Smallguy

last weekend the on the 16th was my first road race ever and I took 2nd in my cat ....which is D so basically 5.... our governing body decided to go with ability based categories based on average speed and distance instead of the traditional Cats.

I was pleased with my result but we lined up with the juniors and I made the mistake of letting an older masters rider in my Cat get away and couldn't reel him back in with the strong winds and having no one to work with

this weekend I had a mechanical in my mtb race and was forced to DNF even though I felt very strong in the first 2 laps and still had plenty in the tank to hammer out the last lap and hopefully pick off a few racers who had bonked

in the first race I averaged 163 bpm for 1hour 20 mins and this weekend I was at 171 bpm average for 1 hour 6 mins

now on the 30th I am going to try my hand at a crit which is 30 mins + 2 laps for my cat. The course is pretty flat a few false flats but nothing serious... nothing overly technical either

based on my last 2 races I'm not sure what kind of plan to come up with.... I won't have a team to work with and team tactics generally don't come in to play in my cat since no one really has a large club with newbies so it's every man or women for them self

I was thinking that since I should be able to hold it I'd just go out and not let anyone break away for the first few laps then get into my zone 5 and try and hold on for the win since I don't really want to be cornering too close to people I'll try to stay well ahead and be off the front.

in a race this short is there really a bad time to make your move and try to hold on ?

I think my previous results show I'm able to hold and high zone 3 and high zone 4 hr for an extended time so is my strategy sound ?

waterrockets 

The zones are defined by how long you can hold them. Everyone can hold threshold power for the same length of time

You just need more experience. Note the guy who got away and don't let him do it again. Lurk around here and learn. Ask specific questions. Pay attention to your race limiters and deal with them.

Be prepared for sprint finishes. Most of the lower category races end in sprints. The successful break is a rarity, but sometimes there's a guy just starting out who is really really strong and will get away from the 5s until he upgrades.

waterrockets 

The zones are defined by how long you can hold them. Everyone can hold threshold power for the same length of time

You just need more experience. Note the guy who got away and don't let him do it again. Lurk around here and learn. Ask specific questions. Pay attention to your race limiters and deal with them.

Be prepared for sprint finishes. Most of the lower category races end in sprints. The successful break is a rarity, but sometimes there's a guy just starting out who is really really strong and will get away from the 5s until he upgrades.

johnybutts

It sounds like your plan is just to ride away from the field. If you're super strong, maybe this will work, but don't underestimate the willpower of Cat5s to chase down anything and everything. A 30 minute race will turn into an eternity if you're suffering OTF.

One of the most important thing will be to get out of sight quickly. So whatever part of the course will allow you to do that, that's where you want to make your move. They will stop chasing hard if they can't see you. Your move should also be an all-out attack, get as much distance from the group as you can. Then you'll have to maintain.

I would not worry at all about your HR zones during the race. it will be really hard to decipher anything from HR (for instance, my HR runs ~10-15 bpm higher in a race than in training for the same exertion).

You really should practice some cornering with a group before your race. As always, stick near the front, avoid crashes, etc, etc...

Grumpy McTrumpy

HR is pretty meaningless in a crit. I've averaged well over 180bpm for entire crits where my power average was 40 watts below threshold. threshold is 178bpm.

MDcatV

hi - good questions. read the sticky for 1st time racers and apply it to your situation.

bdcheung

Also read the sticky on the BF Workout Recipe Book

echappist

except it'll take them a few minutes to figure out how to chase down a break, and then it's often too disorganized to get anything going as no one will be willing to pull. use that to your advantage. if i were you, i'd surge on the third to last or the penultimate lap on the false flat and see who comes with you. if you can, work with your break mates to gap the field, although they may just want to wheel-suck.

Enthalpic

Of course everyone can hold 60min power for 60min... but that's not the only way to define threshold or prescribe zones.

You can set zones based off physiological measurements (O2 uptake, mmol lactate, RER, etc) and sustainable duration in each zone can vary between athletes and in the same athlete.

Smallguy

thanks for the tips

I certainly was planning to not let the same guy get away twice

if he is there I'll work with him to drop the rest of the field and hopefully it will just come down to the 2 of us in a sprint... I'm not certain if I can really be a force in a sprint but I guess there is one way to find out unless of course he is showing signs of being done then I'll attack on the false flat as suggested.

waterrockets 

Sometimes you take the fun out of being a smart ass.

Greg180

Damn GM my max is 175. Am I that much older than you?

kudude

175? Are you sure?

Grumpy McTrumpy

max 195. I am 42

Obscene

Highest I've recorded this year is 187. I am 25

merlinextraligh

OP,
I think the odds that you can just ride away from the field and hold them off for 25 minutes are low. I think you'll have a better chance if you attack with the idea of creating a small break, or at least whittling the field, not of holding off the field by yourself.

So attack, if no one comes with you, then sit up. Attack again, and repeat, until you get a small group to work with.

ElJamoquio

...the odds are VERY low. I was a reasonably strong TT'r as a 5 and a 4, and was only in a couple of successful breaks in the 4's. None in the 5's.

Smallguy

would you wait until the last 10-15 minutes to attack or start off early and try and form a break and hold off the rest ... the last race we had 7 or 8 riders in the pack but this one might be allot bigger since it is more central and 3 of us were noticeably stronger than the rest

Smallguy

I've yet to do a TT so I'm not sue if I'd be reasonably strong or not.... I guess I was over zealous thinking I could pull away and hold out that long alone

merlinextraligh

Assuming that you have good fitness, which it sounds like you do, I would attack early for a couple of reasons.

One, I think there's a benefit in a 5's race to making the race very hard early. That tends to drop people, spreads out the pack and makes the race safer.

Two, if you attack early and it doesn't work, you 've got time to recover and do it again, or to recover and set up for the sprint finish.

What you're looking for is a situation where a couple of people willing to work get away with you, or bridge up to you without pulling the whole pack up.

johnybutts

Smallguy - it's not completely a dumb idea, especially if you use it as a learning experience. There are a couple things you can try and learn from. 1) when to attack and 2) how long/fast you can hold off the field. These are kinda related. In my experience, you've got to average ~24-25 mph to hold off a 4/5 field, this kinda includes someone blocking for you... it's pretty Fing fast. I'm a strong 4 right now and I can't do it alone for long.

I would DEFINITELY wait until the last 10-15 minutes to try anything. People are just too fresh early on and will chase everything. Your race will tire some people out, but it's probably too short to tire out the ones who will be chasing anyways. I'd also try to attack immediately after someone else has been brought back, or when you think the field will be tired.

waterrockets 

A good measure of this is to attack when you feel tired yourself. Feels stupid, but it's often a good time to go.

waterrockets 

A good measure of this is to attack when you feel tired yourself. Feels stupid, but it's often a good time to go.

SalsaPodio

With all this talk of Cat 5 breaks never working, it seems like my experiences are pretty different from everyone elses. In my first road race, someone attacked after about 5 miles into a 30 mile race. There ended up being a group of about 7 of us who got off the front, and we never saw the field again. Same thing for my next road race, although I got dropped from the break but still ended up getting 4th. The first crit I did ended up in a sprint, but it was on a 1/4 mile car race track which sucked. The next two crits were hilly and the whole field broke apart. Maybe I'll have one of these experiences this weekend where a break doesn't work

merlinextraligh

The problem with waiting is that it's a 25 minute race to start. No one that you need to be concerned about anyway is going to be tired out in 10 minutes.