Advice of race virgin please

mikeh202

So now for some strange reason I'm thinking I want to race this summer - I have zero experience of racing and all of my winter training has been for sportives. Can someone tell me what is a typical distance/ duration of a road race is and how should I change my training? Do the races tend to be flat? Any advice or warnings would be much appreciated.

BeaconRuth

I notice you were asking questions about climbs in Worcestershire earlier. In which case this

http://www.beaconrcc.org.uk/open_races/lmtt/index.html

would be a fantastic race to start with. About a quarter of the field were complete novices last year, so it's not just for the elite. Not a road race, but a time trial - undoubtedly the best one in the Midlands (and I'm only the teensiest bit biased ).

Ruth

Tom Butcher

I'd get out on some local chain gangs and see how you get on - if you can handle those OK then the best way to get experience is to race. In terms of fitness I'd stick with your sportive training but just add in the chain gangs - once you've done some racing you can assess your strengths and weaknesses and plan from that.

softlad

races tend to reflect the terrain they are based around and there is no requirement for races to be 'flat'. Expect most loops to have at least one climb on them...

Like Ruth says - join your local road club, go out with the chain gang and get your legs ripped off a few times...

Bronzie

Most entry level (4th Cat only) races will be around 1-hour c.30 miles, but as a 4th cat you could enter harder/longer races (3/4 or 2/3/4) which will be around 50-60 miles although probably best avoided to start with.

Training for sportifs will give you loads of endurance, but you'll need to do some short intervals at higher intensity or simulated races like chaingangs to get some speed in your legs.

As for doing well in races.............well probably best I don't comment :oops: - but the general advice is to stay near the front of the bunch but try to avoid doing too much work at the very front, learn how to ride safely in the bunch, how to corner at speed while holding your line. It's a pretty steep learning curve, but some great fun when you can handle the pace and can be very rewarding when you get a result or two.

Maybe also consider having a go at a local velodrome if you have one nearby (there are quite a few outdoor tracks across the UK). They are a good place to get into bunch racing as there is a bit less to concentrate on (no bends to negotiate, hills etc) and the races are very short...................but very, very fast.

bahzob

I would strongly recommend trying "road" racing (in quotes because often races are on closed circuits so a lot safer than the open road).

Started doing a few last year and doing a lot more this year and really enjoying it.

Tips:
- Most important skill is being comfortable riding in fast moving group, road and rider awareness + quick reactions are needed. Hopefully sportives will help with this.
- This is because the last place to be is "safest" at the back of the bunch, because there is a "concertina" effect that happens at any pinch point on the course (bends, climbs etc). Lead riders will slow then accelerate out and everyone following will be just a little slower so that bunch strings out and at some point may snap. Major effort will be needed to get back in touch if that happens and you may not succeed.
- Best place to be is in first 10 riders but never at front. (sad but true, not much fun though, so not advice I take myself, being at head of a bunch in full flow is a bit on adrenaline rush and shame to miss out on it)
- Follow wheels, no rapid changes of direction, but not directly behind, leave a little offset as if sudden braking dont want to run into wheel in front.
- If possible go on a ride with some others and practice bumping shoulders and wheels. It will happen at some time and instinctive reaction (to move away) is the wrong one.
- Some races are organised as a series, number of races taking place at same place over several weeks. These are good for beginners as you will get to know course and other riders and be able to try out various tactics
- I've done 10 races at 4 cat now and every one has been pretty much the same. Start usually slow, but occasionally very fast. During race several people will try to break but wont succeed and the race is decided by a bunch sprint to the line.
- Given this sensible first goal is just to stick/finish with bunch, second is stick with bunch and be in first 10-20 riders with a half lap to go and third compete in the sprint.
- Sprints may be a bit scary. I take safe option and stick to outside of road rather than bunch in middle. Be aware, eyes up and anticipating that rider in front may crash.
- Breaks may happen but so far I havent seen one that's worked (I put a post in race section re this). So smart tactic is to save energy and ignore them (but its a lot less fun)

Training:
- Need a good basic engine to go the full distance. Average speed tends to be around 24mph but dont let this put you off. If you can do a solo hour at around 20-21mph you should be able to stick with bunch. Anyway first race will tell you this.
- Once got basic engine that main training need will be shortish, hard intervals with rapid recovery. 1 minute intervals with 1 minute rest are good training. Try to do 8-12 of these with intensity for the last one being as strong as the 3rd.
- If fancy having a go at sprinting need to practice this. Best with someone else, ideally a racer.

