Races number 2 and 3
MikeWW
Posts: 723
After making my racing debut last month at the age of 47 had my second outing on Saturday at Shrewsbury
Felt far more confident than the first outing and having stayed with the bunch last time I felt more comfortable trying to get closer to the front. Made the sprints out of the bottom corner easier and even had a (very) brief spell at the front. Got mobbed at the end and was out of position to even remotely contest so another bunch finish and an average of 24.8 mph for the 50 mins and 5 laps
Kicking myself for not making a better fist of it headed over to Mallory last night for their Tuesday night Cat 3/4 race. A bit of a rush but worth it. First big difference was the circuit. 30 laps of a 1.25 mile wide circuit made it hugely more enjoyable. Longer efforts and far easier to get near the front. A group of 4 had broken away about a third of the way through and ended up running with 2 other guys as we looked to bridge to them. A bit more effort than I'd have liked but we made it and as everyone started working together I thought for a brief moment that we might stay away. Couple of laps later though and we were caught and I hid in the bunch for 2 laps recovering. Had one more dig off the front and then tried to get lined up for the sprint finish. Complete fail and just seemed to get mobbed again. Averaged 25.4 mph for the 38 miles
I don't feel as I have the last few laps sorted out at all.Maybe need to dig a bit harder from further out to make sure I am in position or get better at spotting a wheel to grab or something else. Any advice welcome
Felt far more confident than the first outing and having stayed with the bunch last time I felt more comfortable trying to get closer to the front. Made the sprints out of the bottom corner easier and even had a (very) brief spell at the front. Got mobbed at the end and was out of position to even remotely contest so another bunch finish and an average of 24.8 mph for the 50 mins and 5 laps
Kicking myself for not making a better fist of it headed over to Mallory last night for their Tuesday night Cat 3/4 race. A bit of a rush but worth it. First big difference was the circuit. 30 laps of a 1.25 mile wide circuit made it hugely more enjoyable. Longer efforts and far easier to get near the front. A group of 4 had broken away about a third of the way through and ended up running with 2 other guys as we looked to bridge to them. A bit more effort than I'd have liked but we made it and as everyone started working together I thought for a brief moment that we might stay away. Couple of laps later though and we were caught and I hid in the bunch for 2 laps recovering. Had one more dig off the front and then tried to get lined up for the sprint finish. Complete fail and just seemed to get mobbed again. Averaged 25.4 mph for the 38 miles
I don't feel as I have the last few laps sorted out at all.Maybe need to dig a bit harder from further out to make sure I am in position or get better at spotting a wheel to grab or something else. Any advice welcome
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Comments
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Good stuff, Mike
It's never too late to start racing. Just do as may races that you can to get as much expereince as poss. Well done on getting into a breakaway too, even if it was only short lived. Click the link below for some tips.
Road Race Tactics0 -
Certainly not a complete fail - that's excellent racing for a newcomer. Took me quite a few races before I even got to take part in a bunch sprint. Maybe you could try some racing on the open road as it gives a better chance of getting into a break that stays away. Not everyone is made for sprinting but maybe you could try to work some sprint work into your training schedule?0
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Cheers guys-useful link and food for thought
Will give it another go hopefully next week and try to do a bit better
Very addictive 0
