Hi all!
Ive bitten the bullet and gone and got a race licence and entered my first race coming up in 2 weeks!
Ive been riding in quick (for me) chain gangs with my club for a while, and do some short quick (for me) solo rides, a couple of the guys suggested I have a go at racing.

My question really is what should I be doing (or not doing) in the next 2 weeks leading upto the race and what should I be looking at taking from the experience?

Im expecting (as much as ive read) to be out the back of the group at some point as is the rule of thumb for most people at there first race and have accepted this as im totally inexperienced obviously. I want to enjoy it and not taking it too seriously, I just want to have a safe ride and test myself to see if its something Id like to take more seriously. I plan to do more this “season” too.

Thanks all!

I’ve been going through this myself this year, see here: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/how-long-to-be-a-credible-cat-4-or-am-i-just-crap-road-content.

Your last para is pretty spot on in terms of attitude. You will get dropped albeit becuase of fitness or strategy but its all a learning cure. About to ride in my fifth race tonight and am expecting to hold on to the pack, but if the worst comes to the worse its the best Roadie workout you’ll ever get for an hour.

Enjoy!

Congratulations! Fitness is only part of the story. You may be fit enough to finish in the bunch already, or even ride off the front and win your first race, but bike handling skills count for a lot in the bunch.

If you have been riding chain gangs faster than 20mph then you will be fit enough. In the next two weeks, I’d do some more group riding at speed. Sadly 4th Cat riders cannot organise themselves to work together like a club ride, so you won’t get the discipline. If you want to work on one technical aspect of bike handling, I’d suggest practice cornering at speed. Corners are where the inexperienced (or nervous) lose speed, then have to work harder to accelerate back to the group.

During the race, try and stay top third of the pack and HOLD YOUR LINE. Nothing says beginner like an inability to hold a line.

Above all, enjoy the race – it is very addictive!

Ditto those comments.

I started racing this year and taking a ‘watching brief’ from the back of the field just doesn’t cut it, you’ll be off the back before you know it. And then once you’re off the back, you’ll be fighting really hard not to be lapped – whether you’re fit or not.

As above, hold your line in corners and don’t pedal through the tight ones.

As per TiRed, whatever happens you’ll be wanting to have another go!

Im expecting (as much as ive read) to be out the back of the group at some point as is the rule of thumb for most people at there first race and have accepted this as im totally inexperienced obviously.

Doesn’t have to be like this. I came 6th in my first ever race by staying near the front and working with those who wanted to “go”. FFS it is a race get up the front, try not to do too long a turn in the wind and have a real go. At the back you have no chance and will get disillusioned quickly.

It is a race, as DavidB points out. It just might take you a race or two to figure out what that really means!

I got spat out the back a few times and you just learn from it. I’ve gone from out the back and lapped numerous times, to lapped just once, to finishing on the same lap, to finishing with the bunch a couple of times. Next aim is to get a top 10 finish somehow!

Expect to work very hard to stay with the bunch, but feeling like cycling doesn’t get much better when you’re in among it all.

Expect to get suddenly dropped if your concentration slips for a moment…

The advice depends alot on the course – Each course has different bits you need to watch out for. Some can be really technical, lots of tight corners which will mean you have to sprint out of them all whereas others the pace remains high and the effort more constant. If there are club mates who have raced the course before then ask them for some tips, where the wind usually comes from, if there are any difficult lines through certain corners due to poor surface etc.

Be sure to have a good warm up, the pace will be hard from the gun – it will settle down a bit after about 15 minutes but by this time the lead group will likely have already lost a few riders.

A lot as said above depends on the course. Tight, technical and twisty (all my old look pedals have corners worn off from crit racing at Crystal Palace) can be much harder than fast courses with big sweepers. I’d say that you need to try and stay in the middle of the bunch for as long as you can to get a feel for it. Enjoy it!

Its a Crit right? Lots of tight corners and manhole covers and close kerbs n stuff?

Ok this is what I’d do.. I’d set my self some intermediate goals emphasising on these critical points.

Cornering hard at speed without sharp breaking
Gliding over manhole covers and drains like they’re not there
Ride in gutters and feel the bike move under you as you try to exit
Sharp excellerations from low pace to max in about 15seconds
One handed bottle grabs at high pace with quick putaways whilst still on the gas

All skillz you’ll need.

