normalnorm

I am a clydesdale(215-225lbs) that would like to try a road race. I do pretty good on the local club rides, but i know racing is a whole different game...Any other clydesdales out there that race competively?

Tom Stormcrowe

Yeppers, I do endurance though. I have done some crits and TT's as well. I don't care if I win, I'm just in it for the adrenaline anyway!

Tom Stormcrowe

One distinct advantage we have, the skinny little greyhound riders aren't quite as eager to get the bumping and elbow game going with us in a pack. The other thing is that we are bullets on a downhill. Go for it, from the viewpoint initially of just not getting dropped by the pack and you'll be amazed as to how strong you'll be in comparison to the greyhounds, especially as you burn down in weight!

otb4evr

I am 40, 6' 1", 220 - 225 lbs and a very competitive Cat 3 racer. I was actually first in the ABR time trial series and 2nd in the Rider of the Year this past season for the Cat 3 category.

I actually dipped under the :59 minute range for a 40k TT twice this year and under 1:00 an additional 2 times. It did take ~365 watts to get there for me, though.

One thing that you have to understand is that most smaller people will not be able to generate the power to overcome the power/aerodynamic relationship that is so important for Time Trials.

It is only because of the high functional threshold that I have that I am able to be competitive in mass start races.

Work on building that 1 hour power and bring in some good anaerobic work closer to your season and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish...

Jim

mkadam68

me now: 6'4", 280 lbs.
me then (racing): 6'4", 250 lbs.

I used to race from 1992--1997 and am possibly eyeing a "comeback" maybe later this year. It is a whole other ball game...you're right.

As for tips/advice...whole books have been written on this. But for clydesdales...?

For us clydes, our weight/size is both a help and hindrance. Help on the downhills and flats (with groups). Hinder on climbs or when solo (wind).

During club rides, if you can stay with a group on flat roads doing 25mph for an extended period (say 20-30 minutes or more) with little trouble, you should have no problem racing. When riding solo, you should be able to do 10-miles (hilly or flat) around 25 minutes.

Psychologically, be prepared: almost everyone gets dropped from the leading group in their first race, clydesdale or not. Don't let this discourage you. You'll learn from it and get better for next time.

I would recommend starting with road races and/or time trials. Stay away from criteriums unless you're particularly fast with a high cadence. Also, you might want to find a flat race for your first one.

Before that, though, make sure you're training well. Speed is the name of the game. Try to find a local race club as opposed to a recreational club. Ride with both: rec club for distance and base miles, race club for speed and power.

Make sure you can also orchestrate/direct an effective paceline. One of the peculiarities of racing at lower levels is that the beginner racers don't work well together. If you do get dropped, you can organize a group to help get back to the leaders. If you're not dropped, you can organize the group to escape from everyone else.

There's lots more if you'd like. But, good luck, God bless.

CliftonGK1

Way back when, I raced triathlons. They had just introduced the Clydesdale category to most of the tri's that I did, and it was separate from the age divisions so we were all just sort of lumped in as "the fat guys that still insist on racing." Separate start wave and everything.
It was nice to start at the back of the pack and get the ego/energy boost from passing the slower age division racers, and at the same time not have the 20 and 30 something pro-class racers there to drop me (and my ego) like a brick.