First road race Saturday-any tips

MikeWW

Think I will be doing my first road race(Darley Moor) on Saturday and after a few tips/insights.
Think its 34 miles
Does everyone hammer if from the start or does everyone settle down over the first couple of laps and then get at it
I'm assuming these things normally come down to a sprint finish-what sort of speed are we likely to be going for the last 5-10 miles or is it one break after another?

Any advice welcome

Thanks

oldgreg

Its not madness from the start to the finish, but make sure you are switched on when it starts. Make sure you are in the bunch, on a good wheel. Don’t have a steady start at the back of the group, because you may lose the group straight away.

When you get to every corner, its always a sprint acceleration, so feel ready, get out the saddle and jump into the bunch line.

There will be break always, but usually it is a sprint finish.

Its a great race, so you will totally enjoy it! Just remember the wind, (its very strong) so find a comfortable position protecting yourself – don’t lose the group, its impossible to join it if you lose even 10m!

See you Saturday!

tomb8555

My top tips on not getting dropped (This is my first season so I'm also just learning, but I'm doing ok so far):

1) be ready for it to fly at the start. It may start off suprisingly slow and steady, or someone might decide they're going to ramp the pace, or someone might immediately attack causing everyone to chase. If it does set off fast then it won't stay that way, so get on someones wheel and hang in there until it calms down.

2) During the race, be prepared for accelerations out of the corners. If you see someone 3 bikes ahead getting out of the saddle to stay on the wheel in front, then you have time to prepare yourself to do the same when the person in front of you accelerates. It's much easier on the legs etc if you anticipate the accelerations rather than not realise until you're a few metres off the wheel!

3) Breakaways - there wil probably be a few break attempts. The pace will pick up probably in a massive acceleration that may require an out of saddle sprint to keep up, but again, try to anticipate it when you see people a few bikes in front having to sprint to keep up, and just get on someones wheel.

:-) Enjoy it. I'm sure you'll be fine - the 4th cat races I did almost always started off pretty chilled out, and only ramped up in the last few laps for the sprint. It obviously depends on the course/conditions/who turns up, but I found the 4th cat circuit races would cruise around at 22-28mph-ish in the bunch, with my max speed showing somewhere in the mid 30s. Overall average less than 24mph usually (which is easy when you're sheltered from the wind)

timmjackson

Hi
Is this race british cycling or something else?
cheers

timmjackson

Hi
Is this race british cycling or something else?
cheers

timmjackson

Hi
Is this race british cycling or something else?
cheers

Tom Butcher

It's a 3/4 race. Expect a large field, can be up to about 100 riders if the weather is nice but 80 is probably more likely. Darley is always cold and always windy - if the weather is at all blowy then Darley will be gale force.

The races normally have a few crashes - just try and ignore this fact and ride predictably - if somebody goes down near you just carry on don't slow too much or you may get dropped. Try and stay reasonably near the front but if you can't you can't - not everyone can ride in the first 15-20. There will be some very strong riders who will be first or second cat by the end of the season - and some complete novices who will be out the back within half a lap.

Check out how the circuit narrows a bit from one side in the finishing sprint - you do not want to be sprinting up the edge where it comes into the track as people wont move over for you and you'll have to go up on the grass or risk forcing people over - which if they don't can lead to a crash.

Should be up there to watch the last half of the race - Derby Merc kit and a Principia with mudguards - let us know your club and I'll look out for you.

edit : oh and if you can survive the first 4-5 laps then it should settle down a bit.

MikeWW

Thanks everyone
I'll be racing in Lichfield CCC kit and a white helmet. Only just started(at 47!) but been training hard and doing quite a lot of cyclocross races through the winter and done quite a few training sessions at Curborough as well a a couple of reliability rides. Not going to win but don't want to embarrass myself if I can help it

Anonymous

Stay in the bunch and let others work for you. A mistake that I made was that I felt strong, so did too much work on the front and faded near the end for doing too much. Dont get hemmed in when approaching a hill or corner as people will be moving round the bunch in antcipation and slowly moving you back in the bunch, if you don't stay switched on, you may find you are at the back of the bunch, the pace will go up and you haven't got a hope of getting back on.
I found it mentally tiring my first couple of races, just think smart, conserve energy it is really exhilirating when you are in a bunch blatting along.

Tom Butcher

http://www.badassboys.co.uk/badassboys/tracks/track%20pic%27s/darley_moor.gif

No hills but as you can see from the map - plenty of cornering - the bit to be careful of in the sprint is marked on the map as the chicane just before the finish - it's this squeezing people in when they are in full sprint which has been known to cause the odd crash.

Sheptastic

Don't switch! dont jump into a gap behind a rider that is up and across from you - you'll get shouted at! If you need to, make sure there is space.

That is ride a line parallel to the road through the corners, unless someone stops you from doing that.

Have fun!!

lfc_westy

hi, im 15 and im riding in the youth race at 12:00 on the bc website it says that im riding groups U16 through U8's, can this be right?

also i am travelling from grimsby ahnd this is also my first race, where do i report to,to sign on?

the race last 9 miles for me, should i take a gel and energy drink with me as its my first race and i feel i am slightly off par

Gav888

All good advise, just for reference, if you get dropped off the back is it worth carrying on as the impression I get is you wont catch up again once you've been dropped.

