kris cho

currently, i'm 17 yrs old and kinda new to road biking. But i'm in track(running) team in my highschool.

i'll be working hard to get good in cycling. Is there a short cycling event for me in few months?

I don't have a STI shifter ..lol

I live in irvine, california by the way.

trekker pete

STI shifters don't pedal the bike. You'll be fine without them.

Go to your LBS and ask about local events.

b_young

Bicycle Club of Irvine

I found this for you maybe they can help.

kris cho

But BCI is just for a group ride, isn't it?

TempeRider

Group rides are a great way to build up your skill and strength. It is also more fun to ride with others, and typically they will happily share tips with you. Just be sure you ride with the right group. Some are insanely competitive, some very casual. You just need to find the right mix for you. Most clubs have rides of varying levels.

atbman

For a wider range of info, try the contacts on https://www.usacycling.org/states/new/index.php?state=CA

lil brown bat

TempeRider's got the right of it -- group rides are your speed right now, and (statistically) probably always will be. Road racing involves skills beyond simply being able to ride fast -- it's not safe, for you or others, for you to simply jump into a peloton. If you're a competitive sort and find that having an event to train for helps you, you may want to check your local bike shop for local events such as triathlons, particularly if the bike shop or a club has a training program for it.

b_young

In addition to what others have said, BCI will know of race events in your area.

kris cho

is there a racing event for newbies?...haha

CliftonGK1

Even in the newbiest of noob races, riders are expected to be comfortable with high speed close quarters riding and know the ins and outs of pack riding and pacelining. You really should hit up your local club and learn the etiqutte before heading off to the races.

atbman

I've no idea, but ask around the local bike shops - they'll have all the necessary contacts.

I'm sure that other forumers will agree that bike racing is seriously hard, even for someone who's a fit track runner and requires a wide variety of bike handling skills, tactical awareness and group riding awareness. The Irvine club mentioned might well be a largely social rides one, but going out with them will help enormously in both fitness and group riding.

You might also consider doing any winter cyclo-cross series (which can be done on a MTB in the UK, don't know about the US) which will improve your bikehandling skills at a formidable rate of knots, not to mention introduce you to the world of pain which is part of bike racing. See your local shops for that as well

Found another reference: https://ocrebels.com/

Suggest also that you make more use of Google.

Good luck

TempeRider

Sure. Triathalons. Sure, they have running and swimming too, but in a lot of cases, anyone can enter.