"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - 1st "race" tonight...

Just wanted to say thanks to the many knowledgable posters here who have shared such great advice for newbs in numerous threads. I've finally gotten the cajones to try a crit after 2 years of riding and 12,000+ miles under my belt. It's a training race on a .8 mile 4 turn park circuit (Bryan park in Richmond), but people take it pretty seriously and I'm looking forward to just trying to stay with the pack in the B race. I'll post here about how it goes later, I'm pretty excited and moderately afraid I'll drop my brand new bike :-(.

Good luck!

Good luck, have fun and stay safe.

Best of luck!

Many consider racing, but a small percentage actually take the leap.

Have fun, go real fast, and stay safe!

Follow other people's lines through the corners, stay smooth, close gaps as soon as possible.

+1 and good luck

Good luck and let us know how it went. I'm a jaded old perma-3 so I love to remember the thrill of the first race.

Best of luck.

It's cojones

Cajones means drawers or box, as in desk drawers or pine box. Or was that a Freudian slip? It is a crit after all.....

It was a slip, you'd think I'd know better being the son of a Panamanian and growing up in Miami! Ooops.

Anyway, the race- Got there early, rode over with my buddy and we pinned on numbers and warmed up on some roads nearby. We did a couple half speed laps and then formed up for the start with about 40 riders, which kinda caught me off guard. I didn't have the dreaded clip in failure, I just settled into a rhythm and tried to stay in the draft. A guy I ride with a lot was off the front with 4 or 5 guys on the 2nd lap, accelerating and bringing the pace up to around 32 for the back stretch of the little course. They motored away, but I tried to stay in the top 10 or so of the following pack. Honestly, I don't remember much of it, it was like tunnel vision on the wheels ahead of me. I made the mistake of allowing myself to be caught up in constant yo yos where I'd have to grab a tiny bit of brake after following an acceleration and then coming up on a slower rider mid road. I tried to hold my line in corners, I went too tight on the inside on one lap and skidded a tiny bit but made sure I had plenty of room to my side for the riders outside of me. I felt like I went too hard for the first 5 laps, but once I found the wheel of the guy I'd ridden over with I tried to stay on it and rest. With around 4 laps to go, the pace picked up again, and I just kept hanging on, trying to avoid letting a gap form in front of me. Coming into the 2nd to last lap, I was having other riders ease past me, probably about 15th in the main pack. We came up on the last corner and I started to move to the inside to accelerate and try to get up into the front group, but I heard "inside!" and saw that my friend and his chasers who rode off the front were coming through to lap us, so as we came out of the corner and crossed the line I realized my race was over 1 lap sooner than I expected. Shame, because I had a bit left in me for the last lap and felt pretty good. It was really exciting, I think I ended up around 18-20th of 40 or 45 riders. I'm instantly addicted, but sadly my grad school classes are going to keep me from being able to attend this race again before next year. Thanks for the words of encouragement, and I hope I'll have some more stories to share that don't involve being lapped!

Here's my strava file for the race-
http://app.strava.com/rides/19305241

Good job. You did much better than many of us in our first race.

Good job. You did much better than I did ever.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

(sorry...that was just too good a set up)

Good job. You did much better than many of us in our first race.

+1

+2

+3. I was pulled after 6 laps.

otb in 2 coners...

I won

...the 2nd to last lap. Otb at finish...

Good job. Did it fire you up to race some more?

Good job. Did it fire you up to race some more?

X1000. I had two main reasons for not racing before- Crappy old bike (not that it is any slower, just a mental block about it) and fear of being dropped. My now-fiancee took care of the first reason by buying me a surprise Madone 2 weeks ago, and riding (and hanging) with the guys who placed in the top 5 on a regular basis took care of my fear of being too slow. Those reasons are gone, and now I just wish I had more time to devote to crits, and especially to road races, which I think I'd enjoy even more.

X1000. I had two main reasons for not racing before- Crappy old bike (not that it is any slower, just a mental block about it) and fear of being dropped. My now-fiancee took care of the first reason by buying me a surprise Madone 2 weeks ago, and riding (and hanging) with the guys who placed in the top 5 on a regular basis took care of my fear of being too slow. Those reasons are gone, and now I just wish I had more time to devote to crits, and especially to road races, which I think I'd enjoy even more.
Welcome,
Let the madness begin...

About 50 yards to a 180 at the start of the race and got stuck behind the inevitable pileup. Pulled after 5 laps.

I actually "won." It was a M35+ 4/5 race, B field. I was way, way, way behind, but the first Cat5 over the line.

