Road Bike Racing - Race speed?

I need some input from racers.

What are your race speeds on a flat? Hill? Crit or Stage race?

For example. I can climb between 4 and 11 mph depending on the gradient. My speed in the flats is between 18 and 28 mph.

I'd like to think I'm fast but have nothing or no one to compare it to.

Cannondale

cannondale,

Races vary of course, but the best way to find out if you're up to speed is to actually get in there and race in a race.

But, for an idea, I'd say a good-sized Cat. 5 field averages a great deal faster on the climbs than you mentioned. On the flats, your speed sounds pretty close to what a Cat. 5 field would ride. Along with your other question in the other thread, I would recommend a flat criterium, especially with the information you just shared.

velo

How much faster are the Cat 5 racers climbing uphill? I mean are their speeds more like 10-15 mph uphill? That's outright flying!

Cannondale

Well, the uphill speeds vary, of course. The gradient puts a big role into it. I'd say for a slight incline, there is not much of a slow down from flat cruising speed. For more than a slight incline, I'd say the pace slows down up to 4-8 mph. So, it would probably leave you on the higher end of 10-15 mph (or more...).

Yet again...flat crit...flat crit...;)

When I raced, back in the eighties criterium speeds varied between 45kph and 55kph and sprints closed in on 70kph. The last year that a world cup race was held here in Montreal I had the opportunity to hook-up with Italian sprinter Roberto Gaggioli while he scouted out the course. On the climbing section, Roberto held a steady 25kph for the first 3/4 of the climb while I spat up pieces of lung trying to hold his wheel. I was able to stay with him until he bid me ciao and then accelerated to 30kph for the final and steepest part of the course. From the bottom of the climb to the top, there is a gain of 112 meters in 1.8 kilometers. I hope this gives you an idea what to expect.
Cheers
:beer:

you simply must race to find out. Do some local group training rides for race-pace training.
Avg speed is going to tell you nothing about real racing. For example, if the speed on a climb is 15mph but you can't make that 60 meters when someone attacks and bumps it to 21mph, well your day is done.
Even on a flat course, you gotta go with the flow and be able to rock it when the pace picks up to 35mph.

Experience is the racer's best friend. As a racer, you will value the economy of effort for maximum results. You will never find those parameters unless you go out there and race.
So, I say, go enter a race. Any race and as many different types of races as you can and have some fun!

The issue in races isn't usually the average speed as it is repeated maximum speeds. If a race averages 25 mph, a fairly fit cyclist would have no problem. It is when the pace suddenly lifts to 35 or 40 mph that most riders start to struggle.

As far as hills go, I would say that it will depend on the hill. You're in Colorado, so your notion of hills and mine are two totally different things. Around here, we do mostly short but steep climbs in our crits. Even in our road races the longest climbs will be no more than a mile. Because of this, most of our best riders are power guys who can more or less sprint up any hill. However, if you are talking climbs of more than a mile, I would say that the pace would be around 15 mph depending on pitch. I did a race in Minnesota recently with a two mile climb and this was the pace for most of the climb.

My suggestion would be to find a good group ride, stay toward the back until you get the group dynamic down (riding in close proximity to other riders, pace lines, etc.) and see how you do there. Most of all, don't be shy to ask questions. Roadies can be snobs when it comes to new people, but if they detect that you want to learn the ropes, and you give them the impression that they look the part, they more often than not will open up. I know that most of the good training rides around here are usually harder than races, so if you can hang in a group, you should be fine.

I would recommend a mid week training race for you to enter so you can get a an idea of what speeds are like. Most larger cities have training races. Where ya at?

Oh... your in Boulder. You should have no problem finding a race during the week.

Good luck!