How long to be a credible Cat 4 or am I just crap (road content)

I think aside from at the start of an MTB race, then MTB races are a “time trial” – it is you against the clock. You don’t benefit from being in a bunch of riders to the same degree as you do on the road. It is purely down to how fast you can navigate the course against the clock.

I know what you mean Mr blobby, its fine in the bunch but get on the front and its disgustingly hard so you try to stay away from the front. Then you finish and feel like you could have done more. Either that, or on the more twisty Crits I get pinged out the back and feel there was always a little more left to be wrung out of the legs in the quest to hang on.

Not only that but in mtb race your HR stays quite flat just like a TT.

For an Enduro take on the fitness side of things this is interesting:

Enduro racing demands[/url]

I think aside from at the start of an MTB race, then MTB races are a “time trial” – it is you against the clock. You don’t benefit from being in a bunch of riders to the same degree as you do on the road. It is purely down to how fast you can navigate the course against the clock.

I could agree with this in some XC races I’ve done, but in others surely tactics play a part?

Last week I’d been neck-and-neck with one rider for the whole race. Despite feeling strong enough to pass on the last lap, I drafted him down the long straight and let him work harder before popping past and hammering it up the hill to open a gap.

Surely enough the glory of 8th place was mine.

I’m sort of the opposite – last crit i averaged 88% of max for the race and didnt drop below 85%. Very similar to what i’d see in a points race at the track with big power spikes and bits of recovery but those are after big efforts and not long enough for heart rate to fall much.

I suppose everyone varies and it also depends on the circuit being used.

I know what you mean Mr blobby, its fine in the bunch but get on the front and its disgustingly hard so you try to stay away from the front.

Yup, even if you get into a little break no one seems to want to do any work. Then the race just stagnates. Pretty frustrating stuff. Thought I’d give it a try for a bit of fun and variety, but not sure I can be bothered to stick with it. May try some different circuits.

I think the similarity between TT and XC is that the level of Percieved Exertion is always high, in most cases you are pretty much riding as hard as you can for the duration.

Kryton, keeping at it is starting to pay off. Got dropped by the leaders then got back on, that’s an improvement. Then was dropped again. Then same old same old, solo and wait for my main bunch so I can get a breather, then get saucy again.
That was yesterday in that bloody wind.

Racing the MTB Friday, well racing the off the peg special. can’t even remember how much pressure to put in the tyres?

its fine in the bunch but get on the front and its disgustingly hard so you try to stay away from the front.

Only road race I ever did slowed right down at the end, cos it was going to be a sprint anyway so why rush? Fair enough I thought.

How many crits have you done to date Oldgit?

I’m still tempted to ride the one on Saturday despite the Tour of Cambridgeshire ride the next day…

I jst find it hard to “give” up on stuff like this, but don’t want to flog a dead horse although I’d definately be doing it for the craic not the points.

It’s fine to do them, but targetting them is different. Doing them will probably benefit the rest of your training. I’ve lost track now anyway – are you targetting long XC or not?

Long XC, short XC, crits, road races, TT’s, sportives, hard club rides. Still all in the mix as far as I can tell 🙂

😀

Short XC mostly and 1 x long XC. Club rides, Sportives TT, crits if I do them would be for fun of cycling / training.

But I’m “training” for XC.

😆

You’re not a big chap, are you? You might be better off doing hilly XCs rather than the Southern uppy downy ones.

Course, there aren’t that many with long climbs in, especially not down south.

I like BC’s new website btw.

I’m 6ft and 75kgs, barrel chested, skinny legs. I profile as “time trailing”.

75kg? That’ll be all the rum 🙂

This year? Just five as I leave it until May. Done some early road races.

mrblobby – Member
75kg? That’ll be all the rum

It’s worse. I’ve just weighed myself at 78kgs. That’s adding 7lb since February, arse. 7lb of lard!

