"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Crit prep...

Alright here we go...

I am still considering Ontario this weekend, but more likely Long Beach in a few weeks as my first criterium. I am really waiting until I feel that I am ready and I have had a chance to see a few crits...

Anyway what is the best way to get ready for a race the week of the race. Do you train normal until the weekend or slow it down? What are teh ways that allow you to peak for race day?

I found a nice 1 mile loop right by my house that I am going to use for speed work and cornering. I am concerned thought that if I run the course a few days before the race that I will mess myself up.

So what do you do right before a race like this (and I do not mean race day but before)?

I don't have any advice to preparing you for your first race, but I can say that you will never really feel ready. My experience comes from racing motocross years ago and I can say from first hand experience that your first race will be a HUGE learning experience. YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES and hopefully you WILL learn from them! You’re not preparing for the Tour, just go and do it. There is nothing like getting out there to see for yourself what kind of training you'll need in the future. Hey most people back east can’t even ride their bikes yet and you have a chance to get a big jump on the race season even out here.

Besides I think I’m going to take my daughter to the race and check it out for myself. I’m not thinking of racing but it looks like something my daughter and I will both get a kick out of watching. I’ll bring my mini DV and the whole forum can watch your first attempt…just kidding, I wouldn’t do that to you.

Just do it!

In simple terms, Tuesday is usually the hardest training day of the week.
Wednesday can be used for specialty training: corners, intervals, etc.
Thursday can be a moderate-to-hard effort, but nothing gut-wrenching.
Friday is easy spin.

The older I get, the more recovery time I need. So now I take it easy on Thursday and Friday (wiping away a tear)

Seriously, you should go out onto your 1-mile loop and work on INTERVALS. The Crit is made up of one interval after the next.
Ride fast. Slam on the brakes. Sprint. Slam on the brakes. Sprint. Slam on the brakes. ad infinitum.

That's an oversimplification, but you'll thank me.

Also, if you can motorpace behind a motorcycle, that would really help.
But I wouldn't do it on Friday. In fact, I wouldn't do much of anything on Friday.

Thank You guys, '

Most crits around here are on Sunday, so Saturday would be the day off...

Thanks for the advice. This little loop is perfect for intervals, it has a 500 meter section with 2 sharp fast corners then a nice long part to recover. I will work on intervals there and see how it goes...

Of course it has to rain today... AHHH!

I used to make sure my medical insurance was paid up.

Good point Laggard!

I am concerned thought that if I run the course a few days before the race that I will mess myself up.
Do you mean the actual race course? If so I would definitely run through that as many times as you can and get a home field atvantage. I usually use Wed. as my peak hard training day and taper off to Friday and either take Sat. off or just spin down to the coffee shop or something. The day of the race it's very important to warm up for a crit, at least five miles with some sprints is what I do befor rolling up to the start line.

For the local crits, yes, for far away routes I would use the areas around my place for practice (very close simulation to actual routes. For something like ontario that I live 7 miles from I would just ride out there, run the course and come back.


used to make sure my medical insurance was paid up.

Thanks... plus I better not let the PD that I am applying too know that I am racing like this... I get hurt and I am screwed... (one of the reason that I am a little reluctant this season about crits), my career may depend on staying healthy this year...

The first thing is to quit worrying about it. If you have never been in a crit, just go do it for the fun and the experience. Be careful though, you may get hooked! After you have done a few you will get a feel for what works best for you. I usually ride real hard the weekend before, off Monday, hard Tuesday, off Wednesday, easy Thursday, off Friday, etc.

I want to be ready to go, the worst thing for me is to cut it quits early of my own accord. Today I went and "raced" the course the the crit this weekend was on. Alone I averaged 23.5 MPH in the seven turn course. Ofcourse the roads were wet and it was raining. My problem was after about 35 minutes of going all out my body says enough is enough. I need to work on more intervals to get the extra 10 minutes...

and work on my right turns...

EDIT just incause you are wondering these are the races that I am GOING to do in the next few months

1. Ride it like you stole it criterium (rancho domingiz, cat 5, 30 minutes) March 3
2. Redlands Classic (Redlands) cat 5, 30 minutes April 3

After that we will see what happens, I may do the easter criterium in Ontario depending on how the first crit goes...

I've always found I ride criteriums better if I've had a good long training ride with some effort the day before but that's me.

A lot of crits go hard from the gun so make sure you've gotten a real good warm-up in prior to the start. I like to have at least an hour ride in with a few hard efforts prior to lining up at the start. If I don't, I suffer bad for the first 20 or so minutes.

do you have any riding buddies that you ride with a lot and are fairly comfortable riding with?

you should try riding the course in a double paceline, becuase, beleive me, cornering with someone next to you is just about the scariest thing I have ever done, ever. on the inside, you get the feeling that the outside guy wont move out enough for you to swing wide after the turn, and as the outside guy, you think that the inside guy is gonna hit you...whew. its pretty wild, and something that you should probably get used to. damn...was that one sentence? anyway...

I just discovered that. I just went out and did 6x3 "crit" anarobic intervals with 2 very fast corners. I pushed to 24 MPH before the first corner, took it at speed and then sprinted until the next corner, hitting about 21 MPH there. (1 min between intervals, 5 between sets). I leaned so far it seemed like I was pushing to the outside in the corner.

I ride with a group that rides in double pacelines all the time, but more than 2 feet apart. I have no problems with that. I trust others, it is myself that I do not trust... I would have a hard time dealing with causing a major accident.

Intervals really told me something about my readiness for the first criterium. Of course these are some of the hardest intervals I have done. Humbling as I can run with a paceline at 30 MPH,,, sigh!

If you can stay in a paceline on flat ground, no wind, for a good distance, and you are taking your pulls at the front at 30 mph - you will do fine in a cat5 crit.