h2o_polo_boi

i've been riding for a little over a year now and am pretty comfortable on the bike. i've been thinking about racing for quite some time but wasn't sure about the commitment involved. how much should i expect to be spending on racing? from my impression so far, it seems very expensive (esp with crashes). not sure a 20 yo college student can afford for very long. and because of my age, i have a feeling i'm going to be dropped by everybody in a cat 5 and be traumatized for life haha. my bike is middle-end if that's of any help. it's aluminum with carbon fork, 105 components, 20 lbs, and a triple with crankbrother eggbeater pedals

also, once into racing, how much time do you guys spend training per week?

DanielS

You can give it a go without any commitment. Just show up to a race of some description and give it a shot. You'll know pretty quick whether its something you like doing and whether you are ready or not. Who cares if you get dropped. You'll just know then that you have to train harder. Your bike is fine. Don't get hung up on it.

I would strongly suggest doing some fast-ish group rides before you race, if you are not already doing so.

zzzwillzzz

have you done any group rides? that will give you a good indication of what it can be like. don't worry about the bike it'll do and don't worry (too much) about crashing.

yes you will be dropped and traumatized, but so have the rest of us. it a rite of passage. the sooner you get over it the better.

someone less lazy than i will post botto's plan for racing soon. read it, follow it live it.

the more you actually train and the less you just ride around the less time you will need. one bf member only does about 6 hours a week. i don't have any real training plan and typically ride 200-250 miles a week and try not to drive my car so i commute by bike to work and to training rides. this give me more miles but less good training

Edonis13

where in nor-cal are you? im a 21 year old college student and plan on getting my feet wet with some cat 5 races this year after i start hitting up the group rides per botto's "program".

h2o_polo_boi

in the east bay of SF by Hayward and Fremont. I've done some group rides that cultivated my joy for cycling because i felt like it was something i was pretty good at. in all the other sports i've done, i've been known only as the sprinter but on the bike, i feel like i can go on forever. on fast group rides i can pretty much dish out a good speed, usually dropping people on the climbs. it's towards the end that i am reminded of my sprinting days. tired and wasted...and that's when i get dropped. But seeing how crits are short, i think there might be some potential for improvement and enjoyment. where do i get more info about that? do i have to join a team and pay dues and fees?

Edonis13

the guys on here will be able to give you all the details. but from what ive read, you can buy a 1 day license and race, no need to be part of a team. theres a few schedules of races ive seen and it looks like there are plenty of races in norcal.

Apus^2

Find a local race (usacycling.org will have a lot, if not all, listed), check on the flyer that 1 day license are available and that day of registration is possible, then get out there and do it. Make sure, if it is a crit, that you warm up for about as long as the crit will be and be ready to go from the gun. Enjoy. It will blow your mind and you will be begging for more. Depending on your innate ability you may or may not get dropped. And if you find yourself having trouble, make sure you are in your drops.

I remember my first crit I was in my hoods for half the race, cramping up, letting gaps form (4/5 race). Halfway through I saw another person in the drops and thought maybe I should try that and bam! No more cramps, no more gaps, and had a pack finish for my first crit.

Apus^2

No, you can ride unattached.

Just keep searching out harder and harder group rides. If you want to race, IMO, you should eventually search out the rides that the racers do. If you plan on only doing crits, search for the shorter, higher intensity rides. When you get to the point where one group ride becomes "easy", try and move to the next level up. Don't be intimidated.

Who cares what your bike is right now. I have 2000 aluminum caad3 triple with mostly 105 parts and I won several races on it and it was good enough to get me all the way to cat 3 (and is good enough for cat 3, regardless).

Initially you will spend more time riding. As you become familiar with the sport/training, you will find out that you can spend less time on the bike and get better workouts. You will become familiar with intervals (beautiful, nauseating pain), rest days, going slower to go faster, etc.

I spend about 8-12 hours a week on the bike (my wife keeps track of it ). As for how much money? Entry fee is about $30 or so a race, so you do the math. Add gas, food, and lodging if you go too far away.

The most important thing is to have fun. If you race race race and don't have fun, you will probably only do it for a year or so. Also a great way to meet people. Try to get to know some of the racers out there. They will give you tips.

And have fun.

Duke of Kent

Do not make the mistake of thinking short means easy.

Any course, whether it be a RR, crit or circuit, can be made hard by the conditions and competitors you face. A pan-flat crit can be as hard or harder than a 60mi RR with thousands of feet of climbing.

edzo

just go to a race and enter. there is no 'deciding if you are ready'.
you can sit around and watch your life go by 'deciding if you are ready'

just do it. repeat.

Phantoj

In my experience (in the Seattle area), weeknight "training" races are cheaper to get into than the bigger weekend events.

ericm979

There's a good series of teaching races going on right now in fremont: the early bird series.
https://ncnca.org/road/

You can show up, get a one-day license and ride. There's instruction. There's a "meet the teams" day the 27th.

I spend 8-16 hours a week training, but I am interested in longer events and I like training.

DrWJODonnell

Go race. Ready you are.

