Its covering the sudden surges in acceleration that I struggle with – like out of hairpin bends.

Maybe I’m not prepared to inflict the pain on myself thats needed when the acceleration happens??! It seems I only ever record a max heart rate in the high 170’s – which if I’m 35 and the typical rough calculation is (220 – age) seems a bit low. Thats in race sprints, on the turbo, on the open road, wherever. Perhaps I need to try harder!

njee20 agree on all, especially that last comment.
mtbtomo try going to the front often, big mistake to think you actually have to go fast all the time. What I’m saying is if things aren’t suiting you, you can get out there and control things a little.
If there are parts of a course that don’t suit me, I work to get to them first so I’m not already at the back if I go backwards?

Its covering the sudden surges in acceleration that I struggle with – like out of hairpin bends.

I wouldn’t mind betting that this is down to tactics/position rather than fitness.

I’m not a member of a club and don’t particularly want to join one. I have however been a member before so am aware of the joys of bunch riding and the politics thereof

It sounds like you might have been in the wrong club. Joining a good club will give you access to lots of first hand advice, coaching information, and opportunities to train for road racing. It will also give you the opportunity to help out. Road racing only takes place because of the efforts of unpaid volunteers.

I’m getting more intrigued now. Only way is to try I suppose. I can see how being near the front before corners can help but I just can’t imagine everyone else saying “oh sorry, yes, by all means go in front here” so then surely, with everyone vying for the front for their favourite or least favourite bit it all just degenerates into a flat out race???

crosshair I can’t speak for 4th cat races as they weren’t around when I raced BC. But I find only a percentage of entrants are really racing for a place as some seem happy just to finish. So jostling for position isn’t that hard, there’s this obsession for sitting on a wheel so more often or not they’ll just think they’re getting a wheel to sit on and let you go. It’s dictating rather than being dictated to?
You have to poke your nose out now and then to test the water. Guarantee a rider will do bugger all during the race and go for it on the last lap only to find they’ve been sheltered from a ferocious headwind all race, ten meteres and they’re a gonna.

First time out I worked hard to stay near the front, heart rate was mostly around 185 whenever I glanced down (I’m 42 you know).

Had very little left at the end and managed 8th so took it it a bit easier next time out hoping to finish higher. Found myself off the back in no time from the rubber band effect then cramped trying to chase back on.

In hindsight the best advice I heard was that if you’re not looking to move up, you’re going backwards…

It’s totally fluid and dynamic. You can go front front to back and vice versa within a few seconds. If you spot clear passage as everyone is braking then you move up rapidly, if you drop a wheel and a stream of riders comes whooshing past you can be out the back before you know it.

Awareness and the ability to sprint and hold a wheel for dear life get’s you to the final lap. For the last few mins race craft will decide on your position.

@crosshair, being on the front or in the top 10 in corners means less slowing down & virtually no sprinting out of it (unless you attack). Being at the back means big accelerations as you’ll have had to scrub off way more speed. It’s not that hard to stay near the front, you just need do be alerate all the time & constantly move up.

You have to poke your nose out now and then to test the water

Absolutely. Spent an hour this afternoon chasing down Lewis Atkins in an E123 race. Stayed near the front, worked on the front, bridged to a break, had a little left for the sprint and finished 12th.

Just enter and see what happens. You have to learn how to read a race and when to burn those matches and when to recover. It is mentally hard, not just physically hard. But there is no biking buzz like it.

Have to say it is totally addictive. And the tactics and need to stay with the bunch are almost incomprehendable until you actually race. You can read up all you like, but that first experience will amaze you. You need to look for gaps, hold your own position and watch for other wheels to follow.

I keep trying to get near the front, but the last race I did, there were 4 of us in a break. It all hung together until 3 laps to go and then the two fit lads upped the pace and the elastic snapped and I was in 3rd. I probably finished the race for the chap in 4th too. Then he outsprinted me for the finish.

Thanks for all the insights. I just don’t see how anyone who can’t average 20mph solo can do any of that tactical stuff let alone chase a break or make their own.
I’m certainly not afraid of being spat out the back but I’d like to know I was at least in the right ball park before dipping a toe in. Keep the interesting stuff coming 🙂

Just do it Crosshair!

I got the same urge as you about this time last year, but up North the road racing stops over winter. Never road raced before then. So I joined a club in the January and then come March, I just got on and entered one.

There’s nothing to lose. Nobody else cares whether you’re in the bunch or they’ve lapped you 3 times, you’re just another rider. (that’s a good thing)

I can only average about 15 – 16mph if its super hilly, to about 19mph if its undulating. But then its fairly easy to keep with the chaingang group averaging about 22mph.

If you get dropped, you laugh it off, use it as a good training session and think about where you went wrong. It may be you weren’t fit enough, or it may be you didn’t get your tactics right. Or a bit of both.

But the adrenaline rush at some point somewhere during the race or the aftermath will have you coming back for another try.

For an entry fee of about a tenner you just can’t go wrong!

Edit: Nobody else cares….so long as you hold your line, and don’t ride erraticly or like a nob 😉

Edit: Nobody else cares….so long as you hold your line, and don’t ride erraticly or like a nob

Plus… if you get dropped and get lapped, don’t try and get back in the race. If you are dropped, you are dropped. There are exceptions, sometimes you can take a lap out and still feature – but thats mostly aimed towards people who puncture/crash, etc.

If you get dropped, next priority is don’t get lapped!

Well, went on a road ride with five others today and had a good go at riding on people’s wheels. Found it fairly straight forward to be honest and up around 20mph the difference of being ‘on’ or ‘off’ was quite noticeable.
On one or two flat bits, I was able to pull 25/26mph to get to the front to take my turn although I was only able do one in three compared to the others. I certainly haven’t got the legs for a 2 or 3 minute 25mph blast to make a break but I think I’d hang with the pack ok 🙂

Thanks for all the insights. I just don’t see how anyone who can’t average 20mph solo can do any of that tactical stuff let alone chase a break or make their own

.

Well I don’t average anywhere near that solo more like 17 mph, but can finish well in the top ten in circuit races that average 25mph’ish.
Our fast guys average 18mph on a fast run, and newcomers have always got their 3rd in the first year.
Likewise the club guys that are speed and Strava obsessed i.e think that speed is the be all and end all never do well or even finish.
Obviously I’m generalizing a little.

Slight edit. I never train on my race bike, rather a heavier training bike. I use cheap plastic soled road shoes and save my Xzelliums for races

To give an idea of what speeds these races can be, while certainly not the fastest circuit, a race I did today was:
100km, av speed 37kph. 1300m elevation, undulating all the time. Open to 2/3/4.

I’ve been in crits and road races where the av speed is above 40kph.

Until you jump in and try one, you won’t really know if you can cope with the speed because its only races that can replicate it.

Average speed of the crits i’ve done this year is around 25mph. The Tickhill GP recently was a technical course and again I hit 25mph on the nail for my average…I finished at the back of the main bunch with that speed.

Just enter some local races and don’t be worried if you get hammered on the first few races as you will learn a lot.

Ps. Jonba, are you talking about the Barnsley and Sheffield Crits where Dieter dominated the entire field?

Appologies to Lunge for hijacking the thread but it did strike a chord with me. I know there is nothing else to say until I come back with a ‘Did my first Crit’ thread but I thought I’d go and smash my local favourite TT course tonight, HCC201b and managed a new pb of 19mph 🙂
Conditions were awesome mind you but still- it made me feel a bit better about my chances 🙂