# Racing for first time this weekend, yikes!



## Irishrich (1 Oct 2013)

I think I've come a long way in a few months of cycling but I don't think I ever expected to be racing so soon. I joined a local cc and have been enjoying Saturday and Sunday rides with them. It was mentioned that there would be an in-club race amongst our own members with different groups based on ability and experience. Full of confidence after a quick Sunday ride I said I would take part this coming Sunday 6th October. I'm now realising that I know nothing about racing so I need to brush up on the basics so that I don't make a fool out of myself. Can anyone give me a quick crash course (wrong turn of phrase for a race I know) on what I should do in the race apart from pedal fast lol.


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## HLaB (1 Oct 2013)

Good Luck!


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## Irishrich (3 Oct 2013)

Thanks, I guess there aren't many racers here but I'll soon learn what do to even if it's the hard way.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (3 Oct 2013)

Just sit in and enjoy the ride. No point trying to be a hero in your first outing. 

Good luck


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## lejogger (3 Oct 2013)

What sort of distance is it over? Road race or time trial? Is it on roads or a closed track? Marshalled?


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## Irishrich (3 Oct 2013)

> What sort of distance is it over? Road race or time trial? Is it on roads or a closed track? Marshalled?



It's 4 laps of a 5 mile road circuit (road race). The roads are open to traffic but will be marshalled and I hear they have a lead car. There are 3 groups based on handicap with group 1 being new or recent racers (which I'm in), followed by 2 more experienced groups. Should be about 8 people in each group. 



> Just sit in and enjoy the ride. No point trying to be a hero in your first outing.


Cheers, will do.


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## HLaB (3 Oct 2013)

Irishrich said:


> Thanks, I guess there aren't many racers here but I'll soon learn what do to even if it's the hard way.


My experience is limited to TTs and Cafe Racing   I can only think you need to get the correct balance between sitting in (Drafting) and doing the work  One thing I've found of me (and I don know how global this is) but in a chaingang dont rush through just cruise through at a consistent pace regardless of what the bloke in front does. How that works in a race


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## Dusty Bin (3 Oct 2013)

If you're in the first group, you've got two choices (well three, actually, but we'll come to option three later).

1. Work together as a group to keep the pace as high as possible. chaingang/paceline is the usual method of doing this. Depending on the quality of the group and how well you work, you will have more of a chance of one of you taking the win, or a place, if you can stay away to the end.
2. Just ride about and wait for the next group to catch you, and then try to hitch a free ride with them and hope you can stay on. This is not actually as silly as it sounds, as although the next group will probably be faster, the numbers will be higher and you may find it easier to sit in.

Option 3 is to ride off the front on your own and go solo - worth considering if your group isn't pulling it's weight and you feel good. If you haven't got the legs to stay away, then who cares - at least you showed a bit of aggression and made an effort. I personally would rather attack, get dropped and finish last than sit in the bunch for a 15th place finish. And every time you do that, you will get stronger.


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## VamP (3 Oct 2013)

Unless you've ridden with the people in your group before, then I'd bet money that Option 1 won't happen. I agree that Option 3 has the potential for the most fun for you, if you can muster the guts to go for it. 99% of beginner racers in a handicap race will end up in Option 2.

Whatever happens enjoy.


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## Dusty Bin (3 Oct 2013)

Worth mentioning that Sean Kelly's first race (and first race win) was via option 3. I think he finished the race with the same time advantage on the scratch group that he started with.


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## zizou (3 Oct 2013)

If you are in the first group then your best chance of winning / placing is putting the effort in and getting everyone working together - however the early groups in APRs usually do not do this as you'll only get some riders willing to do the work while the others will just sit in to save their legs and then try and make the jump on when the next group arrives.

A more general tip is have a recce of the course before the race, get to know what the finish is like or if there are any tricky corners and not only what the hills are like but where they are. If you are a poor climber then you want to get to the front of your group before the hill starts so you have an extra few metres before getting dropped. A few metres doesnt sound like much but it can make a big difference.


