Racing...how, what, when, where...?

[bonnypriest]

I'd love to get into a race or two or three...this year. The only problem is...I have no clue where to start. I've got a great bike, nice gear, & very supportive friends. Unfortunately I don't have anyone to guide me or tell me steps to take, etc. I think I'm supposed to start at Cat 5. How do you move up? What kind of race? What length? So many questions. I know where to look for the Texas state race schedule. BUT...do any of you know a website that sort of details things for a beginner wanting to race. I don't want to look like a idiot & I'm the kind of person that wants to be FULLY informed before I jump into something. Also, if any of you know a good, but not toooo expensive, coach maybe in or around the San Antonio or Austin area that I could hire to guide me or even where to look for clinics. Anything that would help would be great. Also any suggestions/comments/advice that you ladies might have from your own person experiences would be AWESOME! Thanks in advance!!

P.S. I have an ex-boyfriend, from back in the day, that has raced for years & he's GOOD, but I don't think my hubby would like it if I asked for advice. If you were me, would you ask the ex anyway? :confused: I know it sounds bad, but he owes me. He wasn't so nice when we were young. :D I know he would love to help, but I'm just not sure if I should.

[TxDoc]

Hey there!

I am definitely not an expert on the topic, but here are a few resources that may help.
The answers to most questions can be found browsing the USAC rulebook here:
http://www.usacycling.org/forms/USAC_rulebook.pdf
The website of USA Cycling in general is a good resource - and you will need a racing license anyway so take a look: www.usacycling.org
They list all registered athletes and teams/clubs, so you can lookup Texas here:
http://www.usacycling.org/clubs/?state=TX
Another important contact is the local State organization which in this case is TXBRA - they list all sanctioned events in TX:
http://www.txbra.org/home/index.asp
Once you become licensed with USAC, you can sign up for e-mail alerts, and they send you a list of the events in your State. So you always know about new races and can plan which ones to enter.

A more informal place full of resopurces and answers is the 33 on the Bike Forums:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php/33-Road-Bike-Racing
There's some experienced racers hanging out there, as well as here, and if you have a specific question just ask and someone will pitch in to help.
They have a sticky thread with advice for beginning racers, here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/380788-New-to-Racing-Here-s-a-tip-or-two which could be very helpful.
As a woman you will start as Cat 4. Pretty much all you have to do is buy a license and register for the race. I would highly recommend joining a team: although there's not much tactical support in Cat 3/4, it's always better than racing unattached - and plus you would have access to benefits like kit, coach, support, discounts, etc. Most teams here in TX are pretty open and informal, and they welcome new people especially if the new racers agree to volunteer at some races to help the team.

As per what kind of race, most races around here are crits or TT and we have a few stage races, Mineral Wells, Fayetteville, etc - and of course the State Championships. It's up to your preference as racer what you like to enter. I find the criterium to be as boring as it gets, and like TT and hilly stage races instead - but again it's personal preference. Many of my friends love the local crits.

My main recommendation would be first of all to go out to a race and observe. It will give you an idea of how the pack moves and what the individual racers have to deal with.
After observing a race, take a honest objective look at your strength and bike-handling skills - and pick races that you can reasonably and safely complete. Especially at the 4/3 level (and 5/4 for the boys) we often see new racers enter an event without the necessary bike-handling skills to compete - and they become a danger for themselves and others. Or, on the other hand, sometimes we see people enter with clearly no idea of what is expected in a race - and they get pulled after ten minutes.
Racing is supposed to be fun - being pulled after a few minutes definitely is no recipe for enjoyment.

Next time you go to your local bike shop look for a copy of the Racing Post - or download one online www.theracingpost.us they list all State events, road races, tri's, noncompetitive rides, you name it. With that you can find some events to watch and some to enter. Some people like to enter a TT as their first event, to lower the anxiety that may come from the idea of racing around at high speed bumping shoulders with another bunch of people. I've seen many new racers do that, and it's not a bad idea.

