beginning racing

KiNgOfThEmOuNtAiN

Hi all, im 15 and just got a road bike..(peugeot premier). I've already done about 60 miles within 2 days and am looking to start a club. I went with my dad yesterday- an eager cyclist and pretty much left him for dead.. He said i could go far if i wanted to, but im wondering like how you would start competitions. my mate said i should do 69 miler to oxford so thats next year..

I'm a bit shy so joining a club on my own seems quite daunting really... How then would you go on to competitons,nationals etc.. Obviously with alot of training...
cheers

Bronzie

Similar questions asked in this recent thread:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12638254

futureyellowjersey

sorry to dampen your very enthusuastic approach to cycling, however, you mention that you have ridden 60 miles in two days- this distance , im sorry is one that a seriouse rider does in a matter of hours . If you want to start thinking about going pro you should start at least doubleing that mileage for the equivelent amount of time.

futureyellowjersey

just to mention i'm 16 and currently do 40 mile rides 2 days a week, 2 interval sessions and a longer 70 - 90 miles one day , and i will often go to racesat weekends

AO1504

futureyellowjersey wrote:

seriouse rider does in a matter of hours.

Give him a break for goodness sake he's just got his bike and said he is a beginner so he's hardly going to be doing the same miles of a serious rider in his first 2 days of riding. When a baby starts crawling you don't see the parents saying "If you want to grow up to be an adult you are going to have to get on your feet and start walking like the rest of us".

KOTM - welcome to road cycling/racing, hope you get the same enjoyment as the rest of us. Don't be too shy about joining a club, contact the secretary or whoever runs the club you want to join and they will be more than happy to welcome you and go through the process of racing and training etc

If you need help finding a club all registered clubs are on the British Cycling website here
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/si ... finder.asp

And if you are still a bit shy, try and get some of your pals involved as well .

disquieting_museeuws

If your dad's a cyclist anyway why not go along with him to the club (at least at first) - a lot of adults join clubs because their children get into it, so it wouldn't be unusual, plus a lot of parents want to check out that it's safe to race on the roads anyway. With most clubs you don't have to race, so you could do social runs to start with (although these can still be pretty hard depending on the club). A tip is to ask around local bike shops (if you have them) about the nearby clubs to find out what they're like - cyclists are terrible gossips so they'll tell you if a certain club's not worth joining!

Pokerface

Also - you may want to post in the 'Road Beginners' or 'Amateur Race' sections of the forum.


'Pro Race' may be a little premature for you at this point!


Good luck.

KiNgOfThEmOuNtAiN

1. my dad is not that fit if u get me..he does run alot..

2. i dont really appreciate guys sayin "im doing 90 miles etc"

3. i havnt had a bike for 2 years, i have just done 50 on tuesday.. and if you know how hilly clent/stourport is ....guess im not going to be taking it any further if people are already doing alot more. i'll still give it a try

jim one

KiNgOfThEmOuNtAiN wrote:

1. my dad is not that fit if u get me..he does run alot..

2. i dont really appreciate guys sayin "im doing 90 miles etc"

3. i havnt had a bike for 2 years, i have just done 50 on tuesday.. and if you know how hilly clent/stourport is ....guess im not going to be taking it any further if people are already doing alot more. i'll still give it a try

Miles dont mean a thing if you dont have the power. Anyone can ride round for 90miles with food and drink.

Also as you are new you will injure yourself suddenly trying to do huge miles. It needs to be built up slowly until your quads and calfs are suffiecent that your knee tracks straight up and down otherwise you risk injury if you are doing huge miles and your setup is not right.

At 15 your races would only be 30minutes(around 10miles) in the Youth A catorgory. Max ride length need only be about 90minutes in training but concentrate on quality not quantity.
Quality being mainly riding around your lactic threshold, as well as sprinting into oxygen debt for signs etc that would simulate racing.

Join a club though with a youth section is the most important thing.

Hope that is of use

bikerZA

Pokerface wrote:

Also - you may want to post in the 'Road Beginners' or 'Amateur Race' sections of the forum.


'Pro Race' may be a little premature for you at this point!


Good luck.

For some reason I didn't even look twice at it being in the Pro Race section! But of course you're right.

mrushton

Well done for wanting to give it a go. Cycling is full of wannabe's and no-hopers who will try to knock you back but there are lots of people on here and in clubs who will encourage you. Fitness is important and training but so is learning to ride in a bunch and reading a race ie tactics, going with the right break etc. This knowledge is often passed down so a club with a good youth section will help you.

jimycooper

why do a lot of young riders judge eachover on how far they can ride?

im youth A and EVERY single road (closed circuit) race is less than about 20 miles at most.

so doing huge rides wont make you faster for the sort of races in youth catagories...

however they can be usefull for building your endurance during the winter .

richard_l

KiNgOfThEmOuNtAiN wrote:

Hi all, im 15 and just got a road bike..(peugeot premier). I've already done about 60 miles within 2 days and am looking to start a club. I went with my dad yesterday- an eager cyclist and pretty much left him for dead.. He said i could go far if i wanted to, but im wondering like how you would start competitions. my mate said i should do 69 miler to oxford so thats next year..

I'm a bit shy so joining a club on my own seems quite daunting really... How then would you go on to competitons,nationals etc.. Obviously with alot of training...
cheers

I would fully reiterate what has been said already about joining a local club. For you this is ideal as it is the Stourbridge CC, which is already a Go-Ride club with a good number of qualified coaches and a great deal of experience in helping riders progress from beginners to competing in high standard competition. Matt Bowker would probably be a good person to have a first conversation with - his contact details are on the "committee" section of their website.
http://www.stourbridgecyclingclub.com/index.html

jerry3571

-Don't do Intervals and don't use big gears (spinning); too young (18 and overs).
-Try to keep the mileage lower, under 40 miles and not more than 100 miles in a week.
-Big miles are not really necessary yet.
-Enjoy your riding.
-Try going out on a Sunday Club ride with a local Cycling Club, asking the usual average speed and distance. This is good as you will get used to riding in a group which is essential for Road Racing.
Think of your development in years; you will get stronger as the years progress. Some Teenagers I have ridden with have been quite average up to the age of 19 and then suddenly developed into hugely strong riders and end up off the front instead of off the back.
Good luck and enjoy it.
Cheers Jerry