... the first Cat5 over the line.

That's all that matters : )

I actually "won." It was a M35+ 4/5 race, B field. I was way, way, way behind, but the first Cat5 over the line.

Upgrade points

Upgrade points

Sad part No. 1: I was on a one-day license and the upgrade coordinator refused to count it.
Sad part No. 2: I didn't even realize I'd "won" until I looked at the race results a year later.
Sad part No. 3: It's still my best ever placing.

Sad part No. 3: It's still my best ever placing.

Hard to do better than first. You could go a whole lifetime without beating that. :)

Hard to do better than first. You could go a whole lifetime without beating that. :)

You could get first with no one else in the photo...

You could get first after lapping the entire field minus 4 other riders, like the guy did in my race!

Good job on the race!

I finally build up the cojones to join my first race in a few weeks, I was no longer afraid of being dropped, or crashing, or anything. But then just last night I went out of town to meet with a coach of a team that is winning basically everything around my area and even winning nationally, and the coach told me it's probably not the best idea to race, because a lot of good people will be there and I might not do well......... D: I'm going anyway.

What? I am nowhere near a contender but for me each race I learn quite a bit. I'd do what you are doing and ignore that coach.

I actually "won." It was a M35+ 4/5 race, B field. I was way, way, way behind, but the first Cat5 over the line.

Wait, that counts? If the 4s and 5s aren't picked seperately?

Good job on the race!

I finally build up the cojones to join my first race in a few weeks, I was no longer afraid of being dropped, or crashing, or anything. But then just last night I went out of town to meet with a coach of a team that is winning basically everything around my area and even winning nationally, and the coach told me it's probably not the best idea to race, because a lot of good people will be there and I might not do well......... D: I'm going anyway.

That's a stupid reason not to race.

Wait, that counts? If the 4s and 5s aren't picked seperately?

As I recall, they weren't picked separately, it was only later when the results were posted to USAC, did I see a (1) next to my name. And that's why I put won in quotation marks.

Good job on the race!

I finally build up the cojones to join my first race in a few weeks, I was no longer afraid of being dropped, or crashing, or anything. But then just last night I went out of town to meet with a coach of a team that is winning basically everything around my area and even winning nationally, and the coach told me it's probably not the best idea to race, because a lot of good people will be there and I might not do well......... D: I'm going anyway.

I think your coach has it backwards.

Yes coach doesn't know what he's talking about. Told me to go for a ride with the team first to see where I'm at and if I'll be ready. Either way I'm going to that race, if I put it off any longer I'll doubt myself enough to get dropped on any ride.

I found some cool pics of me in the race yesterday, grabbing some brake as I take too sharp a line into the slowest corner. Try to ignore the fact that the person I'm passing is a 15 year old. Also, I heard hairy legs save some watts, so there you go. I'm seriously considering skipping my first class next Tuesday to do it again. I'm also on the far outside in the 2nd shot, probably as close as I ever got to the front of the race (there are maybe 3 riders out of the frame in the lead at this point).

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/526984_952747743749_1706323830_n.jpg
http://nickryan.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_7651.jpg

Good job. Did it fire you up to race some more?

Does crack make you want to smoke some more?

Does crack make you want to smoke some more?

yeah it's quite a pernicious blend of dopamine and gambling addiction... weeknight promoters should offer the first one free....

That looks like a fun course.

I Try to ignore the fact that the person I'm passing is a 15 year old.

Don't worry about that. I officiated at some youth races a few weeks ago. The 14 year-old winner of the girls' A race would have crushed the Cat 4 fields I race in. She is our national champion in her age group, but still... made me feel old and weak. The top 15 year-old boys make me feel even older, and weaker.

You did well.

Try hill climb races around here. Many of the juniors smoke the hell out of the older folks. Hence the reason we can race in age restricted categories. :p

15yo on my team just set a couple of records on the track, and beat the Kilo time of our Cat1 guy who was on the podium at masters nationals. He also won the state Cat4 championship. Ignore the age...

When you're a 45 year old Cat 3, you can get beaten by a teenager in the morning and then get beaten by his dad in the afternoon. ;)

I know a junior who will most likely get signed by a professional team soon..

I know a junior who will most likely get signed by a professional team soon..

Congrats?

Congrats, OP.

When you're a 45 year old Cat 3, you can get beaten by a teenager in the morning and then get beaten by his dad in the afternoon. ;)

^ this has actually happened to me, more than once.

I found some cool pics of me in the race yesterday

Flip it.