I bought a bike in the beginning of January and have been riding twice a week and have worked myself up to doing 30 mile rides in about 2 hours on the weekend. The more I read about cycling the more I think about racing. There is a series of 4 crits starting on February 23rd with one a week between them.

The bike I have is a late 70's early 80's steel bike with some decent older components, is this typical for many cat 5 riders or are they all carbon riding machines Do you guys think its to soon for me to start racing or is this pretty normal for cat 5 riders? If it makes any difference I'm 24, 6 foot, and 175lbs (I know a little heavy for this sport ).

You should be fine; go to it and write back after your first race.

Don't think about it too much.

Just enter the race, and try to relax as much as possible. You'll learn everything you need to about yourself as a racer and about racing in general from doing it.

I hate to sound like a Nike ad, but "Just Do It".

your bike is fine if it is mechanically sound.

In most crits, weight is not much of factor since they are generally flat or have very short hills (unless your super huge)

Find a local club and try a ride there to get some group riding practice in.

have fun, racing is awesome if you keep it in perspective.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Does it change any of your minds if I tell you I've never ridden with a group (or any other rider for that matter)? So I've never had any experience in a pace line or anything like that.

Yes, start going for some group rides now. Preferably with some racers. Things will go much more smoothly if you have some pack riding under your belt.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-a-tip-or-two

Your bike is fine. Follow the Botto Progression.

Get your license now. $60. www.usacycling.org.

You definitately need some experience riding in a pack. Find weekend rides and join in - local clubs, rides sponsored by local bike stores, race training rides, etc.

I'm in the same boat as the OP in that I'm thinking about doing my first bike races this year. So...get some group riding in. Will do...as I'm terrified that I'll get taken out by a stupid rider...so I'd like to make sure I'M not the stupid rider! Also...I'm sorta nervous that I'll get SMOKED. I'm not too much faster than the OP. The fastest I've EVER managed for a solo effort on a hilly 30 mile route that I do is 1.5 hours. I usually do it just a hair slower than that...averaging around 18.2 to 19.5 mph. My sprint speed is PATHETIC...I top out at around 29.9 mph at the end of my route on my "sprint".

I've read on these boards and others that even the cat 5 guys are very very strong riders...just stupid/inexperienced. Will I at least be able to hang on to the back of the pack? Or will I likely be riding by myself way behind the pack?

Get some group rides in. Learn how to corner smoothly. No swerving even if there's a pothole or bump coming up. No sudden braking.

Average speed is not the important factor. It's the accelerations, surges, closing gaps ....

It's quite common to get dropped in your first few races.

Botto progression?

^^^^ Sticky on racing forum: New to Racing? Here's a tip or two

It's also a pretty historic use of the shift key by botto

Chances are that you will get "smoked" in your first race, unless you are a 1 in million mutant.
Don't let that keep you from racing. If it was easy it wouldn't be as fun.

But please do group rides first. Once you get comfortable in the pack there, then race. And look out for local beginner/teaching races. If your area has them they're worth doing.

Ah Botto is a person on BF, I gotcha. I tried googling it and nothing I got made any sense.

Ok, I'll look around the Tucson area for group rides and teaching races. Thanks for the input.

Yeah, nothing to stress out about, but there's a pack culture you need to familiarize yourself with a bit before you're in there with a bunch of guys who believe they've magically transformed into Mark Cavendish in the final 350m (even though nobody in the pack has any business sprinting longer than 75m).

I ever change my signature, I will change it to this.

define "person".

Lol, I guess being relatively new to this forum I'm not really up to speed with the well known people, other than Pcad....

what's a Pcad?

my first race is sunday. im sure i'll get "smoked". i've been going to the local crit practice and have been going on the shop rides for the past year or so.

ride smart and you won't. best of luck to you.

Good Luck and be safe.