Start near the front. Never start at the back.
Keep you your line
No sharp sideways movements
sprint hard out the corners

For the first race though just try and stay with the group.

Wow all brilliant advice, thanks all, I feel a little more relaxed now.
The crit is on an old airfield so I think the pace will be more constant.
Any tips on training and nutrition leading up to the race?

An old airfield isn’t really a crit. Too flat and wide open. Just try to stay in the bunch and follow the wheels. You’ll be fine.

On the day on the race drink lots.

During the race (depending on length) mix 3 gels with 500ml of water to avoid trying to open a gel in a bunch (and crashing)

Porridge 2 hours before the start
A banana 30 minutes before
A gel on the line

If you find yourself at the front then dont feel like you have to drive the pace and do a ‘fair’ turn, it’s not like a chaingang or other type of group riding it is just wasting energy. I see alot of strong 3rd and 4th cat riders making this mistake either thinking they are somehow obligated to keep the pace high or that they are putting the hurt on everyone else by riding hard on the front.

My usual race strategy is based on being as lazy as possible for as long as possible – Thankfully not everyone races this way otherwise it would be like a gentle sunday spin! 😀

You should have enough stored energy in your muscles for 1 hour hard effort so really just make sure you’re hydrated before hand and the legs are fairly fresh – i.e. not having done any particular hard effort the day before.

I normally take half a water bottle of liquid in case needed, but rarely use it. Its hard work to get a drink and stay with the bunch when the pace is on!

No kerbs or manhole covers on the crits I’ve done. Tight corners, yes. Grass verges, yes.

Pick someone who looks like they know what they are doing and stick to their wheel like glue. You can learn lots in this way. Please remember during the excitement that erratic moves can cause serious consequences. Be smooth, be confident and don’t panic when you make contact. Best thing you can do before it is to find a few mates who are happy to do some bumping drills.

I eat a few hours before a race. Take a gel before the start and another every 40-45 minutes (your race will probably be 40-50 minutes). You won’t need to drink more than about half a bottle. I take nuun kola or tea salt tablets.

Just have fun, ride smoothly, contest the sprint if you have anything left in your legs, or just roll in with the bunch with a big satisfied grin. Have a big mug of tea and a cake afterwards and chat with the other riders.

How important is tyre grip? Will some race tyres help corner harder?

And as for drinking – surely a camelbak will be better than fishing for bottles in a bunch of riders? Or are they banned somehow?

Will’s food advice sounds like massive overkill. For a max 1 hour race you should be fine if you have had a decent meal not less than 4 hours beforehand and are well hydrated. I wouldn’t even bother trying to drink during the race. I take a similar approach to Omar, hang in the bunch, move towards the front on the last few laps and do what you can at the end according to your strengths. If you are riding a fast club chaingang you shouldn’t have any trouble hanging in a cat4 crit.

Tyres help, but learning to trust what you’ve got is more effective. You will be surprised how far you can lean over and keep pedalling through a corner.

Pretty sure you are not allowed to wear a Camelback, and if you are you shouldn’t be….

In the dry, you should be able to lean any branded tyre over as far as you dare. I’ve run Giant P-SL tyres and Conti GP 4S and don’t really notice much difference.

How important is tyre grip? Will some race tyres help corner harder?

Not in 4th Cat because the guys in front will be braking 😉 . I have found that 25c tyres are a revelation in cornering confidence at Hillingdon. I’m running Schwalbe Ones in 25c and they are magnificent.

I’ve also raced on 23c versions of the following on the same circuit (and others) to compare
Giant P-SL : good tyres, wore them out after a season
Mavic Yksion : lots of grip and a smooth ride, killed one with a 30m skid!
Schwalbe Ultremo : Smooth rolling
Scwalbe Durano S : As above but heavier.

I’m not going back to 23c. Schwalbe Ones for racing, with a profile more like a tubular, and Mavic Yksion for the road and very windy days.

Camelbak in a crit? Surely trolling molgrips?!

In most crits you can get away without drinking unless it’s really hot. I like a gel on the start line but that’s just personal preference, it’s not needed.

If you happen to still be in the bunch towards the end then you need to think about positioning for the sprint – generally as a rule if your in the top 10 coming out of the last corner you’ll get a good result. If this means sitting in the wind & suffering to hold your line then so be it. Crits are tough, sprint corner sprint corner sprint. Get used to riding at puking level then riding a bit harder for your first few then they get easier 🙂