my58vw

Hello all again.

I am looking at my schedule and I am thinking of doing my frist crit of the season on March 28th, which is my birthday. Crits are new this season for me as is actually having a "racing season". Previous experiece has been scattered and far between. I have been doinug base training for a few weeks and I know that I have a long way to go before I am ready for high intensity crits. I Will be starting my first build period in the middle of march so it will be right in build one that I have my frist crit. Is this too early for that? There are others crits in April and into the summer I plan on doing but since this one is so close to my home and the cycling club I ride with has a booth I would like to run it. My problem is if I do not at least finish I do not know how it will affect me the rest of the season.

I can add some intervals, etc earlier in my training schedule which I think I will have to do to be ready. The question is can I be ready to run CAT 5 on that date or an I pushing myself too much to early in the season? Thanks

boyze

nothing like racing into shape My best training were always prior races. It gives you opportunities for intensity, strategy, feel for other riders, their tactics and riding style ............. The worst that can happen is a crash or blown out the back You'll learn no matter what happens.

don d.

Why worry about results? You will lose more races than you win by a long shot anyway; how will that affect your racing? You should race as often as you can if you really want to be successful.

You have 3 months to prepare for your first race. During that time your primary focus should be on establishing consistency in your training. Once you become consistent in your training, race results will follow.

During the next 6 weeks spend as much time on the bike as possible, working on riding at least 6 days a week every week, the more hours the better. The following 6 weeks, work on intervals 2-3x a week, gradually increasing duration and frequency. Rest on the bike the week before the race, with a short, hard interval session 2 days before. Warm up well before the race; be ready to fly at the start. If you're young and relatively fit, this should prepare you adequately.

my58vw

Thanks... My current program was me riding 6 days a week, 3 longer endurance days and 3 shorter endurance days a week with one day off or easy spin. That sounds good starting intervals 2 to 3 times a week starting in 6 or so weeks. Race into shape... I like that. I would never expect to win most if many races right now or in the future, I just want to be ready so I actually finish.

I am building endurance slowly right now, other than group rides my longest training ride is 60 - 75 minutes E2 right now and I want to increase that to 90 minutes to 120 minutes soon. I am feeling strong lately as I have said many times in my blog. I already spend substantial time on my bike between work and training and group rides. I can see my fitness increasing every week.

Thanks for the advice.

my58vw

How do you prepare for the blistering speeds that are done in crits? Is it true that averages are around 30 MPH. I can do about 25 MPH for sometime right now but 30 MPH seems like it is a little away still?

How to you train for these type of speeds? I can do 30 + MPH but in sprints not the whole time... long intervals I suspect.

Smoothie104

remember, it goes like hell from the gun, and If you can go 25mph for sometime by yourself, you will be able to hang in @ 30 plus no problem. Just don't go on the attack by yourself. Practice jamming up some short hills as hard as you can, (if you have any in your area) this will help you build up some "snap" for quick acclerations, either out of the corners, or onto that wheel as it is going by with 1 to go etc....

my58vw

Thanks for the advice... when I start my interval training I will start working on the short hills. I need to get my fast endurance up. In a pace line I can ride 30 MPH, I have done it. Usually though I end up pulling the pace line due to my size. I guess I will keep on training and see where it gets me.

pinky

If it makes you feel better, the collegiate season starts March 5...

my58vw

But my school does not have a cycling club And I can not ride with UCR

HigherGround

I would venture to guess that the biggest challenges in a new racer's first criterium will be cornering in a pack, and dealing with the fluctuating speed as you come out of corners. There's a huge difference between riding at a steady 25 mph by yourself, compared to slowing down and sprinting out of a corner 4 or 5 times every lap in a race that averages 25 mph. Your cornering technique and positioning in the pack will be critical. The closer you stay to the front, the more steady the speed tends to be. The lead riders barely need to brake for a corner. If you are at the back of the pack, you will have to slow down dramatically as riders funnel through the turn, then sprint like you're being chased by a doberman as you try to catch back up to the leaders. Intervals will help with your physical conditioning, but any practice that you can do for cornering and group riding will help to refine your technique.

On a different note, don't put too much pressure on yourself right away. There's a steep learning curve to racing. Most European pro teams expect new professionals to just get some experience in their first year, and to not even begin to worry about winning until the following season. And these are guys who were the very cream of the crop as amateurs! Obviously they won a lot of races as an amateur to get to the point where they could turn professional. However, the jump from racing as an amateur to racing as a pro is a big one. Likewise, making the transition from riding recreationally to racing (even as an amateur) is a dramatic change.

