cody559

What's up guys? I'm considering doing a local crit. I have never raced and never watched a race in person (sad, I know). I picked up road biking this year. The main question is: what is the performance on this level like? How fast does the pack tend to be from your experience? Any other tips would be nice..thanks.

mfav7

euphoria

I haven't come across too many folks that are ready to race the same year they pick up cycling. Can you hang on with the fastest group ride in your area?

Grumpy McTrumpy

ever hear the term "crash fives"?

Thirstyman

Use proper English and grammer here please. 24-26 ave. mph.

DannoXYZ 

Search for "new racer" and you'll find the tonnes of threads about this. Your speed, specfically ave. speed, has nothing to do with how well you'll do in the cat-5 races. All these other factors weigh in more heavily than speed:

1. bike-handling skills

2. drafting-skills (holding your line in the corners, maintaining close-distance, maintaining steady-speed)

3. crash-avoidance skills (observation & reflexes, bunny-hopping height, etc.)

4. ability to read the other riders

5. ability to formulate winning tactics for that particular course and combination of riders

6. i.e. "racing smart", learning the grand chessmaster strategies and applying them appropriately.you'll

cody559

yea it is a very short time frame. no i cant

cody559

Sorry....and thanks

cody559

danno thanks for that info

DanielS

There is a thread at the top of the racing forum you should read: https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bike-racing/380788-new-racing-here-s-tip-two.html

queerpunk

if you have a hard time keeping with surges around 32+ mph, you'll have a hard time with the speed aspect of a crit.

but as others have pointed out, even if you can keep with the race, there are a lot of other skills you'd need in order to do well, safely.

Mtn Mike

You'll be fine. Ride a lot and try to hook up with a group of riders that race, even if you're not ready to join a Team. There's much better ways to learn about racing than on an internet forum.

waterrockets 

Make sure you're comfortable with the closeness in a fast group. If you are, just sign up and do it. Make sure you understand how the lap card and bell lap will be indicated (so you know when it's going to end).

Many people find crits easier than road races, so don't let the speed scare you.

Duke of Kent

Sorry, but that's not the case at all.

I'd say people not being ready to race within a year are the exception, not the rule.

And besides, he doesn't need to hang with the fastest group ride in the area. He needs to be able to hang with other Category 5 racers, not suck wheel behind domestic professionals, nor trade pulls with the Cat1/2 crowd.

ElJamoquio

Yes.

MJH2

I just finished a year in Cat5. This is the best advice on here. If you're comfortable in a group, do it.

Some of the races are fast and nasty, some are slow until the end. The best way to know how you measure up is to do it. Cat5 races tend to break up pretty quick. So, if you don't have the fitness, you'll be rolling around solo like 2/3rds of the rest of the pack.

cat4ever

Superb.

cslone

You first.

dmb2786

in my limited experience, this doesn't happen much in cat 5.

botto 

how's the country life treating you?

Creakyknees

I love bikeforums.

Pass the popcorn?

MONGO!

Chances are it will be faster than you think but if you have a decent base level of fitness you'll be fine.

Cat 5 races tend to be "jumpy" people will accelerate for no real reason, surging the pace up to 30mph for a spell,
When it happens, just try to hang on, they'll slow down eventually and you'll have some time to recover.

Stay in the pack, out of the wind and don't overlap the wheel in front of you.
Going through a fast corner, keep your outside pedal down and put your weight on it to counter-balance the lean.

If it's your first race just concentrate on not getting dropped, no point saving anything for the finish if you're not going to be there.
If you get gapped, go like hell to get back on, you can sit in the pack and catch your breath for a few seconds when you do.

queerpunk

well, i'm still a cat 5 - focused this past season on track racing - but in each road race i've done, including two crits, there has been time up above 30mph.

nitropowered

just go and race. you'll learn from experience. Asking questions on an internet forum isn't going to make you a better bike racer

bassic wilson

As others said, go do it! You'll learn alot from it and be better next time. The biggest pointer I could offer is to suck wheel close to the front, and hope you have some sort of position and fitness going for you at the final sprint. If you stay in the pack but in say 7th or 10th place (guessing on this pos.), you'll suffer from the accordion effect. Basicly, as you go through a curve, someone in front of you will slow down a little for some reason. If you repeat this process over many laps or curves, you'll excert alot of energy getting back to the front people, or perhaps not get back at all.
Just go and try it. Maybe you can enter a citizen class race with no license. Someone else once said, just pick out the fattest, oldest guy in the field and hope to beat that one guy. I just hope I'm not the guy that is in your sights.