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So... It looks like I'm racing road in the spring. Help me.

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
1,942
20
Beech Mtn Definitely NOT Boulder
Ok, so it looks like I've basically committed to riding road for my collegiate cycling team.. (Lees-McRae) I have a road bike and nothing to do in the spring so I figured it couldn't hurt. I'm a decent rider but most of my riding is done on dirt, I ride road about once every 2 weeks right now. But when I do, I average low to mid 20's for about as long as I want. They say this places me into cat C (cat 3ish) for road so thats what I'm racing. I'm a Cat 2 gravity rider but I've never done a road race in my life.

So my real question is what should I know so I don't piss anyone off or hurt myself or someone else?
 
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MtnbikeMike

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2004
2,637
1
The 909
Here are a few tips I can think of off the top of my head:

Do some group road rides before you race to get used to/comfortable in the pack.

If you're near/at the front, be sure to call out road debris/turns/parked cars/etc.

Wear bibs.

Hold your line. If you're gonna move over in the pack, don't just dart over in case someone is overlapping your wheel(on that note, don't overlap wheels for prolonged periods if you can help it). Do it gradually, and look over before you move.

When pulling through in a pace line, don't accelerate, just pull through steadily.

You probably will make mistakes, and the alpha dogs will let you know of it, generally in a not-so-polite manner. Don't take it personally or get butthurt, just learn from your mistakes.

In your first few group rides, observe the more experienced riders and take note of what they do, how they move around, etc.

Be sure to have fun,

Oh, and attack, mf'er, attack!
 

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
1,942
20
Beech Mtn Definitely NOT Boulder
I'm pretty comfortable in a group. I've done plenty of charity rides and group rides for fun. I'm just not sure what courtesys transfer over to racing and which ones don't.

And don't worry, I plan on torturing the competition with attacks. ;)

I've noticed that most road riders can't compete with DH riders when it comes to explosive sprints. And I'm getting pretty good at recovering quickly after them so I should be able to get some roadies bonking hard after a few 5 min sprints in a row :weee:
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Sounds like you should pick up on everything pretty quick man. Remember not to take road riding too seriously and have fun!

I'm pretty sure you'll have to start in D's, not sure what the requirements are though or if they vary in different conferences. Just FYI Collegiate C correlates with Cat 4 in USCF racing (not that it matters much).
 

Runner

Monkey
Sep 21, 2007
377
0
CT
Here are a few tips I can think of off the top of my head:

Do some group road rides before you race to get used to/comfortable in the pack.

If you're near/at the front, be sure to call out road debris/turns/parked cars/etc.

Wear bibs.

Hold your line. If you're gonna move over in the pack, don't just dart over in case someone is overlapping your wheel(on that note, don't overlap wheels for prolonged periods if you can help it). Do it gradually, and look over before you move.

When pulling through in a pace line, don't accelerate, just pull through steadily.

You probably will make mistakes, and the alpha dogs will let you know of it, generally in a not-so-polite manner. Don't take it personally or get butthurt, just learn from your mistakes.

In your first few group rides, observe the more experienced riders and take note of what they do, how they move around, etc.

Be sure to have fun,

Oh, and attack, mf'er, attack!
All true^^

When you say you average low to mid 20s, is that solo? If so you'll have no trouble at all in the Ds and should move up to Cs in no time.

I've noticed that most road riders can't compete with DH riders when it comes to explosive sprints.
I'm sure you'll find many people who disprove that ;)

I was in the same boat last year (DHer joining a road team as a freshmen in college) and I can tell you that collegiate racing is an awesome experience and road racing is a blast.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Don't attack early in the race and don't cover attacks (unless you're told to by the team). The reality is that road racing is slower pace. Generally the guys attacking at the beginning will be dropped later. Sit in, watch the race unfold, and figure out the best time to have a go. If you go on lap 1 of 3, you're being an idiot :)
 

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
1,942
20
Beech Mtn Definitely NOT Boulder
All good advice! Thanks!

Yes low to mid 20s is solo. When I'm with a group I can just match whatever they do pretty easily. I was told to avoid D's because nobody knows how to ride in a group and theres lots of crashes. But if USAC makes me race a D race I guess I'll just bust my ass the whole time and stay off the front.

I'm sure you'll find many people who disprove that ;)

I was in the same boat last year (DHer joining a road team as a freshmen in college) and I can tell you that collegiate racing is an awesome experience and road racing is a blast.
DH conditioning coupled with training in the one of the highest parts of the Appalachian mountains seems like it would make a pretty strong road rider ;)

Oh and I'm a sophomore :) I only rode gravity last year though.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
The most important thing you can do now is to start doing proper group rides with the team. Since it's XC season that isn't going to happen and I don't think that there is an organised group ride out of Boone either.

I don't know where you live over the winter term, but if there is a group ride of responsible adults(not testosterone poseurs) who adhere to solid group riding technique and etiquette you are going to benefit the most from that. Learning how to rotate through a paceline, sense the arc a group will take through a corner, develop pack awareness in a situation that isn't a flappy-c*ck Cervelo-fueled wank fest are fundamentals, just like working on your pedaling technique and proper sunglass angle.
A collegitate C or D race is going to be a bunch of disorganized but welll meaning kids trying to win the race from the gun. A road race isn't an XC mountainbike race. An XC race is often won in the first minute since you get clogged up in singletrack.
The only thing that separates the field in a crit or road race is a person or group of persons who can ride faster than everyone else long enough to get a gap and then maintain that. It is quite hard to do. Most people you see jumping aren't going to stay away long, and the people who jump across to them are burning matches now that they are going to need later when their break is absorbed and others counterattack the contented field that has grown complacent with their catch.

