I started Road riding as it was a massive fitness gain to my 24 hour events. Then I started MTB racing for real. THEN I started road crits.

Now I’m not sure if I should be focusing on one type of racing not the other. Socially, I enjoy the group road rides with coffee & cake at the end, but also the MTB rides and am particularly affected by the visions of swoopy MTB loveliness that adorn the threads and mag covers here. Thing is, MTB socials I see as a non event fitness-wise, so I tend to defer to the road ride on a Sunday and am losing out on MTB opportunities, especially within winter when the conditions affect the decision process.

Anyone else face this dilemma? Race one and enjoy the other? Or continue with the mutual benefits of racing both? I’d be interested in your thought process…

In all seriousness, you’re what, mid pack fodder at best in races? Any riding you do, especially with a(n amateur) training plan will help a bit and you’ll perceive that your better than you would have been but at the kind of level you’re at, I’d be placing as much if not more emphasis on enjoyment than ‘training’ .
Think of it this way. Coming back from a ride with your mates at the weekend, you’ve had a laugh on a mountain bike ride and mid week you’ve had a grueller in the road chain gang which is leaving you feeling knackered but rewarded or you’ve concentrated exclusively on ‘the plan’ which has got you on extra lap in a 12 or two laps in a 24 or 3 places up in a crit?
Only you’ll know if it’s worth if to you though.
If on the other hand you were in with the chance of podiums, sponsorship etc……….

Kick back and continue riding what you like when you like..

It’s alright to push yourself along the way, train and push by all means but don’t split riding both bikes and stick with just one at all.
Proper road racing is brutal (as you know) and most are not into chatting nor it seems enjoying it nor hanging around for coffee and a hug. Sunday club rides are different (as you know) thats where the fun is right there. Enjoy that, enjoy playing with your mates and coffee a kisses afterwards. As for the MTB you will need the fitness of road riding but theres such a difference in scope here, MTB blasts are huge fun, hacks and giggles whether with your mates or not.

I’d say carry on doing both, write off this years training regime or lower it and go have some FUN.

You’ve got a lot on in your family life at present so you say so kick back, enjoy the ride and smell the flowers and hug your family.

IMO, you may disagree, but you asked.

I don’t disagree with either of you and yet he truths are good to hear.

As said, with a young family and a busy professional career and being in my 40s I won’t be troubling the podium. But I like being fit, and at the risk of becoming a turbo monkey i enjoy having a reason to get fit and a plan to encourage me to get out and do so. I was encouraged by my Crit results before my recent ilness but had a shocker last week. I did ok in two MTB endurance events last year, and Beastway.

I wonder whether I should drop the road crits, and stick with MTB pitching for the four events I chose last year and this (MSG, Beastway, Bonty 24/12 and Oktoberfest)

There us a family time issue as well – the time spent on tomorrow’s crit in balance removes the Sunday club ride opportunity. I gain a huge interval but lose the distance.

Are there others that race for the thrill of it not worrying about results? Crits are good training from a workout perspective also but perhaps risky from a crash perspective….

Ride what you want, when you want…don’t waste energy over thinking it. It’s just pedaling.

Sort of having a similar dilemma this year. Getting back into racing after being busy with babies for the past few years. Kept my hand in with a little bit of time trailing and will stick with that this year, want to go crit racing too as that’s new to me and I want to give it a go, but also have a real hankering to do some xc. Decided to skip xc. Thought process, being realistic about it, pretty much all my training has been road, I’m too old and heavy now to be as competitive as I’d like to be, and I have limited free time to go racing. So I’m going to race one and enjoy the other.

Are there others that race for the thrill of it not worrying about results?

I’m going to try and do the crits with that mindset and just have fun with it. TT’s on the other hand…

I tend to look at cycling and all the potential variety in the same way as sitting down for a meal. Some days you just want a main course, and some times you fancy a starter. Then, there are those days when you simply can’t imagine your meal ending with anything other than pudding.

have limited free time to go racing. So I’m going to race one and enjoy the other.

This as well.