Most of all, have fun - it's highly unlikely that you will enter your first race and win, so get there with realistic expectations and build your goals progressively. For example go to your first race with the goal to have fun, then to the next with the goal to finish, then to another with the goal to finish with the main pack, and so on. Before you know it - your goal will be to finish with the leaders, or maybe even to make the podium.

As per coaches, I do not know anyone in San Antonio - but there are other people from TX on the Forum so hopefully they will chime in. You can also try to ask some bike shops - or even better take a look at the racing teams in your area and ask some team members who is their coach.
Also, several ladies here on TE race - so I'm sure they will have a lot of good advice.
Good luck :)

[crazycanuck]

I'm going to make a small suggestion and although it might not apply to you someone else might use it for thought...If you don't ride w a group at the moment, it might be a good refresher in terms of drafting/braking etc.

I did an E grade masters crit a few weeks ago & would like to do more. Since i've only been riding w our group for 4 months, i'm still not confident w cornering at 35km/hr and drafting off folks I don't know.

I'll continue riding w our group & do some more track cycling to assist me before i go back to trying crits again.

[Aggie_Ama]

In the central part of Texas I know of at least one team that is all about developing women for racing (Austin Flyers). They hold clinics and such. Otherwise I don't know much about the road scene but want to wish you good luck!

[bonnypriest]

I'm going to make a small suggestion and although it might not apply to you someone else might use it for thought...If you don't ride w a group at the moment, it might be a good refresher in terms of drafting/braking etc.

I did an E grade masters crit a few weeks ago & would like to do more. Since i've only been riding w our group for 4 months, i'm still not confident w cornering at 35km/hr and drafting off folks I don't know.

I'll continue riding w our group & do some more track cycling to assist me before i go back to trying crits again.

Smart advice crazy! Thank you!


In the central part of Texas I know of at least one team that is all about developing women for racing (Austin Flyers). They hold clinics and such. Otherwise I don't know much about the road scene but want to wish you good luck!

I saw the Austin Flyers website last night. Looks very interesting for sure. I guess I just need to call one of them & see what their schedule is. A clinic would be awesome. All women would even be better. I'm about 3+ hours away (in San Angelo), but it shouldn't be too much trouble if it's on weekends. Thanks for the info Ama!


Hey there!

I am definitely not an expert on the topic, but here are a few resources that may help.
The answers to most questions can be found browsing the USAC rulebook here:
http://www.usacycling.org/forms/USAC_rulebook.pdf
The website of USA Cycling in general is a good resource - and you will need a racing license anyway so take a look: www.usacycling.org
They list all registered athletes and teams/clubs, so you can lookup Texas here:
http://www.usacycling.org/clubs/?state=TX
Another important contact is the local State organization which in this case is TXBRA - they list all sanctioned events in TX:
http://www.txbra.org/home/index.asp
Once you become licensed with USAC, you can sign up for e-mail alerts, and they send you a list of the events in your State. So you always know about new races and can plan which ones to enter.

A more informal place full of resopurces and answers is the 33 on the Bike Forums:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php/33-Road-Bike-Racing
There's some experienced racers hanging out there, as well as here, and if you have a specific question just ask and someone will pitch in to help.
They have a sticky thread with advice for beginning racers, here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/380788-New-to-Racing-Here-s-a-tip-or-two which could be very helpful.
As a woman you will start as Cat 4. Pretty much all you have to do is buy a license and register for the race. I would highly recommend joining a team: although there's not much tactical support in Cat 3/4, it's always better than racing unattached - and plus you would have access to benefits like kit, coach, support, discounts, etc. Most teams here in TX are pretty open and informal, and they welcome new people especially if the new racers agree to volunteer at some races to help the team.

As per what kind of race, most races around here are crits or TT and we have a few stage races, Mineral Wells, Fayetteville, etc - and of course the State Championships. It's up to your preference as racer what you like to enter. I find the criterium to be as boring as it gets, and like TT and hilly stage races instead - but again it's personal preference. Many of my friends love the local crits.