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## Irishrich (3 Oct 2013)

I like the options and think this is great advice but I won't know which option to choose until the race gets going. From the little I know about the clubs riders and who will be racing on Sunday, I believe group 1 will be a mix of young guys with little race experience who have come up from juniors but have fitness and good road cycling experience added to a few new members ranging from 30-45 in age with no race experience and varying levels of fitness. Option 1 could be a problem as I can see there being a wide range of capable speeds in this group and I know I am quicker than most in this group. 

I like the sound of option 3 but it doesn't sound very sporting as the club have said 3 groups will go off at different times so I assume they mean you go in your group and try to work together to not get caught too soon. If the weather conditions aren't great then solo riding could be much harder than being in a group even if they are a bit slower than what I could cope with. 

I suppose that leaves option 2 as the most viable one as group 1 are likely to be caught by the more experienced and faster group 2, then group 3 so I could try to stay in the faster group and see where it takes me. It's something different from what I'm used to so it'll be exciting whatever happens.


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## Dusty Bin (3 Oct 2013)

Irishrich said:


> I like the sound of option 3 but it doesn't sound very sporting as the club have said 3 groups will go off at different times so I assume they mean you go in your group and try to work together to not get caught too soon.



It's a race isn't it? If so, then the objective is to win. There is absolutely nothing 'unsporting' about a solo effort. The reason why the three different groups all start at different times in a handicap race is because if they didn't, it wouldn't be much of a handicap.


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## Rob3rt (4 Oct 2013)

Irishrich said:


> I like the sound of option 3 but it doesn't sound very sporting as the club have said 3 groups will go off at different times so I assume they mean you go in your group and try to work together to not get caught too soon.



In which case how does someone win if you just ride around in 3 chaingangs? If it is a race, then there is no reason whatsoever that you should not try to shed any boat anchors early on (i.e. force an early selection to get rid of the weaker riders or those who won't pull their weight) or go solo.


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## oldroadman (6 Oct 2013)

So, what happened. Do tell, and no stories now.
That's the job of retired old has-beens  - the older we get, the better we were (or the harder it was!).
Shades of an old Monty Python "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch, adapted, "When I was a lad in me first season, we dreamed of having chainsets, we had to drag the chain through our teeth to get going...etc..etc...


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## Irishrich (6 Oct 2013)

The race set off at 9.30am with a larger than expected turnout as some old hands turned up without telling anyone, making the competition even tougher. The 3 groups each had 9-10 riders with group 1 supposedly new racers but I soon found out most were experienced club riders who never did much racing. I was only one of two new club members so I was in a field of experienced racers and riders. Option 1 was the favoured one as our group kept a very good pace and there was no way anyone could break away on their own, in fact we dropped 3 riders after the 2nd lap of the course to leave us with 6 until the end of lap 3. Group 2 set off 3.5 minutes after us and group 3 a further minute after them so we weren't given much of a head start. Group 3 caught group 2 after half a lap but didn't reach us until half way through lap 4 which was the final lap. (This was 20 miles into a 23 mile race). 

I admit that the high pace through 20 miles and some very sharp climbs took its toll on my inexperienced legs and I dropped off the back of our group 2 miles from the finishing line. I'm proud of matching them and beating many group 2 riders in the race but was a little gutted I couldnt keep with the group for the full 23 miles. I finished 15th out of 29 but I feel good as I learnt so much about racing and know where I can improve next time so gradually I will get better. Here's the strava link to my race: http://www.strava.com/activities/87232385
If you analyse it you can see that the sharp climbs on laps 3 and 4 really start getting slow as my legs were in agony but I still kept up the pace on the flat. It wasn't a flat course so I'm happy with my 20mph average.


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## Dusty Bin (6 Oct 2013)

Congrats - that's a really good effort. I wouldn't beat yourself up about getting dropped with 2 miles to go - and don't worry about average speeds in racing. The main thing is you know what needs improving over the winter, so you can work on it.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (6 Oct 2013)

Nice one


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## DCLane (6 Oct 2013)

Well done - that seems like a good start. In August I threw myself into it a bit fast, with my last race having mostly 2nd/3rd cat riders (that hurt!).


