Starting racing

jame58rown

Sorry if this has been done before, but I would just like to find out/clarify some stuff.

I would like to do some races this year (I said it last year and never got round to it; I desperately don't want that to happen again) Is it simply a case of buying a British Cycling membership and a racing licence, paying for an event and turning up? I'm already a member of a club, so have a bit of practice riding in a group. This may be a stupid question, but I might be more stupid not asking.

Also, is their any lower limit of fitness needed for the begginer races (cat 4??) No matter how vague; I don't want to enter a race and find out I need way more fitness just to stay on the back. :roll:

Cheers.

danowat

jame58rown wrote:

Is it simply a case of buying a British Cycling membership and a racing licence, paying for an event and turning up? I'm already a member of a club, so have a bit of practice riding in a group. This may be a stupid question, but I might be more stupid not asking.

Also, is their any lower limit of fitness needed for the begginer races (cat 4??) No matter how vague; I don't want to enter a race and find out I need way more fitness just to stay on the back. :roll:

Cheers.

Pretty much, yes.

As for level of fitness, I did some novice crits last year, and even at the lower end the pace is pretty sharp, I'd say if you can do a 10mile TT under say 27-28mins, then you'd be around the right level.

avg speed for the 30min + 1 lap crits I did was a shade under 21mph, which when you consider it was a tight, 600yd curcuit, its a pretty hot pace.

This is the data feed from one of the events I did. > http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45700891

sheffsimon

jame58rown wrote:

Sorry if this has been done before, but I would just like to find out/clarify some stuff.

I would like to do some races this year (I said it last year and never got round to it; I desperately don't want that to happen again) Is it simply a case of buying a British Cycling membership and a racing licence, paying for an event and turning up? I'm already a member of a club, so have a bit of practice riding in a group. This may be a stupid question, but I might be more stupid not asking.

Also, is their any lower limit of fitness needed for the begginer races (cat 4??) No matter how vague; I don't want to enter a race and find out I need way more fitness just to stay on the back. :roll:

Cheers.

Why not, thats what the rest of us had to do

Seriously, the only way to find out if you are fit enough is to enter a race. Dont build it up to be something more than it is, its just a bike race, enter one.

dulldave

Expect to get dropped. That way everything else will be a bonus. Just enjoy it.

jame58rown

SheffSimon wrote:

Why not, thats what the rest of us had to do

Seriously, the only way to find out if you are fit enough is to enter a race. Dont build it up to be something more than it is, its just a bike race, enter one.

Good point.

Thanks for all the info. And I will expect to get dropped, sounds like a good idea; plan for the worst hope for the best and all that...

Thanks again.

jibberjim

Also you'll likely get dropped with nothing to do with fitness, if you're experienced you need virtually no fitness to stay in a 4th cat race. A friend of mine raced and stayed in a 90 minute 3rd cat race at ~100watt average, she didn't race it again through boredom.

Start racing, expect to get dropped, do it again until you're not.

amaferanga

jibberjim wrote:

Also you'll likely get dropped with nothing to do with fitness, if you're experienced you need virtually no fitness to stay in a 4th cat race. A friend of mine raced and stayed in a 90 minute 3rd cat race at ~100watt average, she didn't race it again through boredom.

Start racing, expect to get dropped, do it again until you're not.

#

She won it then?

Bentyler

I am afraid it is a chicken and egg situation, you must start to race to find out where you are on a fitness level. Riding a number of races will give you race experience ie riding in a bunch, watching the better riders. You can also learn to conserve your energy by intelligent riding in the bunch. Ask your clubmates and enter races with them, you will then have more to discuss at the race post mortem.

'The older you are the faster you were'

jibberjim

amaferanga wrote:

jibberjim wrote:

Also you'll likely get dropped with nothing to do with fitness, if you're experienced you need virtually no fitness to stay in a 4th cat race. A friend of mine raced and stayed in a 90 minute 3rd cat race at ~100watt average, she didn't race it again through boredom.

Start racing, expect to get dropped, do it again until you're not.

