Radish_legs

I've never heard of these handicap races. The things I am looking at are crits and track. I missed out on crits, but still have the opportunity for track, at the lowest level of competition (C level, cat 5). Had I raced last week, I would have been top 7. Only six competed. Probably would have been shellacked, but whatever. Fighting thru a knee issue right now, and my prior short experience on a track bike tells me that track has the potential to exacerbate it (high cadence - 120+). But we will see if I can man up and give this a go.

shovelhd

You'll hit 120+ rpm in a road race. Better get that sorted.

TheKillerPenguin

HOW IS THIS SUCH A BIG MENTAL HURDLE?! Show up at a local crit and go pedal your dang bike in circles. You might get dropped and that's ok. You might crash. You might crash on a bike shop group ride too. A piano might fall out of the sky and land on your head. The only thing you're risking is realizing you're cat 6 material, so then you train and make yourself faster.

superdex

is it going to be like this until March?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RgCbcT8eEU

caloso

Or show up at a track race and pedal in smaller circles but circles just the same.

aaronmcd

OMG THIS. It is NOT a big deal. I may have been a LITTLE nervous at my first race. But it's just riding around in a group and trying to be fastest at the finish. It's really not a big deal unless you make it so in your mind.

chasm54

Well, this has been an interesting, if repetitive, read.

OP these guys know what they're talking about and you aren't listening to them. You come across like someone who thinks they can learn to swim by reading a book about swimming. You can't, you have to get in the water.

I'd been around bike races and riding with racers for years before I gave it a try. I discovered that my theoretical understanding of the sport was worth almost nothing. The fact that I was as strong as most of my competitors meant even less, it was virtually worthless. I learned more in the 20 or so minutes it took me to get dropped than I would have in 20 or so years of agonising on the sidelines.

bostongarden

caloso

this

shaneh

Hell, with few exception, almost no one is ever really ready for their first Cat5 race. Hell I'm a Cat 4 and I'm still not sure I'm ready! lol. Just clip in and go race. You'll get dropped. And then the next race you'll get dropped a little later. And the next race you'll get dropped a little later again. And at some point you'll actually stay on the lead lap. And then at some point you'll stay with the pack.

MikeTé

Tell us about the races you've done; surely you have a story or two by now.

Ygduf

OP is Raddish Legs ... so maybe not.

MikeTé

I'm aware of that; wondering how his first races have gone.

kbarch

I've yet to race in anything but a circuit road race, but I can relate to this!

Ready? The only thing you need to be ready is a bike, a helmet, and the registration fee.

Unlike the OP, I had no hesitation to enter my first race. Maybe it was because, as a moto official, I had often felt like the grim reaper as I passed guys who got dropped, and knew it happened to all sorts of guys, for all kinds of reasons. I'd even seen guys get dropped within the first mile, and I knew I could do better than that. Well, as it turns out, I didn't do much better at my first race. I got dropped after about a mile and a half. But that mile and a half was such a rush, I didn't care. It was a few more races before my mouth didn't get all cottony feeling and my heart didn't nearly leap out of my jersey at the beginning, and over a year before I finished within five minutes of the main field - two and a half years before I finished with the lead group. I've broken both shoulders, joined a team, and finally, finally (due to peer pressure from my teammates rather than any feeling of "readiness" on my part) upgraded to Cat 4. Just this week.

shovelhd

Nice to see another official in here.

Radish_legs

Ok, I'm the OP and I'm here to give an update. A lot more miles this year. My new numbers are:

5 sec power - 15.8 watts/kg
1 min - 7.44 w/kg
5 min - 3.74 w/kg
FT - 2.86 w/kg

I think I'm credibly fit to sit in a Cat 5 crit pack. I'm now doing local "A" group rides and finishing with the guys in the front. It just hasn't worked out for me in terms of my work schedule to actually make it to the crits (C crits are at 6pm). The only race-like thing I have done is a local large rally that is treated like a race (100k), and I was able to go with the lead pack for 30 miles (until a crash). I would have been dropped before mile 40 on this hilly rally. So I am now MUCH more comfortable riding inches away from other rides, compared to 12 months ago. I also now have a carbon bike and carbon aero wheels, for what that's worth.

And now as far as racing, I have to consider whether I want to try Cross (I don't have a Cx bike yet; those longer power efforts probably don't suit my strengths, but who cares) or track (I've only been on a track bike twice, but this would probably fit my strengths best--sprinter type). Or just continue to build fitness so I'm ready next spring (I didn't ride for about 3 months later winter, so I was in terrible shape when crits started up).

Getting closer!!!

superdex

I other folks with deeper racing experience will chime in, but my thoughts are: If a CX bike is possible, do it. You'll have fun and it'll kick your butt (which is a good thing for fitness). The real bonus: meeting folks from local teams whom you might like hanging out with --and then race with next year. A little networking, if you will.

Radish_legs

I'm already on a team. As a rec rider. But we have racers. Not many. But one of the best Cat 4s in the area is on the team. He may be a Cat 3 very soon. Once he moves up, there's only probably 2 or 3 guys at most who would be racing at my level. In the average crit, it would be just me, or me and one other guy. I've become cycling acquaintances/friends with guys on the A rides. And they have more guys who race. I could switch, but already own two kits, so what's the point? Plus my team reimburses for part of the cost of racing and virtually none of the other teams do. I might try a Cx race. See what kind of 30 minute power I can lay down in the dirt.

caloso

Try CX. It will improve your bike handling and the on/off nature of CX racing is great training for crit racing. Plus, it's an excuse to get another bike.

kbarch

No, you are NOT getting any closer. You're as far as you ever were.
Have you not been paying ANY attention? No one cares about your power numbers or how you do in group rides. You're thinking you have to be like a racer already in order to race at all, but if you never enter a race, you will never be anything remotely like a racer. In a road race, "ready" means having a bike, a helmet, a number on your jersey, and being at the line with a foot clipped in. Those are the ONLY things that matter.

But as far as mental hurdles go, perhaps it would help if you considered a road/circuit race instead of a crit, cross, or the track for your first race. In format, it's a lot more like what you're used to. You could reasonably pretend it's just another group ride. But when you pin the number on, go to the line, and hear the whistle blow, THEN you'll know. THEN you can think about how much you need to improve your fitness.

TheKillerPenguin

I think it's a good thing OP started doing the A rides and is now comfortable in a pack. Hopefully OP puts these skills to use in a race before he decides to pull the trigger on a team transfer

Radish_legs

Yes, I get that group rides are not the same thing as races. I'm merely pointing out that I now have a much improved level of fitness that I believe translates into being able to sit in on a C level crit race.

I know some of the guys who do the C level race, and they are not as fast and fit as me.

Moreover, the A level group rides I do are attacking rides where riders put in attacks to try and drop other people in the group. So I believe it's good practice. There are a lot of all-in moments that require high power outputs.

But as about 100 people have pointed out, I haven't raced until I have raced.

And by the way, the guy in my club whom I'd be working for? Broke his collarbone in a race. Second collarbone break in 2 years.

furiousferret

FWIW, my best race results have been when I've had my worst power numbers. Just go into the race thinking to survive (stay on wheels) until the final turn and you'll have a decent result. Don't work for anyone in a C5 race; just worry about being comfortable racing first.

Radish_legs

The crit race that I would do is both Cat5s and Cat4s together. There is no Cat5-only race.

C race = 4 and 5
B race = 4 and 3
A race = 3 and up

himespau 

But how many 4's really ride the C race? They'd need to ride in the B race to get upgrade points, right?