4th Cat race speed

davetrave
davetrave Posts: 23
edited June 2011 in Amateur race
First road race (done plenty of MTB and cyclocross before now) in a week and hoping for some (helpful) advice - I'm reasonably happy with tactics and bunch riding and what not but what sort of average speed should I be expecting for the duration of a 20 mile race? I've been doing plenty of training for accelerating, slowing down and breaking away so shouldn't have a problem coping with that and getting to the end, just thinking about what I might be able to do in terms of escspes and staying away...
50th Anniversary 3 Peaks Cyclocross 2012 survivor

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Last 4th cat only I did averaged 26mph for 32 miles until I met an untimely demise due to a crash on the next to last lap!
    Depends on the course and the circuit.
    If it's a 20 mile race expect it to be very fast and furious.
  • MRadd
    MRadd Posts: 205
    I've done 4th cat races that average 26 mph... and ones that only hit 22 mph!

    So many factors. Its more to do with intervals. Having the ability to sprint a few times per lap (assuming crit style).
    : "Why don't i remember breaking my face?" :

    : Semi Professional Grease Monkey, Full time Tea boy... :
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    When a break happens.... just bridge it and dont pull the whole bunch with you... :wink:
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    JGSI wrote:
    When a break happens.... just bridge it and dont pull the whole bunch with you... :wink:

    A break in a 4th Cat race? Never seen one of those....
    More problems but still living....
  • Zachariah
    Zachariah Posts: 782
    Don't blink!
  • sods_law
    sods_law Posts: 161
    amaferanga wrote:
    JGSI wrote:
    When a break happens.... just bridge it and dont pull the whole bunch with you... :wink:

    A break in a 4th Cat race? Never seen one of those....

    Dunsfold on Friday - group was split into 3 and people scattered all over the place.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,135
    It's not the speed that's the problem it's the accelerations (particularly out of corners). Did my first race in 15 years today and that was what got me. Race was won by a two man break that went more or less from the gun and never had more than a 45 second lead!
  • thecyclinghub
    thecyclinghub Posts: 8
    The main thing to focus on is who's around you. You want to be in the front 3rd of the ride from the gun, that way you'll stay out of trouble while people looking for positions in the bunch. Also if your at the back there is a lot of slowing down and sprinting out of every corner, whereas if you at the front the changes in speed are alot less.

    Hope this helps.
    Check out my blog @ http://thecyclinghub.blogspot.com/
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Being in the front third *tends* to be safer but, well, not always...
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    Being in the front third *tends* to be safer but, well, not always...

    On the subject of which how well are you healing up?
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
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  • MRadd
    MRadd Posts: 205
    amaferanga wrote:
    JGSI wrote:
    When a break happens.... just bridge it and dont pull the whole bunch with you... :wink:

    A break in a 4th Cat race? Never seen one of those....


    Thruxton 15th May.. Break on the last lap up the hill.. Can't think who caused that one... 8)
    : "Why don't i remember breaking my face?" :

    : Semi Professional Grease Monkey, Full time Tea boy... :
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    unixnerd wrote:
    Being in the front third *tends* to be safer but, well, not always...

    On the subject of which how well are you healing up?

    Managed to get an operation on the shoulder so that is coming on but I've made a right mess of all the tendons in the base of my neck. My back, however, is a bit of a mare. Cheers!
  • Johnpsanderson
    Johnpsanderson Posts: 380
    A break in a 4th Cat race? Never seen one of those....

    A win from a break seems to be the order of the day at the Dunton Go-Race events now - although it's only a recent development.

    Ipswich Circuit Race Go-Race last night - break of 2 won from 2 chasers and then the bunch (admittedly of 5/6). But that from close to 20 starters.

    Woodbridge Circuit Races on 23/4 and 28/5 had 4th cat Go-Race fields that lapped at the same speed as the 3/4 (albeit for 15 mins less) with breakaways on both days.

    4th cat /Go-Race doesn't necessarily mean slower or less intelligent racing than 3/4 or E/1/2/3/4 for that matter. Sometimes i think that the only reason higher cat races look like they have 'breaks' in them in because the field strength is so varied that they get shredded into different bunches....
    Put me back on my bike...

    t' blog: http://meandthemountain.wordpress.com/
  • gattocattivo
    gattocattivo Posts: 500
    Johnpsanderson wrote:
    A win from a break seems to be the order of the day at the Dunton Go-Race events now - although it's only a recent development.

    There have been three of them so far this season. The first was a bunch finish, the second was won by a break that formed right at the start and stayed away for the whole race, and the third was another bunch finish. The third one was on a windy night which discouraged breaks.

    As for average speed, here is what I was doing at the most recent Dunton one:
    http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/dunton2junegraph.jpg
    (x-axis shows number of laps, not miles, each lap is about 1.7 miles long)
    But that average speed per lap masks the huge changes that you get within a lap. This shows my average speed in sections of about 200 yards at a time:
    http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/dunton2junegraph2.jpg
  • xcmad
    xcmad Posts: 110
    Let us know how you get on
  • monnet
    monnet Posts: 49
    MRadd wrote:
    amaferanga wrote:
    JGSI wrote:
    When a break happens.... just bridge it and dont pull the whole bunch with you... :wink:

    A break in a 4th Cat race? Never seen one of those....


    Thruxton 15th May.. Break on the last lap up the hill.. Can't think who caused that one... 8)

    There was? I must have blinked.
  • Johnpsanderson
    Johnpsanderson Posts: 380
    There have been three of them so far this season. The first was a bunch finish, the second was won by a break that formed right at the start and stayed away for the whole race, and the third was another bunch finish. The third one was on a windy night which discouraged breaks.

    As for average speed, here is what I was doing at the most recent Dunton one:
    http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299 ... egraph.jpg
    (x-axis shows number of laps, not miles, each lap is about 1.7 miles long)
    But that average speed per lap masks the huge changes that you get within a lap. This shows my average speed in sections of about 200 yards at a time:
    http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299 ... graph2.jpg

    Fair point - i haven't actually been this year - but on the whole since i first went (2007 i think) the nature of them has changed a bit from - plod round in a bunch with sprint finish to more 'mature' racing. Those graphs are interesting - it took a few seconds before I realised 16mph = the hill! It does demonstrate the difference between RR and TT as a discipline quite nicely though!!!
    Put me back on my bike...

    t' blog: http://meandthemountain.wordpress.com/

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