Sorry to go OT but I’m really quite excited by this and wanted to share 😀 kinda seems to fit in the thread…

I really really bloody hope it gets the go ahead, it’ll be excellent for the area and I reckon it’ll drag in loads of people from the surrounding counties if a regular midweek race series can start up. It’ll be an amazing (and safe!) training venue too, something that I thought was absolutely brilliant about Milton Keynes Bowl on Tuesday nights!!

http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk/news/500-000-cycling-track-planned-for-carlisle-community-campus-1.1215345#

http://www.bordercitywheelers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/TRACK-LAYOUT.pdf

Well, I lined up in the “race” pen of the Tour of Cambridgeshire yesterday. Had a great first hour working with one of our girls and a few others to average 25.5mph. Then, up a slight incline “ouch!” my hamstring tweaked. I spent a good hour riding it off, finding bunches to hide in and stay away from being solo in the wind – for anyone reading this is where experience of riding crits real helped. There was a period on the fens where I was solo / leading a group which was really hard work riding rough the pain as well on a flat course with no chance for a rest on the pedals – only 500m climbing all day.

It was an excellent experience with pro tour outriders taking photos on mopeds and shouting encouragement, really felt the part. Should be some good photos!

In the end I limped home 82 miles average 21mph at 3:58, not the slowest but not as fast as I could, and 4 minutes past the UCI amateur RR qualifying time. I almost posted this in the doldrums thread, but on reflection it was a good day despite the injury. Great news for our club with a 3rd overall and 1st place in one of the women’s age cats, and 6th woman overall.

I’ve lowered my saddle 5mm and will stretch to help the hamstring for next weeks Velothon Wales.

Sounds like a decent day, did you sack Saturday’s crit off?

First RR proper for me next week, away from circuits. An evening 3/4 and potentially a 2/3/4 at the weekend with another the following week.

Did you sack Saturday’s crit off?

Yep. I’m glad I did TBH, also family time was also a big consideration.

First road race of the season on Saturday, 104km of very rolling terrain, just over 1,100 meters of climbing and an average speed of 37kph.

Got drowned by a passing storm after an hour or so but managed to hang onto the first bunch once the breakaway had gone clear, I didn’t have the legs to pull much though. Came home in the top 20 after bailing out of the manic sprint for the remaining top 10 places.

Great fun!

Nice work Chef. Like the jersey, so much nicer than our club kit!

@ Kryton – are the Tour of Cambridgeshire results online anywhere? Thanks.

Yep, on the main website under the TT and Gran Fondo tabs respectively. Did you ride – how did you get on?

It appears I’ve qualified for the UCI RWC final in Denmark being with 25% of my category – shite on a stick!

Excellent result Kryton. 🙂 Will check on the website, the boy was riding.

Edit: he was a minute in front of you.

It appears I’ve qualified for the UCI RWC final in Denmark being with 25% of my category – shite on a stick!

Does that equate to credible cat 4 then? 🙂

Edit: he was a minute in front of you.

Excellent – how do you know which number / position I was?

Does that equate to credible cat 4 then?

Dunno! Didn’t someone say in last weeks conversation I might be better of trying a road race? 😀

On the previous page you gave your time. 🙂

Edit: he may possibly be in the same club as you.

LP?

Wow small world! He’s in too by my calculations?

Yes! He was in the 19-34 category, he’s my son.

Lol! I’m goimg to wait for a suitably opportune embarrassing moment to mention that I “know” his mum.

😆 He’s always been OK with his mum being a bit different to other mums!

On the club run at the weekend and they managed to convince me to have a go at a TT tonight, first one, 16 mile and hilly. Fastest time on Strava seems to be 25mph… I’m actually kinda nervous 😀 It’s ran by a local “rival” club that’s a bit prickly at times so we’ll see how it goes…

Well that was awkward…it was a 14 miler and the finish snuck up on me 😛 A few definite lesson learnt from tonight!

Just checked your strava – nice pace!!

Cheers mate! Just seen the results on Twitter, 5th so pretty pleased. “Only” 3 minutes down on the winner… 😯

Nice ride there monkeyfudger. I got lost in Greystoke forest once.

Ta! Weirdly I’ve only ever ridden through Greystoke village, never ridden the surrounding hills at all so although I was expecting hilly I wasn’t expecting it to be that cheeky. I can see how it can become quickly addictive, it was good craic!