Licence:
- If doing a lot of races best get a racing licence from BCF. However 4 cat (beginner) races often allow riders to get a day licence for the day
- Places (down to 10th) get points. 10 points for a win 8 for second and so on (though actual points may differ according to race). Once got a licence first target is 10 points. This will promote you up to 3rd cat which
--Means you can call yourself a "real" racer
--Can mean chance to ride in races with the real "real" racers up to elite status (or ride in a slightly aloof manner in mixed 3/4 races...)

Useful links:
BCF events listing
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/eve/eventsfuture.asp

Hillingdon Winter series: some race reports/pictures to get a feel of the whole thing
http://www.imperialracingteam.com/imperialracingteam/results0809.html

Top of this are some blog links that also give an insider feel. This one is for a beginner and useful standard to measure against:
http://lancewrite.blogspot.com/search/label/imperial%20winter%20series

Other relevant threads here:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12603851

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12605993

mikeh202

Thanks guys this is all really useful stuff. Its a pretty intimidating scene for a newbie so all the heads up info is a real help.

mclarent

Out of interest, why do the attacks tend not to work? Are they people trying to solo, or do small groups manage to gap?

shockedsoshocked

If you're doing training for sportives I assume you're doing a lot of climbing? It might be better to cut down your climbing and start doing flat, fast rides. Try and get out with a local club/chaingang saturday/sunday too. They'll help with riding in a tight group, and if they're all going to be racing this season the pace will be pretty good as well, usually with a few sprints along the way.

Simon Notley

There's actually a thread somewhere about why breaks don't succeed. Try a search for "how do breaks get organised" or something like that.

EDIT: Here is is:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12603851

Tom Butcher

I think breaks are more likely to succeed on the road than on circuits - I suppose on a circuit you can always see them ahead - it's wider so you easier to get more riders up the front to take turns - terrain tends to be easier and tarmac much smoother so maybe that helps keep the bunch fast. Most road races I've done have had successful breaks - most circuit races probably ended in a bunch sprint - but it's not unusual for either to go either way.

bahzob

mclarent wrote:

Out of interest, why do the attacks tend not to work? Are they people trying to solo, or do small groups manage to gap?

Just refering to 4 cat races. Higher up they do. Think for number of reasons, lack of nowce being the main one. Breaks I have been in have petered out because don't work well as a group and (as mentioned) on short circuit so hard to get psychological benefit of being out of sight.

(As per see other thread I raised in race section for more on this).

terongi

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

If you're doing training for sportives I assume you're doing a lot of climbing? It might be better to cut down your climbing and start doing flat, fast rides.

I agree that flat fast rides are good practice, but

I disagree with the suggestion that you should cut down on climbing, because:

(1) most road race circuits have at least one small hill in them and being able to power up hills comfortably is an essential skill to keep up with the bunch

(2) training up short hills (ie 1km or less) is good practice for the sustained lung bursting efforts you sometimes need to make in a road race on the flat either for bridging a gap or opening one up.

I would however agree that grinding slowly up a long mountain climb in sportif style is less specifically useful for road race training (although it all helps with overall fitness and endurance)

shockedsoshocked

terongi wrote:

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

If you're doing training for sportives I assume you're doing a lot of climbing? It might be better to cut down your climbing and start doing flat, fast rides.

I agree that flat fast rides are good practice, but

I disagree with the suggestion that you should cut down on climbing, because:

(1) most road race circuits have at least one small hill in them and being able to power up hills comfortably is an essential skill to keep up with the bunch

(2) training up short hills (ie 1km or less) is good practice for the sustained lung bursting efforts you sometimes need to make in a road race on the flat either for bridging a gap or opening one up.

I would however agree that grinding slowly up a long mountain climb in sportif style is less specifically useful for road race training (although it all helps with overall fitness and endurance)

No where in Britain is fan flat anyway, so you'll probably have to blast over a short hill at some point on almost any route.

Over the winter I was told to forget about climbing if i'm racing, as most courses are pretty much flat anyway, and if you ride enough the climbing comes naturally, and it has worked, in my case at least. My climbing has not suffered at all and I am much stronger on the flats/into the wind etc. Now i'm not saying forget about the climbing completely if you want to race and do sportives, maybe bring hilly and flat rides to a 1:2 ratio for instance.