Originally Posted by
hocker
They have training crits near me, you should see what is available in your area. One of the classifications is called "freak"...single speeds, mtn bikes and road bikes together. Your fear is very common, so don't sweat it too much, just get out there. I would get the cyclist training bible by Friel, this should help I think. The advise I was given was to join a local team accepting beginners, this was great advise...user on BF was Merlinextralight, or something like that.
good luck and let us know how your first race goes.
I would advise against this at early stages of racing. Friel's book is very overwhelming when you're just getting started. You can make big gains by just following the "training status" thread on here, without having to wade through all of the (great) info in his book. I have it, but I barely read it. I plan on using it more in the future to make full training schedules and such.