CFH, I see you point but Crits mean experience and strategy otherwise you are just paying an extortionate amount to ride around a circuit by yourself. There’s not many that can just turn up and ride hem successfully without that experience or “match” fitness. At least I don’t think so, I stand to be corrected… So IMO you are either doing a series of them, or not.

Unless, of course, you’re not been tidying up.

Plan this year is to race a couple of XC races, couple of ENDURO and as many road as I can be bothered to drive to. I did consider doing a crit tomorrow…the thought is still there but it’s too cold and I’m a fanny! Anyway, I just enjoy racing it’s bloody brilliant*! I just mix and match whatever I fancy riding, unless you’re threatening podiums it doesn’t really matter IMO as long as you’re spinning your legs and having a good hard ride it’s all good, people get way to caught up in training plans and targets. Enjoy it or you’ll burn yourself out.

*It’s not really, nothing but a crushing realisation that you’re absolutly average 😛

Race cyclo-cross that is one hell of a work out.Good fun to and depending where you live not to much traveling to races.

Keep it varied I’d say. Going for one is just going to get boring if there’s no real chance of a big performance gain, which at our age, kids etc is a pretty remote possibility.

Different folk, different courses, different race craft = more fun I’d say

I had some success last year (on road and mtb) but I missed just going for a ride (or not ‘having’ to go for a ride) and did’nt ride my ss once (after riding nothing else for 8 years).
So I gave up racing…it was nice standing on a podium but it’s not what I ride bikes for.
Now I’m concentrating on getting fat (+8kg so far) and slow again.

Unless, of course, you’ve not been tidying up.

Quite. 😀

Scotroutes I’m quite sick of the pudding shit dragging on across threads thanks. It’s done – leave it where it is otherwise do I’m inclined to start reporting comments as continual abuse.

Thanks

Do.It.

I’m afraid it’s just become an STW meme. Don’t worry, it’s on threads that have nothing to do with you either. You’re not that special 🙂

I ride and race mtb, same as you started road riding (other than commute) a few years ago to improve fitness for mtb. Got a bit of a hankering to have a go at crits and bit of road racing but managed to stop myself up til as wouldn’t want to impact on mtb as that is what I enjoy.
Not going for a ride that you would enjoy as don’t feel would get fitness benefit is the start of a slippy slope… We are all just doing it for a laugh, it doesn’t pay a wage.

I kind of drifted out of mountain biking because I didn’t do it at all enough to improve technically. And I didn’t want to crash and wreck my road racing season – even though it’s just 3rd cat, I’m quite hooked. So since last October I don’t think I’ve ridden a mountain bike. Did my first road race of the season last weekend, and the training seems to have got me where I wanted to be as a minimum – strong enough to stay with the bunch.

Training has been shorter intense sessions in the week and a longer steady (~zone 2) session (usually the club run) at the weekend. I’m figuring that this longer weekend run could equally be a mountain bike ride. So I might do that when the weather picks up.

The way I see it is, that a bit of variation will keep stop you getting fed up with whatever you’re particularly focussed on – all time on the bike can be beneficial. On steady club rides you can practice your through and off/ pack riding. If its an hour’s crit then its race craft and top end fitness. If its mountain biking then its core strength. Etc.

As an amateur with other commitments, then to improve fitness in a time efficient manner then you probably have to ride alone most of the time so that you can train in the right power zones or heart rate zones. However, how long would it be before you’re fed up with it and you just sack off riding altogether?

And why should it be

Race one and enjoy the other?

Isn’t racing meant to be enjoyable? Or why do it?

Raced xc and enduro in the last few weeks.

Have got a lot better at the former, still a bit rubbish at the latter.

Really enjoyed both though, and that’s the important thing eh?

Ride more road than anything else normally, thinking I need to start doing more intervals within that to assist with power for enduro racing.

Got very little idea what I’m doing training wise though tbh.

Ride what you enjoy, but keep it mixed up. One year, focus on xc, the next do some crits and CX, then train for a 24, then mix it up a bit. Keep it interesting, and do what you really want, but don’t feel pressured into doing something just to keep up.

You’re not that special

Neither are you, though you clearly think you are by the way you wrote…

Do.It.

