dropped!

henderson_mk

hey folks,
did my very first ever road race today (hence in beginners...) and it was a bit of a mess [:I] got spat out the back of the bunch at the end of the first lap (of 7) and that was me.

I really couldn't believe how fast everything was going in the group... i'm normally fine on clubruns etc..... but this was just up to a totally different level.
I guess, are there are any other racers out there that can give me any advice as to how for this not to happen again...? i'll be doing the obivious and trying to increase the speed training.... but in general I'm feeling somewhat embarrased about it all at the moment!! [:(]

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cheese. to be eaten, not listened to.

method

I shouldn't feel embaressed, from what I hear this is pretty much the norm for a first race. Was it changes in pace or the overall speed that you found hard to keep up with?
If you are at the back of a pack its generally harder to respond to changes in pace.

I expect most peoples advice would be to keep racing and keep working on the speed/acceleration.

Unknown

No need to be embarrassed, I bet quite a few on here will have had the same experience. If you lasted a lap you did better than me in my first road race, I was spat out after the second corner.

Just keep entering the races and you will find you last longer and longer each time. The speed of a road race is a shock to the system first time out, particularly the acceleration out of the corners. Go training with the roadmen in your club and follow their advice, they will probably be only too willing to pass on their knowledge.

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currieinahurry

yea dont worry about it at least you now realise how hard you have to train!
tikka

hi my name is adam... and i have a problem with posting on cycling forums.

henderson_mk

cheers guys... its reassuring that i'm not the first.... [:I]

I think it was mostly the changes in pace that killed me... it just seemed to ramp up soooo quickly when it did! At the start I tried to stay up the pack but just gradually got pushed down further... so probably some extra confidence in my own space needed too.
also didn't really know the course... and it was a bit wet so I was probably over cautious on the bends too.

even so... it was still an experience! [:)]

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cheese. to be eaten, not listened to.

BeaconRuth

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by henderson_mk</i>
At the start I tried to stay up the pack but just gradually got pushed down further... so probably some extra confidence in my own space needed too.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Learning to hold your position, move up the bunch and choose where in the bunch YOU want to ride is a good thing to learn. I never did a lot of road racing, but one of my more memorable results came on the day that I chose a very experienced rider and very deliberately aimed to keep close to them in the bunch. They tended to sit towards the front, in a good position, so by trying to keep close to them I was maintaining a good position too. With everyone constantly pushing forward and moving up and jostling for position, it's all too easy to find yourself at the back, where the worst of the yo-yo effect hits you from every acceleration and deceleration. So my advice is - to begin with choose a rider who you know is experienced and will stay near the front, and then do everything you can to keep close to them at all times! It's easier said than done but it provides something to concentrate on in the melee around you.

gaterz1981

I got dropped within minutes of my first chaingang (group 10 or so at race pace) its all part of the learning though as i managed the whole hour with em the week after. did you still finish?

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monty_dogcp

You haven't found yourself in a different position to the majority of people in their first road race. Stick at it - now you know how fast they go, you can now adapt your training accordingly. Your first objective is to finish a race, and then maybe then start looking to finish in the main bunch thereafter. Learn to read the race - there's usually a natural flow and you'll begin to understand when you can expect an acceleration, or even a slight lull. Stay in the middle of the bunch - you only need to move up when you need to - I know guys who appear to sit on the back the whole race, but they always make the split and then amazingly pop-up on the last lap to take the points.

henderson_mk

nope, didn't finish because I got dropped so early on... [:(]
i think i would have just have held up the rest of the pack when they came to lap me...

ruth - cheers for the advice on the positioning... will give that a go in the next one... it makes sense.. and should hopefully remedy me getting pushed down the pack.

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cheese. to be eaten, not listened to.

woody-som

do a few club training rides, they are usually fast paced, and being in a group you learnto read what others around you are doing, and learn when the better riders hang back, or move forwards. Learn from them.

pedalrog

Now you know what's in store for next time. It's no disgrace to get dropped on your first race, at least you had a go. Learn from the experience and do it again, you should certainly do better next time. Mix it with the local chain gang to learn how to ride fast in a group, don't go to the front as a novice, leave it to the experienced racers but ride as near to the front as you dare as this way you will see whats going on and you will most likely avoid the crashes and it's easier near the front, you don't get the elastic effect. Good luck!

walkercp

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by henderson_mk</i>

nope, didn't finish because I got dropped so early on... [:(]
i think i would have just have held up the rest of the pack when they came to lap me...

ruth - cheers for the advice on the positioning... will give that a go in the next one... it makes sense.. and should hopefully remedy me getting pushed down the pack.

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cheese. to be eaten, not listened to.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

you shouldn't of given up so early, best thing you should of done was to carry on, thing is as the race goes on more people drop out/crash/ have a mechanical fault. that way your moving up the pack and at the end you can find your fisnish position, you can use that for enxt time you go to another race and try and beat your last position.
I remember my first race I was at the front leading everyone out. I had no idea what I was doing there and dropped myself to the middle of the pack, but before I knew it i was blown out the back and struggling to keep up.

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