Slow1972

You won't catch up on Darley Moor if dropped unless there is a crash that stops the bunch and you're only 50 metres back at the time.

Whether it's worth carrying on is up to you. I got dropped there once when a guy next to me ran me and himself off in the gravel after the hairpin. After I boll***ed him for not turning we 2-up'd for the remaining 30 mins or so. You're there, you've paid your money, you want a hard ride, so why just sit on the side and sulk if you get dropped?

pinkbikini

MikeWW wrote:

Thanks everyone
I'll be racing in Lichfield CCC kit and a white helmet. Only just started(at 47!) ... not going to win but don't want to embarrass myself if I can help it

Good for you for giving it a go. I did my first race several years back at 38, race fairly regularly with plenty of 40yr+ riders in standard (i.e. not Vet) races. I think all the advice above is good, best is to try and stay near the front - it really is worth fighting for this place as 1) accelerations are easier to cope with and b) it is much safer generally. In the last lap of a crit if I'm not near the front (which is all too often) I tend to back off a bit in the final 3-400m. Most of the crashes I've seen have been amongst riders sprinting for 15th spot.
Good luck with it all, and there's no embarrassment in being dropped in your first race (happened to lots of us). But how do you know you're not going to win?

Mettan

MikeWW wrote:

Does everyone hammer if from the start or does everyone settle down over the first couple of laps and then get at it

1) - Be very alert and prepared for a fast start.

2) - Try not to get dropped in the first 2 or 3 laps - do everything you can to stay in the bunch.

After the first 1 - 2 laps or so, your nerves will have gone, you'll be buzzing, and can hopefully settle in and take part in the race.

Its the initial bit which might be tricky (as above), but after that you'll feel right at home - and then its just a case of whether you finish in the bunch, or get dropped later - doesn't matter, its all good experience
, and you'll be much more clued up for your next race.

Good luck.

Slimbods

Thanks for the advice here everyone. My first race is Sunday morning, and it's a handicap so I'm not sure how the tactics play out.

hammerite

lfc_westy wrote:

hi, im 15 and im riding in the youth race at 12:00 on the bc website it says that im riding groups U16 through U8's, can this be right?

also i am travelling from grimsby ahnd this is also my first race, where do i report to,to sign on?

the race last 9 miles for me, should i take a gel and energy drink with me as its my first race and i feel i am slightly off par

Never been to Darley Moor to know what it's like, but I do take Jnr to other kids races. They sometimes start all the kids together, but with u16s at the front of the start, and younger kids further back. Or they split into two, with a 30/60 second gap. In my experience the U16/14 keep as a group but because there are so few kids in each of the other age groups (or the standard is massively different) you get lots of kids riding around on their own. If this is the case then you just have to keep an eye (as a group) on individual riders and go round them.

fastercyclist

If you find yourself at the back, watch the condition of the man in front of you. I've been dropped off the back in the last two races because the wheel I was holding fell behind and I didn't switch fast enough. It's bloody annoying. The second you see any weakness, muscle your way in. It is not worth hoping on the other person staying.

lfc_westy

cheers for the advice hammerite, in the end i came 10th out of 12 riders, only managing to get dropped just before the last lap, it was my first race so im not really disappointed, but the advice helped

hammerite

lfc_westy wrote:

cheers for the advice hammerite, in the end i came 10th out of 12 riders, only managing to get dropped just before the last lap, it was my first race so im not really disappointed, but the advice helped

No probs, glad you enjoyed. Are you going to be back for more?

I watched the Jnr racing at MK today, there were some young kids riding some mightily impressive bikes!!

lfc_westy

erm i think im might go to no2 darley moor now i know the lingo and how things work in the race and try and better my 10th, but my main focus is the Yarborough Youth Race in lincoln on the 27th, if i do well in that its my ticket to Lincolnshire regional team!

Slimbods

fastercyclist wrote:

If you find yourself at the back, watch the condition of the man in front of you. I've been dropped off the back in the last two races because the wheel I was holding fell behind and I didn't switch fast enough. It's bloody annoying. The second you see any weakness, muscle your way in. It is not worth hoping on the other person staying.

First race done, and got dropped. Was a handicap and was doing ok, but was at the front of our group when the next group came past. Everyone else jumped on and I missed it, which was pretty much race over. Was spending so much time worrying about keeping up with our pack that I didn't really consider what to do when another group smashes it apart!

Hunterg46

lfc_westy, what was the U16 race like? I've got my first race next saturday and have no idea about what to do once I get there, and what the main layout of the race is, any help?

Slimbods

Did my second race on Sunday. Went far better this time. A handicap again, but a group of similar paced riders survived the scratch group going through and we finished on to the end as a chaingang. Was chuffed to just finish the race with a bunch, even had a little sprint and got mid table on the scoreboard.

Loved it!

Tom Butcher

Well done