However ‘cool’ you thought that would make you look you simply come across as arrogant cock.

oops – almost forgot… 🙂

Some good stuff in here. Mtbtomo our regimes are exactly the same. I’m not sure if I’ve been affected mentally by my boughts of illness lately, a poor ride at hog hill last week, a bit of pressure from Mrs K about my racing committments, and work PLUS zero social riding since Christmas. I also think this “racing but not winning” issue sometimes in front of my club mates is a bit depressing.

I’ll race this week and next and then the social Sunday’s will get reinstated so perhaps that will help.

Well you are up now…

Hug your family then go for a pootle ..

Or

Train like Pantani and collapse ?

I’m racing a Crit at 1pm. 🙂

Family day tomorrow as its Mums day…

Ohh nice, Crit sounds fun.. I’d lay off the training then 😆 best of luck, blow chunks 😆

As it happens I’m off out training again.. I will blow chunks 😆

a bit of pressure from Mrs K about my racing committments,

She sounds pretty understanding TBH. Always tricky balancing the family thing. Another reason for skipping XC for me is they are mostly weekend events which really would put pressure on things. There’s enough midweek road racing and TT going on to keep me busy.

also think this “racing but not winning” issue sometimes in front of my club mates is a bit depressing.

Is that just your issue though? Or is there a real expectation of results?

Best of luck today.

How did you get on? We’ll accept nothing but a win 🙂

Thanks for the good lucks.

Well, I avoided the massive crash at the start withh pieces of carbon flying around my ears. That split the pack so had to chase back on, survived 7 laps in on my least appropriate circuit, picked up the pack later and was asked off by the Coms with 5 to go.

Unlike last week I had no lung/breathing issue post infections so that’s good.

Is that just your issue though? Or is there a real expectation of results?

It’s me. I had the conversation with one of our club members after the race and he echoed the advice above – stop pressurising myself for results and enjoy it. So many of our club where out, some at the front, some at the back and ive so many strava “likes” from club members I feel a bit buoyed.

Another March to Augest set of Monthly crits has been revealed in Kent Cyclopark so im wondering to add that to the Monthly MTB but with two races a month that only mean two long club rides a month also. Not sure if that matters from a fitness perspective? I could use the miles tbh, I have the Wales Velothon to complete. Although the Bonty 24/12 is my target race so this could see me fit a **** before then.

Oh actually, and the mid week Beastway Mtb series May to July.

Its like procycling – for every winner in a race there will a whole peleton who didn’t. Some guys go through their whole career as a pro-cyclist without winning big.

Your club mates should be (and probably are) pleased there is someone else riding the club colours, someone to have banter with, someone to compete against, someone to work with…..so many more good reasons for racing than needing to win have some standing with your club mates.

Can I quote the rules….

Rule #70
// The purpose of competing is to win.

End of. Any reference to not achieving this should be referred immediately to Rule #5.

Get yourself a copy of the Rules (book) and read about Rule #70. Its not necessarily what you think 🙂

Enlighten me and save me £6 could you…?

Thought of this thread while out on yesterday’s ride. Knackered after a long weekends with the kids and far too little sleep, quite a hard ride on Saturday too, then out at 8pm for 2.5 hrs of z2/z3 finishing with 30 mins of tempo. Cold windy and drizzly. All in the hope of a bit of fun (and not being too shit) on race day 😕

Ha, me too whilst I was “doing” mothers day with the kids for my wife, wondering if a ride window would appear…

With a 5am start for work today, the result is a Turbo session after kids bedtime at 8pm tonight. Sigh.

Not going well for me. Sacked off yesterday’s planned ride because the weather was crap and I just didn’t fancy it.

Tonight I’ll be out to make up for it.

folk who are good at cycling are often good at more than one discipline as the cross over of skills and fitness is huge. without trying to put you down it doesn’t sound as if you’re all that good at one discipline but if you are still having fun keep doing whatever makes you happy. seems daft to train yourself into the ground and miss out on having fun just to be mediocre though.

Seems daft to train yourself into the ground and miss out on having fun just to be mediocre though.

Or is it? And I guess that’s the point. Earning enough Road points to get to Cat 3 would tell me I’m a bit more than a mediocre cyclist, finishing higher in MSG and Beastway than before, or better than last years place in the Bonty the same. But I won’t win a medal, or recive prize money.

