head_wind

I've read many posts saying "I don't race" or "I don't go fast" etc. and I am trying to avoid being critical. When I left for today's ride my wife asked "Why don't you take it easy today?" Well, I thought that I'd try.

This week I decided that I will try to race some time trials come spring. I understand that this winter I will have to work on developing my base to build upon as race time approaches. Well that takes discipline. That involves doing something like putting on miles without exceeding e.g. 60% of ones lactic threshold.

Well, how do you guys do it?? If there is a bike in front of you what do you do to not pass it?? Where do you find that inner strength. I wonder if I am just too weak for this racing stuff??

Baggsy

Where you gonna trial Head? I might be up for some next year too...

Big Paulie

Not passing bikes ahead of me has never been much of a challenge!!!

But seriously, I've read where pro racers train either at 85% or higher, or under 60%. Nothing in between. So there is a lot of discipine to racing.

Grampy™

Who says I won't try to pass? I love chasin' a "rabbit".

stonecrd

I always chase but I also don't want to blow up my ride by trying to chase someone who is clearly too fast for me catch. If I pass someone I want to be strong enough to keep up my pace. The real question is, when someone passes you do you chase em or do you stay at pace? I tend to let them pass and stay at pace, if they caught me I figure they had to be riding harder than I am and I am generally riding as hard as I can. Now if its a group I may jump on the back to catch the draft.

head_wind

stonecrd:
"The real question is, when someone passes you do you chase em or do you stay at pace?"
Well, I am always wearing my mirror on my glasses and if they catch me they _will_ pass me.

Baggsy:
"Where you gonna trial Head? I might be up for some next year too..." Apparently there are
plenty of 10 mi. races in the front range. I'll try to find a URL for this year's races.

Big Paulie
"I've read where pro racers train either at 85% or higher, or under 60%. Nothing in between. So there is a lot of discipine to racing." Yup. this'll be a contest of geezer power vs. reality.


hey, thanx,,,,

Little Darwin

I have never raced, but I would say that as long as you are not on a ride with a programmed agenda (i.e. intervals or recovery) then go ahead and chase down someone to get your competitive juices flowing... If it helps you to maintain a high level of effort for longer than you would without the motivation, then use it.

You could even squeeze it in with intervals... "Try to pass the rider within 60 seconds" (or whatever your interval training mandates as a time period). You may find yourself giving true 100% effort instead of almost 100%.

However, if you are on a ride with a specific purpose, do be disciplined to stick to that focus...

bkaapcke

The source of that inner strength is outlined in "The Message of a Master" by Macdonald. You can order it at B&N. In general, relax, smell the coffee. bk

cyclintom

How do we find the "will" to not be idiots? Damned if I know.

mollusk

I do not worry about what other riders do and ride my own ride. 95% of the time when I go out for a solo ride I have a specific plan for the ride and I follow that plan. The fact that there might be other riders out there to "catch" never alters my ride anymore. A year ago that wasn't true. Back then I rode a really old bike without any significant pedigree and in a certain sense I rode with a chip on my shoulder. Back then I made a point of riding young guys on really fancy bikes (say like a recent vintage Colnago, for example) off my wheel if they were trying to draft me. Now I am a MUCH stronger rider and (FINALLY after all these years) a much more mature rider. Now if in the process of my ride I happen to see a rider ahead and I catch them while doing my own ride that is fine, but I don't make a big deal about it and I don't put in any extra effort to do it. If I don't catch them or get passed, it isn't any big deal either. Too often I find riders on the road trying to make every encounter into a race. I find that very adolescent. There is a lot of road out there and it should be big enough to accomodate everyone.

cyclezen

+1

WORD!
and I'm not gonna let some extraneous thing influence my ride, except ocassionally. And being weak, I have been known to ocassionally chase wabbits.
It definitely helps to have a regular outlet for that competitive streak, either racing or just a local hammerfest. I do at least one of that type every week and more often 2 or 3. Plenty happy to let anyone blow by me on those off days.
recovery ride is just another term for survival mode

trackhub

I really don't care if a few racing studs pass me while going up the Commonwealth hills or not. I simply figure that I was riding since before they were born, and I'll still be riding after they've long settled into the life of SUV driving suburban dads.

Now, if I spot an attractive brunette on a bike, I will do my darndest to catch up. And if she has a visible tattoo on her back, I hammer the pedals even harder. I figure that if she went to all that trouble to have that put there, the very least I can do is admire it up closely. And that is where I get the inner strength. See?

head_wind

Here is this years schedule for the "greenie" state. Anything close enough to you??
https://www.americancycling.org/racin.../colo-page.htm

head_wind

When I leave my elaborate plan generally is to burn calories. That is as articulate as it often is. Measuring lactic threshold has to come up soon though. Sunday it happened to include some time in dirt without falling down on the cross bike. Sometimes I'm up for danger and go on a club ride. Lately they scare me too much.

head_wind

Truth be known, this is where I get confused between inner and outer strength. Remaining confused can be OK too, thank you!!