#

She won it then?

no, but I'm not sure ~50kg women are going to win a mens bunch sprint anywhere... the power profiles are just completely wrong. Women in mens races tend to be for training, and if the race isn't tough enough there's not much training benefit.

maryka

jibberjim wrote:

no, but I'm not sure ~50kg women are going to win a mens bunch sprint anywhere... the power profiles are just completely wrong. Women in mens races tend to be for training, and if the race isn't tough enough there's not much training benefit.

In all fairness, that was a dead flat wide circuit with gentle corners and 60-odd riders and I think it was surprisingly dull for her. She was hoping for a better workout having to stay with the bunch and found out that being tucked in the middle meant she had to do no work at all. She probably should have just gone off the front.

But the point is, if your intention is just to finish in the bunch, then it's very possible on an unchallenging flat circuit such as that to be towed along at 25mph even if you're unfit or have low watts -- you just have to be positioned properly. If you're one of those "being in the middle of the bunch makes me nervous, I'll just hang out at the back instead" and you have no fitness, well, that's a different story...

Surfr

Get yourself down to Pembrey for a circuit race. It's where I cut my teeth (figuratively not literally) last year and it's a good course for beginners. Plenty of wide tarmac if things get hairy, enough corners and straights to make it interesting and the addition of a guaranteed headwind. Aren't you down Lampeter way? It's not too far for you from there either

If you want something earlier in the calendar, I'm heading to Shrewsbury in March for their 3 race series on a smaller tighter closed circuit. Apparently with a full field, this can be quite a scary/dangerous race though. TIme will tell on that one.

Also there are 3 town centre criteriums in Mid Wales now. Tywyn, Aberystwyth and Cardigan. These are excellent events and each is a very different course. Plenty of spectators and a great day out.

SteveR_100Milers

danowat wrote:

jame58rown wrote:

Is it simply a case of buying a British Cycling membership and a racing licence, paying for an event and turning up? I'm already a member of a club, so have a bit of practice riding in a group. This may be a stupid question, but I might be more stupid not asking.

Also, is their any lower limit of fitness needed for the begginer races (cat 4??) No matter how vague; I don't want to enter a race and find out I need way more fitness just to stay on the back. :roll:

Cheers.

Pretty much, yes.

As for level of fitness, I did some novice crits last year, and even at the lower end the pace is pretty sharp, I'd say if you can do a 10mile TT under say 27-28mins, then you'd be around the right level.

avg speed for the 30min + 1 lap crits I did was a shade under 21mph, which when you consider it was a tight, 600yd curcuit, its a pretty hot pace.

This is the data feed from one of the events I did. > http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45700891

I'm not so sure!

Last year I did the castle combe easter classic, and whilst well out of condition I was easily capable of a sub 25 minute 10 and I got bombed out the back of the 4ths after 2 laps, and that was on a flat circuit! I reckon that to be comfortable in a pack of 4ths that go mad from the gun you should be in the 22" area for a 10TT - most of the other riders will be. Bear in mind that 22" for a 10 these days is pretty average. Having spent a winter racing against some pretty good young talent at the track I have realised painfully how big the gulf is between being hammered and having a chance. If you are small and light you might find the induction process easier, but if you are the size of a small tank like me then its going to hurt a lot at first!

Surfr

I'm not sure you can draw direct comparisons from TT times to road racing. Last year my PB was 27.17 on the club 10. It's sporting course with a couple of rises and I was on a 22lb cyclocross bike with slicks and no aero gear at all. I entered 3 3/4 circuit races and my best performance was holding onto the back of the group for 1/2 of the distance (1 hour + 5 laps race). I reckon I'd have been a lot better if I'd maintained a better position in the bunch instead of filtering out to the back and struggling to maintain the elastic. In another race where I was shelled onthe first lap, I stayed on track and completed the race solo at an average speed of 21MPH. The bunch was probably closer to 25MPH avg.

jibberjim

Most of the 3rd cat racers in my club can't do 22 minute 10's, and there are plenty of 4th cats in the 25/26 minute zone who can ride and race them. My first years racing where I managed 24:50 10 mile PB on a fast day on P881 I got the points to go up to 3rd cat.

There's a huge amount of experience of being on wheels and saving energy that can help in races you certainly don't need to be able to do a 22!

Zachariah

Just did my first race at the grand old age of 36, the Velo29 Winter Series 1 at Croft Circuit. Fantastic time, very well organised. Croft is wide, smooth and virtually flat.