The chances of you winning from a breakaway are slim so don't try to catch one! Use the opportunity of the first couple of races to survey the competition. See who is stupid, who is strong, who the winners are and who stands behind the winners, enabling their wins.
There is only about 3 minutes of a race that really matter, the final jam. If you're doing it right you will never be in the wind until you cross the line.
You are racing for points for LWC, not for yourself.
At this point you are just a warm body, your job is to finish as high as possible to serve as a reliable source of points for the time.
Their shouldn't be any win or die trying macho BS in collegiate racing.

That should cover it. Warm clothes for training are key. Don't skimp.
 

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
1,942
20
Beech Mtn Definitely NOT Boulder
Theres a decent portion of the team that don't even touch mountain bikes and ride road year round. I've been getting in on rides with them every now and then, but I still have gravity workouts 5 days a week 3 hours a day so I have to work around that.

During the winter, theres group rides whenever the roads are clear enough (not that often) and over break I'm getting my Wilderness First Responder certification so no time for training there.

Oh and...
You are racing for points for LWC, not for yourself.
It's LMC. Theres a difference. About a dozen national titles difference. :thumb:
 

UNHrider

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
479
2
Epping, NH
I didn't see anyone else say this, stay in the front 1/3 of the pack. You're going to be racing c's and d's a lot of these guys will have no idea what they are doing on a bike, and there are going to be crashes. if you're in the front they're easier to avoid and you're less likely to get jammed up behind them when they happen. You also do a ton less work after going through corners if you're at the front.

dont be that guy pulling everyone else around, you want to be the one getting a free ride. unless of course you somehow end up in an organized break, which when i was racing c/d's almost never happened.

like mickey said, dont skimp on your warm riding gear, and dont forget all your rain/warm gear for when you're not racing and cheering on the rest of your team.

have fun.
 
aerobic. base.

approach road racing with a knowledge-sponge attitude and people will like you. i can't speak for collegiate, but sr road racing is a ****ton harder than mtbing at amateur status in the US. the level of competition/athleticism is higher, the fields are bigger, and there's tactics.

plan to devote 15ish hours a week solely to riding if you want to compete at a cat 3 level.
 

golgiaparatus

Out of my element
Aug 30, 2002
7,340
41
Deep in the Jungles of Oklahoma
I've just started riding a good deal of road this year. What I've learned is that If I ride smart I can ride with people above my skill level and improve quickly. I just try to be humble when I'm in those groups... i.e. I know they are faster and more experienced than me so I just try to learn.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
aerobic. base...
plan to devote 15ish hours a week solely to riding if you want to compete at a cat 3 level.
i'd say that's an unrealistic(and unnecessary) volume goal for a new racer or a cat 3.
An average of 8-10 hours a week is already a massive amount of time for someone in collegiate racing or any amateur cyclist. There isn't any space in there for recovery or skills/speed work which is more important to a new racer than anyone else.
 
i'd say that's an unrealistic(and unnecessary) volume goal for a new racer or a cat 3.
An average of 8-10 hours a week is already a massive amount of time for someone in collegiate racing or any amateur cyclist. There isn't any space in there for recovery or skills/speed work which is more important to a new racer than anyone else.
he could get away with 15hr peak weeks during base 2 and base 3 followed by a rest week if he's in his late teens/early 20s imo. i did 25hr volume peak weeks in my first season this year without serious implosions, but my coach was super diligent about pounding recovery skills into my skull.

oh yeah, one other thing to op: trainer makes you FAST. ride it. love it. cherish it.
 

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
1,942
20
Beech Mtn Definitely NOT Boulder
he could get away with 15hr peak weeks during base 2 and base 3 followed by a rest week if he's in his late teens/early 20s imo. i did 25hr volume peak weeks in my first season this year without serious implosions, but my coach was super diligent about pounding recovery skills into my skull.

oh yeah, one other thing to op: trainer makes you FAST. ride it. love it. cherish it.
I do probably 20 hours a week training total but only about 8-9 is actually on a bike (mountain bike usually)

And I ride alot of trainer. Greg Lemond donated 10 Lemond fitness revolutions and 2 revmaster pros to the bike team, and I'm falling in love with the revmaster pro. Too bad I'll never be able to justify buying one for myself :(
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Seriously, as a Cat IV racer, most of the time it is a sprint from the start, so be up front to avoid crashes. Be warmed up for the start.

After a few miles, the fitness level is not going to be too high, so the pace will slow. If there are some sandbaggers though, there will be a pack split, so if you were near the front at the start you will be good.

If the whole pack is together, no one or two riders will be able to breakaway because again, the fitness level is not high enough. But when there is a flyer, I would yell "Breakaway!" so that all the other adrenaline-amped riders start chasing and I can sit back and save my energy for the end.