Will I lose my first cat 5 of the season
 

Two summers ago and went out on a limb and toured the Camino de Santiago, 700 miles, in Spain with my brother on a Trek 520. With the training involved and the trip itself I fell in love with road cycling.

Last summer I didn't get to bike very much, but at the very end of the season I decided to try my first Cat 5 race on my Trek 520 (literally around ~40 lbs). I only did four training days, 1 hour each day. Out of 13 I placed 6th. I loved it though!

As a background into my fitness. I a big year round soccer player so to stay in shape for that I run 5 miles at 6:30 mile pace three times a week, as well as my 1-2 soccer games a week. I'm also a gym freak so I hit the weights too. I can squat 225 lbs for three sets of 20 reps, which I think is very good. I also did a lot of eliptical machine and at one point I could keep up 260 watts for 35 minutes, but I know this is not the same as biking. My mhr is 190 and I can keep up 175 for 35 minutes when I'm running. I'm 5'10 and 162 lbs.

This winter, I'm lucking to have a decent job, I splurged on a Cervelo R3 2007. I got to ride it twice so far and I've also done four 1/2 sessions on an indoor bike in the last two weeks.

I signed up for a cat 5 crit this weekend. Given my current fitness level, do you think I'm way too undertrained to even keep up? I'm not expecting to win, but do you think I'll be dropped?

If you ain't first, you're last. Shake 'n Bake.

Umm...

I think you'll find that the other training you've been doing doesn't translate very directly to cycling/racing fitness. Too many variables (length of race, who the other riders are, etc.) to know if you'll be able to hang. Good luck, though. Let us know how it goes.

only one way to find out. be sure to report back!

If you have to ask...

Why does it matter? Pin your number on and you'll find out soon enough.

As long as you don't crash I am sure that you will beat people who did very little training of any sort. Though it is true that there is only one way to know for sure.

There is a reason there is Cat5. Go out and have fun. As long as you don't hurt yourself or someone else, you did fine.

That's the thing about bike racing. I guess there are always guys to prove me wrong, but you don't line up unless you've put in some miles.

Even at the cat5 level, it's taken pretty seriously -- cue merlinextralight and the triathletes

Prediction: You will lose horribly or you'll go off the front and lap the field solo. Strong runners do very well in lower categories because they are physically well beyond their "peers". When you get to the 3's in 1 season, be prepared for a rude awakening.

And as the others have said, just pin on a number and go have fun.

Sorry, but I was much faster than that, and that ain't true.

Takes a lot of work on the bike to approach the fitness levels to lap any field solo.

Well does soccer have to do with cycling?

?

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/200...id_beckham.jpg

That should have been 'what.'

endurance.

First off, just relax and enjoy it. If you get all pent up about winning or doing good enough for people to respect you, then you're only adding another stressor.

The less stressors you have before and during the race, the better. For you and everyone else in the field.

Yes, cycling would be good training for soccer.

I keep losing cat 5s. Cat 4s and some 3s also. they're mis-placed all over the DC area. I dont really care if I find them though.

I don't know, dude. Are you being glib? Good soccer takes good running, and running is hard. I suck at it and hate doing it. But everybody I know who has ever been committed to running has said that running fitness crosses over to cycling more so than anything else.

XC skiing is about the only thing that actually maps over to cycling. Running and cycling have little to nothing in common.

I have a friend that was a professional skier (not sure how recently); did very well in his cat 5 races (road races anyway), winning a few and some second places (to a guy that was apparently an ex-pro from Mexico, ha!), and did ok in his first cat 4 races over the weekend.

Those guys are the pinnacle of hardcore athletes.

Edit: speed skating uses the same muscle groups, but most of the races are too short, and really how many folks speed skate?

in holland they have marathon skating, with teams, tactics, and drafting. there's plenty of guys who do both.

by the way, don't forget eric heiden.