Most of the traditional American sports have only two teams, and there's simply a "winner" and a "loser". However, if you're racing against 30, 50, or 70 guys, your odds of winning are much different! If a European pro races 120 times a year and wins a dozen races, he's a star - even though he didn't win 90% of the time! I like the quote from Andy Hampsten after he became the first (and still the only) American to win the Giro d'Italia in 1988. It would have been easy for him to brag about how he demolished the field when he took the leader's jersey during a blizzard on the Gavia Pass. Instead he said, "You can't lose a bicycle race. There might be only one winner, but there aren't 150 losers." I'm sure some people will debate that, but the point is not to beat yourself up if you're not winning or placing right away. If you're dedicated and intelligent about your training, nutrition, recovery, tactics, etc. results will come with time. Good luck!

bigdraft

The S. Cal crit season goes from early Feb. to late Oct. Most are pretty similar in terrain and the tempo. Whether or not your current training will get you ready for the accellerations you'll find in any crit, your first one should give you a glimpse of where your fitness is. What race are you referring to? Ontario?

I guess the standard precautions of being prepared for the first three lap tempo. Also if it's a race with lots of primes in it, then you can anticipate fewer lulls in the pace.

Guest

Nah. It's not too early, as long as you're finished with base.

Once you're off base, definitely treat this as a training session and use it as one of your training sessions for pushing up your VO2 max. You'll be fine, as long as you aren't doing it too often in your next training phase.

Good luck, have fun.

Koffee

roadwarrior

The best training you can do for crits....go two minutes as hard as you can, then "sit in" for one minute, then go hard again for two, then sit in for one....do that as many times as you can....what you are doing is raising your lactate level and going anerobic and with one minute off you cannot recover fully, so as you go hard you have to ride with a lot of lactate acid in your legs...that will help you for crits...

Also, to practice cornering speeds and accelerations try going max for 30 seconds, then going quickly (by this I mean max riding, then cadence-wise about 8-10 fewer revolutions for the "quickly" part)...in crits, the front of the field will accelerate through the corners and that "freight train" effect takes place in the back to middle of the field. The easiest way to get dropped in a crit is in corners. When you are doing this, you can also practice going to an easier gear for out of cornering cadence so you are not mashing a huge gear out of each corner. That gear mashing will kill your legs. Learn to think ahead.

A couple of skill sets you can work on to improve your crit conditioning. If you are only riding miles at the same pace all the time, that's good for getting base miles in, but to get "crit legs" you have to practice crit skills and conditioning.

Remember this... if you only have three months until the first race, SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE....

my58vw

Redlands, end of March.

I am not quite off of base yet, another month of so. I am adding anarobic intervals but I am not ready as you may see from the post in the training forums for 2 on 1 off intervals. I am having a little trouble with the 1 to 3 intervals (1 on 3 off ones now). Of course that will change as I work more and more on the intervals.

If I do not feel ready this year I can do a few later, see how they are and then build up this year for racing all next year... we will see how much I improve in the next 3 months.

My longest Base ride to date is 72 miles at 150 BPM (that is zone 2) but I want to put more time in on the trainer. I have never really been a good climber but a very strong short distance sprinter. I just need to work on intervals to improve my anarobic thresholds so I can do it time and time again.

Just like the post above stated about pros, this season is a building season. We will see how it goes...

boyze

From my experience the best crit riders are the smartest and most agressive riders, not necessarily the fittest or fastest. One needs to be prepared to take and defend position and not be afraid to mix it up. The timid end up in the back being on the losing end of a 30 mph yo-yo. So make sure your testosterone tank is filled up on race day

my58vw

Sounds good.... mixing it all up... just wold not want to be in the middle of a 30 MPH crash...

bigdraft

You might want to pick another crit a week or two before Redlands. One that lets you see how you're feeling a week before the race you are focusing on. While the crit is open to all categories, it is part of the Redlands Stage Race and therefore brings out a bigger pool of talent then say Ontario, which happens a week before Redlands.

my58vw

I have to look when the Solvang Century is, I believe it is the week before Redlands. I would like to make Redlands A priority because my club is there and they will be watching the race. Depending on when the century is will depends on what happens. I do not know if I will be ready then, I have a long way to go before that. I am thinking of just doing the Ontario Crit series this year and maybe do Redlands in 06 depending on what happens...

I do have a long way to go... I will not be crushed if I do not get there this year but I know I am getting stronger and stronger all the time. I just accomplished my goal of passing the physical agility test for Riverside Police Department which many said I would not pass. Now I have a new goal... to run a crit in late March... we will see how that goes... now on to training.