Brian Ratliff

Go to your bike shop and ask if they know of any local races. Most places will have a weekly weekday crit of some sort. Enter that as an unattached Cat 5 and pay for a one day license. You will likely get your ass handed to you. Being as crits are short, they are fast and if the speed doesn't kill you, the accelerations will.

My first two races I ever did were of this format. I was living in Seattle at the time and there is a crit that runs around Stewart Park that features a 1km circuit with a quite nasty hill right near the finish. I thought I was in decent shape. The first race I got caught behind a crash and was dropped (I was headed there anyway, crash or no crash). I got lapped, pulled off and watched the finish. I was actually riding to the park from the U district (where UW is) just for fun when I met a guy with a number on - he got me to sign up and this fellow was the one who won the race. The second time I raced there, I got lapped but I didn't pull off (I should have). I made a stupid move and tried to pass someone next to a curb, got pinned against said curb, and crashed. I broke a cleat and killed both tires with that.

Now, it's a couple years later and I've got the racing bug again. I did 3 races at the local crit in Portland and was fit enough to do okay.

The first I got a second place finish - I learned what the pain of chasing at 30-35mph for half a lap feels like.

The second a fourth place - I learned that you cannot do a breakaway finish into the teeth of a headwind. I came out of the final corner attacking; everyone shouted that I was attacking and as I rounded the corner, the headwind was like hitting a brick wall. Two bridged up and one took it by a bike length and another tweaked me at the line. The guy who finished third ahead of me actually crossed the line in fourth but had points from the prime to pass me on points.

The third (which I was DQ'ed because they couldn't read my number at the finish line) I took the prime but got 8th place at the finish. That last one I learned about what happens when you lose your line around the final corner. I lost the line, swung waaayyyy outside, and as the pack was accelerating out of the curve, I couldn't accelerate with them to contest the finish. Live and learn, I guess. I think I actually crossed the line in 10th place but had points from winning the prime to move into 8th, had they read my number correctly, that is.

kudude

https://www.velopromo.com/ebcr-ent.htm

These were pointed out above, and are in your backyard. GO TO THEM. Just try one, it's cheap and there is instruction. If you don't like it, you're not out much money but you may find it's the only thing you think about all week until the next one.

RHOsbrink

Early Bird Series (Velo Promo on NCNCA.org as posted earlier) would be perfect for you. They have cat 5 races for riders with less than 5 race experiences-- instruction time prior etc etc as already posted--- get your rear end out there-- you won't regret it and it is in your backyard.

within

First off, at your age and one year on the bike, I'd say you're ready to try any type of race. Regarding your question about commitment, I would look at it from the perspective of how much time do you think you can spend on the bike per week. Just a WAG, but if you can afford to train 10-15 hours/wk I bet you can make cat 2. That's being very liberal with assumptions on my part, but I've seen it happen with guys younger and older than you. If you can train 5-10 hours/wk, cat 3.

There are so many variables like genes, mind set, quality and depth of riders in your area, support from a team that make it impossible to say for sure how far someone can go.

Last thing, your bike won't be the factor that will hold you back. Race and train a while and you'll figure out what equipment works best for you. Getting some advise on how to train would be a wise investment considering your commitment with school.

Let us know how the first race goes!

h2o_polo_boi

so wait there are other races other than crits only in America? i heard they were tough but mostly geared toward sprinters who have acceleration and power. i thought road races were only popular in Europe. it seems like the races people talk about are either crits or track races. ive never heard of a road race. i would like to try an event that has climbs since i think it may be one of my strengths.

DrWJODonnell

Quick response. I will divide cycling into road and track (you have mentioned) but also Mountain, Cyclocross, and BMX (though I have never seen a bmx race).

Road has three main disciplines - Road Racing, Time Trialing, and ummm...Criterium-ing There are stage races (called either a stage race or an omnium) that incorporate more than one of these disciplines. You will be able to find many events in all three types, though, due to the smallish nature of the course, crits might be the easiest to find.

recursive

There are all of the above. Plus cyclocross, mountain bike, bmx, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

One way you can be sure you're not ready to race is that you haven't signed up for any yet. Once you do that though, there's a good chance you're ready to race.

Edit: Bah, I was beaten by a better response.

NoRacer

You may want to give this website a read:

https://www.usacycling.org/

and it wouldn't hurt to look at the rules governing these races (i.e., you wouldn't want to show up in a CSC kit and not be able to ride):

https://usacdf.org/news/user/story.php?id=369

Cypress

It comes with directions if you didn't know how to use it.

patentcad

You'll know when you get to the finish line of your first race with the field, not several minutes behind it.

BigSean

Search early bird crits. They are held in Fremont and include tutoring. Great way to get yer feet wet.

Duke of Kent

A good portion of crits in the USA are won by breakaways...which favor staying power. In that situation, it's not necessarily who is the best sprinter, but who is the smartest, and who has the most left in the tank.

Some do come down to field sprints, though. In which case yes, a sprinter with a good jump, provided he's in the right spot, will do well.

Around here (Chicago-ish) I'd say the Crit to RR ratio is 3:1. And we have pretty poor terrain for RRs. Lots of nice suburban downtown areas for crits, however.