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## oldroadman (7 Oct 2013)

That's a decent first effort, no shame in finishing half way down the list. It's good that you started in a group with experienced club riders, that will have kept the line moving nicely and safely, much better than a whole group of novices who frankly are a danger to themselves and simply have little clue how to ride maintaining a strong but sensible pace.. So the experience you had was a really good start to your racing. That your group was not caught until over 80% of the distance was done shows the handicapper had it about right. The group 2 that was caught early probably went steady until the scratch group caught them and opted to try and free ride on the back of the faster riders. Which is a tactic that can work but usually fails. Plus there is no benefit in learning how to run a proper working group that way!
No issue with getting dropped near the finish, you have experienced the pain and got through it, onwards and upwards now, train well and have a good 2014 season.
"It never gets easier, just faster".....


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## palinurus (7 Oct 2013)

Well done, good result I'd say.


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## Irishrich (7 Oct 2013)

I appreciate the encouragement here and feel like I did my best but as a competitive git I'm wondering if I made too many basic errors or didn't plan correctly for the race. I would like to learn from my mistakes so here's my main thoughts:
*Fuel*: I ate a bowl of oats approx 1 hour before the race for breakfast. (I could barely get it down as I wasnt feeling very hungry, probably nerves & excitement). I took a pre race protein/carb bar with me but couldnt stomach eating it. I drank a bit of water in the morning but was worrying about taking too much and needing a pee in the race. I had a 750ml bottle of water with a flavoured tab for the race. Do I need to be better fuelled for a 1 hour race and should I take any quick energy foods with me??
*Tactics:* I stuck with my group for 3/4 of the race doing 21mph average, then was caught by the scratch group and tagged along for a bit before they took off and left us behind, then we broke up and finished the race solo as the individuals dashed off at different speeds due to ability and fitness. This last 2 miles were slower for me as I was on my own and had lost a bit of morale as some in my original group had gone ahead and I couldnt keep up. My legs were gone from the frequent hill climbs. Is it better to take the hills easier and conserve energy for the flats or can you make time by being quicker up hills on a particularly hilly course? 

Anything else I should know that can be worked on? Thanks


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## Dusty Bin (7 Oct 2013)

Providing you ate normally in the days leading upto the event, then fuelling won't be the issue. Having said that, I'd give it a couple of hours after a meal before racing, tbh.

Tactics will improve with experience, but improved race fitness is what you really need.


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## oldroadman (8 Oct 2013)

Pre race eating. Never LESS than 2 hours before for anything substantial. Porridge is great, slow re;lease energy. A carb snack 30 minutes pre start. You said it was about a 40km race? One 500ml bottle should do, provided you get on the start line decently hydrated. In that distance any more food is probably not needed, just take something just in case, but if you feel hungry it's too late! If it's a gel, use water on top, and NEVER use anything you have not tried out in training, unless projectile vomiting is one of your hobbies!
Ride steady in the line, no pushing hard to do a turn at the front which might destroy you and others. Don't be afraid to miss a turn now and again, just sit on the back and swop wheels, try to get behind the sommothest rider in the group so when you go through it's easier.
On climbs, don't kill yourself, if you start at the front of the group and let yourself drift back it allows you to go a little steadier and still be on the back at the top. This can have the added bonus of slipping a few turns as well. Learn to look introuble when you do this, but otherwise try to keep a poker face. Races are won by clever riders, not daft but strong ones.
Post race get a sugary drink (flat coke is good) down asap, this helps recovery.
Hope this all helps, from an old soldier...


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## Irishrich (8 Oct 2013)

Great advice, thanks. I did my best to take my turn at the front as part of a chain gang for 3 laps but I guess that took its toll and by the last lap I fell back from the group. I need to be more tactically astute but at least I can take comfort that it was my first race and only involving our cycling club so not as competitive as future races. I drank my full 750ml water bottle by the end so I guess I wasnt hydrated enough pre-race but I will learn from that. Thanks again


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## Sittingduck (17 Oct 2013)

Excellent effort and write up. Well done for giving it a go! 
I tried racing (RR Handicap) myself this year, for the first time. Pretty much a similar story and result. I got a lift home with the holding champ of the series and we were discussing how it is like a game of decit. Making it look like you are doing as much as humanly possible, while actually doing less that you could manage and conserving energy. My problem was always trying to go with the breaks and in my second race riding off the front of group one a couple of times, with no viable chance of staying away for the whole race. Energy sapping but fun!

Be good to see how you get on with future events...


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