what kind of pace is competitive at amateur level?
JMCBRIDEWF3
Posts: 9
Basicly i want to know what kind of pace people are doing to be competitive in a amateur race, and what kind of miles your doing in training and races.
Im pretty new to road cycling and no where near the level i need to be to race but wouldnt mind knowing what i need fo aim for,
Cheers Joe.
Im pretty new to road cycling and no where near the level i need to be to race but wouldnt mind knowing what i need fo aim for,
Cheers Joe.
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Comments
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For road racing, average speeds do not really give a good guide. The best thing you can do is contact your local club and go training with them, you will soon get a feel for it.0
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what do you mean by 'amateur race'? 4th cats up to elites without contract are all amateur but race at very different speeds0
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Well to give you a rough idea, I'll give you an example of my first race.
On a fairly flat course, for 1 hour, at CAT4, the pace varied from 24-30mph. Avg over the hour was about 25mph. The sprint was about 32-35mph. Was at Z4/5 throughout the entire race.
The race was fun, didn't get dropped, toughest ride ever though. I was fit enough to attack a few times, but didn't have the legs to finish. Came 13th. Up till the race, I'd only been riding for 10 months and totaled about 5000miles in varying distances and intensities.0 -
Races averages don't mean squat compared to training averages.0
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Presumably as someone new to it, you'll be looking at Cat 4 or 3/4 racing. Average speed likely to be 22-25mph depending on terrain, wind, size of group etc. That doesn't tell the whole story though. You can blag your way round at that level if you race smart. I raced at the weekend with a chest infection (stupid really) having done no training other than my mountain bike commute since November. Managed to put in a few digs but lacked the fitness to sustain an attack so rode the wheels and ended up somewhere in the points. This time last year as a relative novice I got dropped after about 20 minutes. This was after a decent block of training and in full fitness - main difference was I was less confident riding in a group, cornering etc. Once you start letting gaps go, they get harder and harder to close, however strong you might be.
Best bet would be to start riding with the guys at your club whose level you would like to race at, see how you get on with that and when you feel you are close enough to their level just have a go. Chances are you'll get a kicking at some point early on but keep at it and with a bit of experience you'll start to improve and be able to really enjoy the racing0 -
Cheers big mat, not sure where my local club is, but im sure my local bike shop will know0
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Average speed doesn't mean much and rarely tells the whole story. The pace changes can sometimes be relentless and that tends to be what most new and/or untrained riders struggle with.0
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You can search for clubs on the BC website http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder
Bear in mind the club locations on the map will be secretaries' addresses, but you can go to individual club websites to find out about training rides etc.0 -
JMCBRIDEWF3 wrote:Cheers big mat, not sure where my local club is, but im sure my local bike shop will know
Where are you based? I'm confident someone on here will be near you and know the local clubs.0 -
For many people a good way to test themselves and their fitness for the first time is to ride a time trial. Nobody gets dropped in a time trial and everyone completes the course and comes away with a result, so it can quickly let you see where you lie in the pecking order while still getting a positive racing experience.JMCBRIDEWF3 wrote:Basicly i want to know what kind of pace people are doing to be competitive in a amateur race
If you're within travelling distance of Worcestershire then my own club's Little Mountain TT is a fabulous event to ride - and it's for everyone, not just experienced racing cyclists. You've got until April 28th to build up to riding 39 hilly miles as fast as you can, which is just about the perfect timing I should think. Here's a link to the event website LMTT Website and Pross has just started a thread about it too.
Ruth0 -
Im based in leeds, and worcestershire is a bit of a drive but not too far bout 2 hours drive.0
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The Yorkshire Road Club are well-established and have a good reputation: http://www.yorkshirerc.org.uk/
Ruth0 -
Further to the above, fitness is also only one factor: good race positioning and tactics i'm discovering are equally important, even in 4ths. I've not felt troubled by the pace in either of my 4ths-only races (at Cyclopark and Hillingdon) - but that doesn't mean I've been able to get in the points.
It's quite difficult to make sure you are at the sharp end towards the end of the race - specially round Hillingdon when you can easily have a pack of 40-45 riders. You need to be thinking about getting up to the front in plenty of time to either make a last gasp break or contest the sprint. And that can be easier said than done with all the jostling and congestion and general jumpiness.0 -
What position do the points go down to?0
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AK_jnr wrote:What position do the points go down to?
it varies, depending on event type/classification. A 4th cat circut race will usually carry 10pts for 1st, down to 1pt for 10th.0 -
You can come out with my club we are based in lawnswood and do training rides on Tuesdays and Saturdays aimed at people wanting to race we are a very new club, started in jan and have 60 paid up members. Have a few lads that want to race my self included we are all 4th cats but often ride with a few 2/3rds.
Very welcome to come along
Www.albarosacc.com
Add our Facebook page or drop us a email.
Training rides are around 18-20+mph avg0 -
One benchmark, if you have any access to a power meter or any tools that can provide accurate estimates, is this table, taken from "Training and Racing with a Power Meter":
http://cozybeehive.blogspot.co.uk/2008/ ... ratio.html
The UK equivalent is going to be along the lines of simply ignoring the Cat 5 section.0 -
I wouldn't base anything on that table as all my figures are within Cat 1 yet I would say i'm a average to good Cat 3 really with a good sprint.0
