First Race of the season Kicking

celbianchi

This season is my 4th season of racing. I generally do 2/3/4 races.
Every season I always suffer badly in my first 2 or 3 races and get a real kicking.
My season started again yesterday, and true to history I found the pace too hot first time out.
Im my training I am going as well as I have over the hills when in mid season.
It seems to take me a couple more races than the other lads in the club to re-adjust to race pace and feel up to speed again.

So now I am resigned to a suffer fest for a fortnight til my body adjusts.

Any tips out there as to how to avoid this? I don't use my turbo much, preferring to take my HR to >90% in the hills. Maybe more short high intensity intervals in the weeks leading up would help.

J2R2

I ride time trials rather than road races but in my experience people who are flying in the early season races in March and April often end up hanging up their wheels some time round the end of May. So what if it takes a few events to get in your stride, it's the same for a lot of us.

The turbo works well for me and I can't understand people who won't use them. Without having to worry about junctions, traffic lights, or how you'll get home if you blow up, you can push yourself very hard indeed, certainly harder than out on the road.

SteveR_100Milers

J2R2 wrote:

I ride time trials rather than road races but in my experience people who are flying in the early season races in March and April often end up hanging up their wheels some time round the end of May. So what if it takes a few events to get in your stride, it's the same for a lot of us.

The turbo works well for me and I can't understand people who won't use them. Without having to worry about junctions, traffic lights, or how you'll get home if you blow up, you can push yourself very hard indeed, certainly harder than out on the road.

I agree with everything you say right up until that last bit. Even with a sufficiently resistant turbo, how can anyone push themselves as hard using any form of effort (watts, HR, PE etc etc) sat on one of those evil contraptions as you can when faced with a long steady climb hanging onto someones rear wheel...? I just cant get close, only for short bursts, which I find (from a perceived effort anyway) I can hold for much longer sustained periods of time on the road. I'm keen to know how you can keep motivated for so long on one....

celbianchi

J2R2 wrote:

I ride time trials rather than road races but in my experience people who are flying in the early season races in March and April often end up hanging up their wheels some time round the end of May.

So what if it takes a few events to get in your stride, it's the same for a lot of us.

The turbo works well for me and I can't understand people who won't use them. Without having to worry about junctions, traffic lights, or how you'll get home if you blow up, you can push yourself very hard indeed, certainly harder than out on the road.

J2R2 - I agree with that and the early season fliers hanging their wheels up. I guess like most people I don't like getting a good kicking, though am old enough to not worry too much about it, knowing that the form comes a few races in. One season though I'd like to be in contention for the early races. Other competitors obviously can get their body adjusted to race pace more easilly, or maybe are willing to go deeper in the early part of the season.

Toks

celbianchi wrote:

This season is my 4th season of racing. I generally do 2/3/4 races.
Every season I always suffer badly in my first 2 or 3 races and get a real kicking.
My season started again yesterday, and true to history I found the pace too hot first time out.
Im my training I am going as well as I have over the hills when in mid season.
It seems to take me a couple more races than the other lads in the club to re-adjust to race pace and feel up to speed again.

So now I am resigned to a suffer fest for a fortnight til my body adjusts.

Any tips out there as to how to avoid this? I don't use my turbo much, preferring to take my HR to >90% in the hills. Maybe more short high intensity intervals in the weeks leading up would help.

You don't really say how or why you suffer in the race. Did you get dropped? If so why etc.
All of the following will make the ride much harder than it needs to be
1. Ropey bunch skills - not staying close enough to wheels or allowing gaps to open up
2. Having a lower threshold/sustainable power than the rest of the pack
3. Doing too much work at the front
4. Not doing much or any anaerobic training - hence struggling to respond to or initialte attacks
5. Not fuelling well
5. Poor race prep - warming up etc
6,.Not doing race type training, thru and off, sprinting etc
7. Doing the same old training that resulted in the same old initial struggle in last years races
8. A few sandbagging ex elite/1st cats making the race harder than usual

I had my first race of the season more than a week ago (see my blog below for report) and I haven't done much of 4&6 and number 1 could have been better. No problems its early days

celbianchi

Toks
Probably a combination of most of your points
So it will only get better!

I had done one chaingang in preparation, i have done a lot of winter miles (around 3300 Dec to March). I have also done a good amount of hill work and have beaten my previous records up 2 of my regular climbs in France.

I just always find the first 2 or 3 races each season find me a little behind 75% of the field.
I also don't take the first 2 or 3 too seriously for this very reason.

Good to know there are others out there who don't have full on fitness all season.

cervelorider

celbianchi wrote:

Any tips out there as to how to avoid this? .

celbianchi wrote:

I also don't take the first 2 or 3 too seriously for this very reason.

:?:

celbianchi

cervelorider wrote:

celbianchi wrote:

Any tips out there as to how to avoid this? .

celbianchi wrote:

I also don't take the first 2 or 3 too seriously for this very reason.

:?:

In terms of beating myself up for a bad result.
i take the race seriously and ride it properly, just don't fret over a bad performance.

Tom Butcher

A lot of people will have been out chain ganging all winter - or at least since New Year - and will have started racing long before now - in effect they've just had a headstart on you. I don't think it matters - if you want to peak for now then just start a bit earlier though.

Mike Willcox

Some riders go comparatively faster in warmer temperatures anyway; but we all need a couple of races under our belts to get our act together. Early season races are never a true indication of form for the summer ahead. Some riders prepare specifically for the event and others are using the races as training for later on.

It's a long season and one that I'm hoping to complete for once. I'm aiming to peak for June/July myself with my first race in May.