My main recommendation would be first of all to go out to a race and observe. It will give you an idea of how the pack moves and what the individual racers have to deal with.
After observing a race, take a honest objective look at your strength and bike-handling skills - and pick races that you can reasonably and safely complete. Especially at the 4/3 level (and 5/4 for the boys) we often see new racers enter an event without the necessary bike-handling skills to compete - and they become a danger for themselves and others. Or, on the other hand, sometimes we see people enter with clearly no idea of what is expected in a race - and they get pulled after ten minutes.
Racing is supposed to be fun - being pulled after a few minutes definitely is no recipe for enjoyment.

Next time you go to your local bike shop look for a copy of the Racing Post - or download one online www.theracingpost.us they list all State events, road races, tri's, noncompetitive rides, you name it. With that you can find some events to watch and some to enter. Some people like to enter a TT as their first event, to lower the anxiety that may come from the idea of racing around at high speed bumping shoulders with another bunch of people. I've seen many new racers do that, and it's not a bad idea.

Most of all, have fun - it's highly unlikely that you will enter your first race and win, so get there with realistic expectations and build your goals progressively. For example go to your first race with the goal to have fun, then to the next with the goal to finish, then to another with the goal to finish with the main pack, and so on. Before you know it - your goal will be to finish with the leaders, or maybe even to make the podium.

As per coaches, I do not know anyone in San Antonio - but there are other people from TX on the Forum so hopefully they will chime in. You can also try to ask some bike shops - or even better take a look at the racing teams in your area and ask some team members who is their coach.
Also, several ladies here on TE race - so I'm sure they will have a lot of good advice.
Good luck :)

All I can is DANG!!! You put alot of thought into all that info. Thank you so much for your help. I'm gonna get right on that. I'll start with the USAC rulebook & go from there. Have you heard of the Austin Flyers? That's the one Aggie_Ama suggested. I think it might be a good start too. Again MANY thanks for all the info!!! :D

[Jiffer]

I did my first three races last year. Scary! Not the actual races, but the idea of plunging in and doing my first one ... and even the next two. I remember sitting at the start of the second one with my heart pumping and thinking, "Do I really want to do this? Is this 'FUN'? I'm not quite sure!"

I am in So Cal, where road races are few and far between, and those are the only one's I have interest in. Crits are common, but they are more dangerous than I am up for. I'm 41 with a husband and two kids and just don't like the idea of falling on a tight corner with 10 other riders around me piling up all over each other! I have friends in my cycling club with road rashes and stories that keep me from the world of crits. Not that I'm trying to talk you out of them. It's just not my thing ... even though I might be better at them than road races, which is what I do. The reason I might be better at crits is because I'm good at riding on the flat and not afraid to take turns relatively fast. I am NOT a good climber and that's where I lose the pack on road races. It's all about the climbing. But I do them anyway, to keep myself training to climb better with the ultimate goal to NOT lose the pack on the climb. Or to stay with them longer than I did the time before. I really should try a time trial. I'd probably be good at those. But then I'd have to invest in a TT bike if I really wanted to get into it.

I had heard stories of gals bashing each other verbally at races, which made me unsure I wanted to be a part of that. However, I didn't have that experience at all at my three road races. Everyone was pretty supportive of each other. At my very first one, I remember being at the start, feeling extremely intimidated by all the women around me, which turned out to be a much larger group than what is normally in the Cat 4 at that race (per previous race results). One the gals yells out, "Hey, Don'ts Bike!" It took me a minute to realize they were talking to me, cause I was wearing a Don's Bike jersey, which I never do. They were letting me know I had something stuck in my derailer. A leaf or something. I had wondered if in road races, if people pointed out things in the road like rocks or glass. I found out they do. Just taking off with the pack was really bizarre for me. They don't typically take off super hard, and when riding moderate pace, I'm used to either chatting (at least a little) or listening to my ipod. In this case there were neither. No ipods allowed and no one was talking. I was sort of in the middle with riders on both sides of me. I learned early on I don't like to be blocked in like that. I like to be on the left side where I can move up more easily if I want to ... but have to be careful not to touch that center line or I could be disqualified.

