First Race Concerns

Trev The Rev

Andrew Coggan wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

Andrew Coggan wrote:

Where's the "pressing"? You made it sound as if I were reticent to answer your questions as I did.

You can read the whole thread on timetrialling forum. In my opinion I had to press.

Yes, and we all know how your opinions are always grounded in fact!

Trev The Rev wrote:

Would you agree that fasting for 12 hours before doing endurance cycling tests would get different results to doing the tests having the subjects eat normally before doing the tests?

Not necessarily.

BTW, as I pointed out before, 1) it is standard practice in ALL metabolic research to study subjects in the fasted state, and 2) not everyone eats in the 12 h before racing. For example, I often don't.

Now go away, troll.

It may be standard practice in metabolic research but it would be more relevant to cycling performance to do these tests with the riders having eaten normally before the tests. By making the subjects fast for 12 hours, surely you are creating a test which will slew the results in favour of needing to ingest carbohydrate sooner. Even so you found no performance benefit before 2 hours.

Would you advise people to not eat for 12 hours before a race?

theprawn

Trev, I hope you don't mind me calling you Trev. Why are you being so silly?

Trev The Rev

Andrew Coggan wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

Andrew Coggan wrote:

Where's the "pressing"? You made it sound as if I were reticent to answer your questions as I did.

You can read the whole thread on timetrialling forum. In my opinion I had to press.

Yes, and we all know how your opinions are always grounded in fact!

Trev The Rev wrote:

Would you agree that fasting for 12 hours before doing endurance cycling tests would get different results to doing the tests having the subjects eat normally before doing the tests?

Not necessarily.

BTW, as I pointed out before, 1) it is standard practice in ALL metabolic research to study subjects in the fasted state, and 2) not everyone eats in the 12 h before racing. For example, I often don't.

Now go away, troll.

Didn't you also find that the placebo worked rather well even with subjects who have fasted for 12 hours?

Dave_P1

displacedaussie wrote:

For what it's worth, this is how fast the races I did were last year. Average speed doesn't mean much, and is obviously _massively_ dependent on the wind, size of the bunch, how people are riding etc. etc. etc. etc.

Castle Combe - Cat 4 - 25mph for the first 4 laps
Ilton - Cat 4 - 50 minutes - 23.5mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 52 minutes - 25.9mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 62 minutes - 26.9mph
Ilton - Cat 3 - 42 minutes - 23mph
Ilton - Cat 3 - 60 minutes - 25mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 64 minutes - 26.1mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 59 minutes - 24.7mph
Thruxton - Cat 3/4 - 53 minutes - 23.7mph
Ilton - Cat 3 - 68 minutes - 25.2mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 66 minutes - 25.4mph
Castle Combe - E123 - 47 minutes - 28.7mph

Thanks for posting this up as it does give an insight (to me) at how fast the groups are at these races. At least I know what to expect if I ever take the plunge

Pross

Dave_P1 wrote:

displacedaussie wrote:

For what it's worth, this is how fast the races I did were last year. Average speed doesn't mean much, and is obviously _massively_ dependent on the wind, size of the bunch, how people are riding etc. etc. etc. etc.

Castle Combe - Cat 4 - 25mph for the first 4 laps
Ilton - Cat 4 - 50 minutes - 23.5mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 52 minutes - 25.9mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 62 minutes - 26.9mph
Ilton - Cat 3 - 42 minutes - 23mph
Ilton - Cat 3 - 60 minutes - 25mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 64 minutes - 26.1mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 59 minutes - 24.7mph
Thruxton - Cat 3/4 - 53 minutes - 23.7mph
Ilton - Cat 3 - 68 minutes - 25.2mph
Castle Combe - Cat 3/4 - 66 minutes - 25.4mph
Castle Combe - E123 - 47 minutes - 28.7mph

Thanks for posting this up as it does give an insight (to me) at how fast the groups are at these races. At least I know what to expect if I ever take the plunge

What that doesn't show you is the fluctuations in pace which is what often causes the biggest problem to new racers even if they can comfortably manage the average speed.

theprawn

superb preparation so far, our daughter suddenly got a raging temperature last night and kept us up. will have to see how she is, might not be racing after all, but some things are more important.

theprawn

yep, she's nice and ill so first race postponed so i can take my son out this afternoon.

on the plus side, there's another one in 2 weeks, so i'll aim for that one instead.

gotta love little kids. :roll:

bigmat

There's a 3/4 there next Sunday, 11am start. Will be my first race of the year if all goes to plan.

theprawn

Can't make next week but thanks for the heads up, is it a series?

bigmat

SERRL winter series - runs alternate Sundays until end of Feb.

theprawn

BigMat wrote:

SERRL winter series - runs alternate Sundays until end of Feb.

just looked it up and it suggests they aren't back till the 13th on the calendar.