Even if you were 30th last year and 20th this but not scoring or on podiums, its a measure of personal achievement – right?

Agree with the fun bit, if its not fun I’d stop, although to me now that I’ve started riding competitively it feels like “quitting”.

Edit: A few posts above, why bother with my 8pm Turbo session, and not just lounge on the sofa tonight?

Agree with the fun bit, if its not fun I’d stop,

Does it have to be fun? Much of the time training on the bike isn’t fun. Hard turbo sessions, long late night solo rides in the middle of winter. Not fun, but a means to an end.

Some rides are fun. Weekends away with my mates on the mtb. Some social group rides. And racing when the going’s good. But mostly it’s not fun. Satisfying, head clearing, fulfilling a need, but not fun.

A few posts above, why bother with my 8pm Turbo session, and not just lounge on the sofa tonight?

Because you’ll feel better for it.

it doesn’t sound as if you’re all that good

There’s pretty much always someone faster than you.

Set some realistic objectives for the year. Concentrate on the disciplines you enjoy most. In my experience, no discipline gives me a bigger racing adrenaline hit than road ( you won’t catch me doing DH), so that’s my focus.

But I aim for top third in every discipline and race I enter. Higher in road races. Last year I raced road, track, TT, XC, cross. Cross and XC have a lot in common. TT is just fitness for me, track is pure fun.

I’d say that a third cat license would be a stretch “product” goal. Aim for some race-focussed “process” goals; initiate a break, bridge a gap, hold position in hairpins, sprint at the end of a race. Measure improvements and take what points may come your way.

Earning enough Road points to get to Cat 3 would tell me I’m a bit more than a mediocre cyclist

I dunno man, I’d say that’s the very definition of mediocre! 🙂

As a 40 year old mediocre 3rd cat myself – with a busy life, too busy to train anywhere near ‘properly’ and not have other bits of my life fall apart – I try to concentrate on doing races I enjoy rather than races I feel I “should” do.

I race road, TT, track and CX, and for the first time in a long time this year I’m going to do a couple of XC events too, just for a bit of variety.

Couldn’t care less about ranking points and at my age and level, I find the idea of prize money vaguely embarrassing (I don’t see that much of it throughout a season, but I do see some). It pains me to hear other weekend warrior amateurs talking about racing like its their job. No-one is forcing us to do it!

CX is my favourite discipline for a number of reasons, and they’re the races I aim not to miss. I ride CX races on a singlespeed, so I’m not going to win, but top 20 and individual battles is where its at for me. Love the cross.

I’m a decent TTer – I lack the discipline to train properly (ie with any kind of measurement or idea of progress) so TTs are a reasonable benchmark for me throughout the season, and I like the pure effort of doing them.

On the road and on the track, I only really ride the races where I know I’ve zero chance of winning, rather than the ones where I’m in with a shout. Seems strange to prefer it like that, but I do. I’d far rather knowingly destroy my own race by bridging a big gap midway through to then get pumped near the end than to sit comfortably cruising round and await a big bunch gallop that’s little more than a lottery. The former is way more satisfying I find.

If the fun of it isn’t enough, it sounds like you need to pick an overall goal to base your season on and go from there.

Aim for some race-focussed “process” goals; initiate a break, bridge a gap, hold position in hairpins, sprint at the end of a race. Measure improvements and take what points may come your way.

Of course I haven’t mentioned here that TiRed and I have talked about this before, so I am in the “finish in the bunch” phase – one step up from “finish” phase.

2tryrd – 3rd Cat would be less average than 4th Cat, Becuase you have to prove a level of performance / speed / ability to get there. Not everyone on a bike can or wants to do that.

When every 4th Cat race has 60 riders, you’ll find that top third is a meaningful goal. Then you are ready for breakaways and being prepared to lose to try and win.

For myself, i’m working on strength and short term muscular endurance, because in 2/3 races, I’m up there but about five bike lengths off the sprint. Once you consistently in the bunch, it’s time for more specific training.

Kryton, I passed my Level 3 RTT last week.