230 and Want to Race...
 

I decided to sign up for my first road race; it's in two weeks. I have no idea how fast they go, what the average Category 5 rider is like, or how ready I am for it. I know I want to do more competitive things on my bicycle, so a race seems like the right thing to do.

I weigh about 230, have been riding since May of 07, have ridden about 2k since then, and have always been pretty athletic (lacrosse in high school, rugby in college, and I've played club lacrosse for the past 4 years since graduating). I average about 18 mph on my solo, 30 mile rides, and can hang with a paceline at 24mph for about an hour (sans any major pulling). Am I being stupid by trying to race, or will I do alright? Like I said, I want to compete, I've always been competitive, and getting dropped is perfectly alright for me (more motivation, in fact). I just want to make sure I'm not doing something completely unreasonable and get strange looks when I get to the starting line.

Who cares if you get strange looks? :eek: I say go for it and just have fun! If you come in first or last, at first it won't matter since road racing is really about strategy and tactics rather than a complete hammerfest. ;) It'll take you some time to learn the ins and outs of the sport, anyway. ;)

Have fun and kick some arse!

Good luck! Noob question: Category 5? That's a strong hurricane -- how does it relate to racing?

It's exactly opposite to hurricanes, Cat 5 is the entry level.

Then I am a tropical storm. Definitely Category 5 racer.

Thanks for the support y'all, I'll let you know how it goes in 2 weeks!

There are a few racers amongst us here. (Not me btw) You can expect to get drilled in your first races, that happens to everyone, no matter size and condition. It'll give you an idea of where you need to be though and you can come up with a training plan to get you there. It'll also get you used to pack riding.

At your weight, you probably won't have much success in courses that involve hills (just being honest) but on flat crit courses, people your size and bigger are certainly competitive.

Most of all, go out and have fun!

Good luck and look forward to reading your reports

Good luck on your race man! One thing for sure is if you keep competing and training, you will get faster!!

Also, keep your wits about you in the pack......

Cat5 has more crashes for a reason.....most are newbies to the sport. Hey ya gotta start somewhere, though, not a knock against Newbies ;) Push and try to upgrade to Cat4 ASAP.

I raced Cat 5 last season, I'll be a 4 this year. I didn't do any road races though, only crits. I do have a few road races coming up in about 5 weeks. From what my team mates tell me, road races are boring compared to crits. If there are any hills, watch for a seperation to happen there. Also, try and stay off the front to much, go ahead and take your 30 sec. pull, but that's it. When approaching a climb, try and move to the front, then as the skinny guys start coming around you, grab a wheel and don't let go. No one will attach when it's easy, but when it's hard then the pace will pick up. Just stay on no matter what, the pace will come down sooner or later. And remember, when your hurting, they're hurting too.

Have fun
Shayne

Try and read up about riding in a pack in a race. It's quite different, and might help you avoid some of the road rash. I suggest asking around about the best bandages for road rash as well. They have some amazing stuff you can get now.