have their team/club rides.

Independent for now.

And yourself? I assume you're looking for a club?

Wow - I've done 5 races so far, but the field for each grade (A to G) is 20-60 riders, with A and B grade having the most.

No crashes at all! However, this is in vets, so perhaps age based wisdom and a smaller field size help?