Best style of racing for heavy rider

uptown

I've recently converted to cycling following a career as a pro boxer as a means of keeping fit, but missing the competitive edge of the boxing a bit.

I tried a couple of road races last year and was doing Ok until we met any sort of hill, when I just got spat out the back. I was 16 stone when boxing, and have cut that down to 14 stone 7 (at 6'2"), but wouldn't / couldn't want to get much lighter.

I was going to try some time trials but a couple have suggested cyclocross might be the best bet. I've got good stamina and used to doing short intense efforts so that sort of made sense.

Not expecting to get anywhere near the front, would be happy halfway down the field, just want to get involved again. I'd rather focus on one style as I can only afford so many bikes

thanks

DaveyL

Flat time trials or criteriums!

Monty Dog

Flat circuit races - plenty of airfields used for racing these days. I'm not sure 'cross would be a good choice - look at the majority of good cross riders - they weight about 65kg dripping wet! Short TTs would be another choice - depends on whether you'd got fast-twitch muscles and power for a sprint or consider yourself more of a diesel?

brownbosh

Ive been coming in well up the field in TT's and in the front group on cat 3/4 racing (although no ponts as yet) and im still 103.5 kg / 16 stone 3. Weight is less relevant than fitness in anything apart from hilly terrain IF you have a lot of leg power.

Pokerface

...but you could always race on the track! I'm a big guy also and had no luck with road racing, but when I tried track, the short bursts of speed and mostly flat surfaces suited me well.

This year I'm going back to road racing, but on flat circuits and I'm going to drop some more weight. As others have said - criterium-style racing will probably suit you best - anything without a hill in it!

Kléber

I'd say flat circuit races too. It depends where you live but there are usually flat races around. You could try time trials but this is a more lonely thing, if you've got a boxing background maybe you want to take on a field of 60 riders yourself, to have that raw competition?

manick0de

I say, give Track ago and to be competitive stick to criteriums. Chris Hoy's 6'1'' and weighs 14.5st, Magnus Backstedt is 6'4'' and 14.8st. They're both good track riders, and Backstedt won Paris-Roubaix so there's big guys out there and winning.

andyp

Whereabouts are you based uptown? With your background and size then, as others have said, you'd probably find track racing a good challenge.

There are about 20 tracks dotted around the UK currently so hopefully one will be close by. The British Cycling website has this list of tracks;

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/si ... lities.asp

ColinJ

How about downhill mountain bike racing - your size would be an advantage!

uptown

Thanks for the advice, apart from the downhill suggestion, I'd be screaming like a schoolgirl if I tried that madness

I live on the Wirral so not too far from Manchester, might see if there's any beginner session I could go to on the track.

TT's seem like a good suggestion, but I really want to be in with the action, think I might find it a bit lonely but going to try a couple on the road bike to see how it goes. Shame about the cross, looks like a good laugh but I've looked at a few pictures and those guys seem slimmer than a standard road guy.

Are there many flatish road circuits in the North West ?

DaveyL

If you a join a club where others are TTing, you'll soon find out who is pretty close to you in ability and can use that if you like for motivation! Being 20 or 30 seconds behind someone in a 10 could be the motivation you need for the next one, even if you are out on the road yourself. And there's always your minute man to chase after.

colint

Similarly theres the fear of being caught by the guy starting behind you. The feeling / fear of being chased down can be a real rush

craigenty

If you're a boxer forget TT's

At least with road racing you still have the opportunity to inflict pain on others. I'm not the lightest but have chosen my races carefully - rolling terrain suits me best - and I've had a modcum of success.

Craig

Tom Butcher

I'm not a crosser myself but I wouldn't rule it out - weight may be a limiting factor but much like a running race you are still racing the guys around you even if you are half way down - unlike a road race where if you get shelled out the back it's race over. Like the others say track and flat road races are another option - somewhere like Darley Moor near Ashbourne is pan flat - the difficulty comes from it often being very windy.

colint

I've done a few cross races and I'm over 15 stone. Because it's laps, you always feel like your in the race even when getting lapped by the top guys. You normally end up racing against 3 or 4 people of similar ability, it's also one of the friendliest styles of racing.

Technique can be a massive advantage, mine sucks, could never master the whole jumping on / off thing so riders I was faster than would always catch me at obstacles.

In my last race, I had an epic battle with a slightly lardy 15 year old girl on a mountain bike, and I had to bury myself on the last lap to get past her, which is both the most shameful and embarrassing episode of my life (I was hungover, honest). Great laugh though

The Mechanic

I would go for Supermario Cart. I am thinking of going that way myself being not over weight but half a metre too short.

bazza59

colint wrote:

I've done a few cross races and I'm over 15 stone. Because it's laps, you always feel like your in the race even when getting lapped by the top guys. You normally end up racing against 3 or 4 people of similar ability, it's also one of the friendliest styles of racing.

Technique can be a massive advantage, mine sucks, could never master the whole jumping on / off thing so riders I was faster than would always catch me at obstacles.

In my last race, I had an epic battle with a slightly lardy 15 year old girl on a mountain bike, and I had to bury myself on the last lap to get past her, which is both the most shameful and embarrassing episode of my life (I was hungover, honest). Great laugh though

Colint - just sprayed the keyboard with tea - I could picture the image and what my reaction would have been in the same circumstances, which would have been identical to yours.

drenkrom

While I recognize the sacrilege I'm about to commit by talking MTB on a road forum, have you ever done any Downhill MTB? That's the cycling discipline where your weight is actually an advantage (when going in a straight line). Racing requires short burst of massive power and full-body endurance. It's a perfect fit for an ex-boxer: it's like wrestling with a bike.

Just a thought...

ColinJ

drenkrom wrote:

While I recognize the sacrilege I'm about to commit by talking MTB on a road forum, have you ever done any Downhill MTB? That's the cycling discipline where your weight is actually an advantage (when going in a straight line). Racing requires short burst of massive power and full-body endurance. It's a perfect fit for an ex-boxer: it's like wrestling with a bike.

Just a thought...

I've already suggested that, but apparently it would result in him "screaming like a schoolgirl" !

GroupOfOne MkII

How about climbing, I mean afterall Eros Poli did win on Ventoux!

drenkrom

ColinJ wrote:

I've already suggested that, but apparently it would result in him "screaming like a schoolgirl" !

Nothing wrong with that. As long as it's a fast schoolgirl.

Martin Van Nostrand

You are likely a sprinter. Criteriums, track. Go for the hour record.

Backstedt was puny compared to Roesems (6'6") and Sosenka (6'6").

the other option is the new cycling/basketball biathlon for the 2012 Olympics.

satan80

what's your name mate?
I'm a big boxing fan and have recently got into road cycling myself from a background of amateur boxing and professional thai and kickboxing.

I'm bigger than most (6'3" and 13 stone) and i reckon my best bet for success is gonna be short TT's.
Then again, i think there's a big crossover in fitness which could work in flat-ish road races. I've found that the ability to put the power down for a few minutes (3 minutes!) then recover and go again makes a big difference. You should be able to cope with the pain well and make the others suffer quite a bit, until you reach a hill...