(edit)which is of course, next week

theprawn

So I finally did my first race today. Thanks for all the pointers, flat coke in the bottle worked a treat. I missed all the crashes, chased down a break at the front for a couple of laps and finished at the back of the lead pack. I stood out a mile as the only fella in slightly baggy helly hanson base layer.

Really enjoyed it and some friendly riders gave me loads of ego boosting compliments at the end when they found out it was my first go. I can honestly say I've never cornered a bike as fast as I did today. The sun even made an appearance. 8)

lc1981

Excellent. So, go on, spill the beans - what was your average speed?

Herbsman

Don't chase down breaks, let other people do it, then attack

AK_jnr

Congrats on your first race! I've got mine next week at Castle Combe.

theprawn

average speed was 24, max was 36.

i knew i shouldn't be chasing down the break but i was having so much fun i didn't really care, i'd hoped to just hang on to the bunch till the end so it felt good to be able to put some work and in and still be able to be with them at the finish. there were some nasty crashes (mostly right at the front) and i've been told, it was quite 'hectic', certainly a lot of riders.

Herbsman

I know what you mean. Sometimes I do tactically stupid things, because I'm in the race just for fun and can't be arsed with the mental stress of trying to win. The good thing about this is that you often find photos of yourself on the front of the bunch, foolishly riding at threshold while towing the rest of the riders around. These are good to show to people who are clueless about cycling as they think you're 'in the lead' rather than 'digging your own grave' ;-)

theprawn

exactly, good for the waistline too.

DavidJB

theprawn wrote:

exactly, good for the waistline too.

Training is good for the waist line not racing.

theprawn

training? i ride to work and back, occasionally i bring out the turbo for 30 mins.

if i had loads of time for training i wouldn't be poncing about in a field in gravesend.

so that was my longest ride since september 2011 and definitely good for the waistline.

AK_jnr

I know its hard to pin point but whats one of the major reasons for crashes? People not holding their line and bumping into others?

Herbsman

In all the races that I've been in, it's been people who can't take a drink or a gel without falling off, or people touching wheels with the person in front and falling off.

theprawn

wasn't close enough to see properly but first one looked like touch of the rear wheel, second looked like plain old losing the front end.

Pross

In circuit races it's often the person who decides to go down the inside of the racing line everyone else is taking in an attempt to move up the field on a corner. On the road, inattention leading to a touch of wheels or riders switching line without checking. Another cause of touching wheels is riders getting out of the saddle without keeping on the power, why people can't use the downstroke to lift themself out of the saddle is a mystery to me.

bigmat

Pretty sure for both crashes it was a case of striking a pedal when leaning hard into a corner. First was on the left hander at end of back straight and I was right behind, took out 3 or 4 people following. Second one the guy had jumped ahead and appeared to overcook the hairpin right following the start/finish straight. I did exactly the same earlier in the race when I tok that corner too fast / wide but luckily was able to recover.

theprawn

Matt, I'm keen to know was that race 'average' for the Cyclopark?

You're probably right on the clipping of the pedals, I noticed a few people getting back onto the power really early. Of course that meant everyone needed to to keep the wheel in front.

I made some laughable mistakes, ending up 100 metres off the front after a few laps completely unintentionally was probably the best.

bigmat

It was pretty quick - big field and not that windy. That series seems to get a lot more idiot riding than other races I have done, people kept cutting across me on the corners, going for gaps that weren't there, cutting me up etc.

theprawn

Do you ride for Paragon? I think we spoke very briefly, you were at the front and I ended up riding next to you going up the hill to the start finish. I mentioned I didn't want to be there. You looked comfortable whilst I was blowing out my arse.

bigmat

That was probably me, although we had another guy racing as well. You seemed pretty comfortable!

theprawn

One of you might want this pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/by_lionheart/8523181542/

I'm a good faker.