Began with a rolling lap following a pace car, then a flying start into 8 full laps of racing. The pace was surprisingly placid for the most part, barely going over 20mph for the majority of the time. I had no problem keeping up. That was my downfall, as I thought I could make a break on my own - classic beginner mistake! I led for a lap and a half, about 15-20secs ahead of the peloton thinking I was Cancellara. Couldn't stay ahead of course, and rejoined the group just before the final lap started.

That's when the pace really picked up, reaching 27mph on my computer in several sections. Again, once back in the main group, this was surprisingly easy to maintain. Thinking I still had a chance, I chased down a last-minute breakaway and rounded the final series of bends in a close second place position, but by then I had nothing left and we were overtaken by the sprinters, so annoyingly despite finishing only a few seconds behind the winner, I was well out of the points.

Well, now I've got those beginner's nerves (and mistakes) out of the system, I should be able to do better next time. I'm certainly a good lead-out man! Just need to control those impulses.

joeyhalloran

Snap! I was there too. I came 6th (I think) a bit boxed in for the sprint and annoyed at myself for letting it happen but managed to get out of it, just a bit late to give the sprint my full 100%. Ah well, still a few more to go! It was a fun race

Zachariah

Ah, well done! You really find out what you can do when you race properly. I feel like an idiot for wasting all that energy with the idiotic attempt to break away - I read all the advice and the race played out exactly as everyone with experience said it would. And I still did what every stupid beginner does. Must be some kind of genetic instinct.

dulldave

Zachariah wrote:

Ah, well done! You really find out what you can do when you race properly. I feel like an idiot for wasting all that energy with the idiotic attempt to break away - I read all the advice and the race played out exactly as everyone with experience said it would. And I still did what every stupid beginner does. Must be some kind of genetic instinct.

It was fun though eh?

maryka

Zachariah wrote:

Ah, well done! You really find out what you can do when you race properly. I feel like an idiot for wasting all that energy with the idiotic attempt to break away - I read all the advice and the race played out exactly as everyone with experience said it would. And I still did what every stupid beginner does. Must be some kind of genetic instinct.

Everyone's been there!

Two things you learn from such an attempt to get away:
1) getting away solo is fairly easy, staying away is what's hard
2) just HOW hard it is and therefore how hard you need to work in training to be able to do it in a race

It's nearly impossible to learn these things without direct experience, so you're already a step ahead of anyone else in that race who hasn't tried it yet. And next time you see someone do the same as you and hover out front for half a lap, bridge over to join him (bring a 3rd person with you if you can) and maybe your little group you can make it stick longer, or at the very least force the bunch to work harder to catch you and spit out some of the would-be sprinters who were happy to roll around in the bunch for 20mph for most of the race.

sheffsimon

Zachariah wrote:

Ah, well done! You really find out what you can do when you race properly. I feel like an idiot for wasting all that energy with the idiotic attempt to break away - I read all the advice and the race played out exactly as everyone with experience said it would. And I still did what every stupid beginner does. Must be some kind of genetic instinct.

You did race properly mate, attacked and made it hurt. Better than just rolling round in the bunch and still getting nowt in the sprint.

As others have said, take somebody with you next time, or get something organised before you start, always a few willing to have a dig.

Pross

The numbers in the race can have a huge impact on how easy it is, my only road race last year was a field of 15 in a Go Race which by the end of the first lap had a lead 'group' of 3 and a chasing group of 2 with the rest scattered all over the course. If you have a group of 60 riders it is far easier to stay in the main bunch. It will also depend on how twisty and how hilly the circuit is. 60 people on a flat, oval circuit should be quite easy for anyone (i just need to find a course like this! :oops: )

jibberjim

Pross wrote:

The numbers in the race can have a huge impact on how easy it is, my only road race last year was a field of 15 in a Go Race which by the end of the first lap had a lead 'group' of 3 and a chasing group of 2 with the rest scattered all over the course. If you have a group of 60 riders it is far easier to stay in the main bunch. It will also depend on how twisty and how hilly the circuit is. 60 people on a flat, oval circuit should be quite easy for anyone (i just need to find a course like this! :oops: )

Goodwood or Dunsfold in the south east.