At my second race, when I lost the pack on the first climb, I passed a gal, who I didn't see again for the next 15 miles or so. I was basically riding by myself, and just trying to stay ahead of her and one or two other ladies I knew I was ahead of. Every time I turned around, no one was there, until all of a sudden a mile or two from the end, there she was. Dang it! We rode to the end together, taking turns pulling until she finally said, "You want to sprint it out?". Um ... not really! I found it funny that she even asked and I'm not one to start sprinting before someone else makes me, but as soon as she was up, I was up and we sprinted to the end. She was a far better sprinter than me, so she beat me. She told me later that I was her carrot. She just kept trying to catch me after the climb. I just kept trying to stay ahead of her, but it's hard to really push yourself hard when you don't have your own carrot and you're basically all by yourself. It was beautiful country, so while I was depressed I was all by myself, I enjoyed the fact that I was riding in a beautiful area and just tried to push myself as hard as I could mentally make myself. Had I known she was going to catch me, I probably could have made myself ride harder. At one point some men started passing me. A group of guys that started after my group. So when I'd turn to see if she was there, sometimes I'd see a guy, so I wasn't sure. You're not allowed to draft other categories. Part of me wonders if she did, but I'll never know.

In my first race, after losing the pack on the climb, I rode a short distance with one gal, but she couldn't stay with me (THAT made me feel good!), so I was by myself for a while, but ended up riding with a gal for about the last 10 miles (I think it was about 30 total). We didn't verbally discuss sprinting at the end, but when she stood I stood and we were pretty much neck and neck. It was hard to tell whose wheel crossed the line first, but the results showed her ahead of me. I was just happy that there were about six other women behind me. My big declaration was that "I wasn't last!" :) That was my biggest fear at my first race (and all of them really). I knew I wasn't going to win, but I didn't want to be last.

My husband did all of those races as well, otherwise I probably wouldn't have done any of them. For one thing, they were so far away we stayed at a hotel for every one of them. But he was a great support and it made it more fun to do the races. It was a bonding thing for us to do together. He was on the podium at the first race. He came in 2nd and was SO close to winning. He's an excellent climber, which is how he got ahead of the lead group at the end. He knew the course and knew if he had any chance of winning, he had to out climb the lead group of about five guys when the last hill came and try to stay ahead of them for the remaining mile or so. His plan worked pretty well. He bolted up that last hill and lost them all, except the pack was able to work together to catch him after that, while he was alone fighting as hard as he could to stay ahead of them. They finally caught him and one guy went flying by right before the finish line. Ughhhh!!!!

So there's a lot of strategy involved if you're good enough to stay with the pack. For me, my only strategy is the stay with the pack as long as I can, which ends at the first climb. And then my strategy is to not be last if at all possible! I was able to accomplish that goal at the first two races, but not the third one, unless you count the one gal who didn't finish. She was a DNF for one reason or another. So my husband keeps telling me I wasn't last! Whatever. There were a lot less riders at that race, so less people for me to try to stay ahead of. For someone like me, the more riders, the better chance I have of not being last! Ha ha!

Also, at road races, not everyone is necessarily riding as hard as they can for the entire race. My first race was an out and back course. I saw the lead pack coming back toward me before I got to the turn around. They weren't necessarily riding super hard, but had lost more and more riders on the long climb. I found out later that the lead pack of quite a few riders (like 10 maybe?) all came in pretty much together. I asked the gal who won what her average pace was. She didn't know, but said it wasn't that high. She said they didn't ride that hard. It's one of those things where, someone has to take the plunge and try to pull away from the pack and see who chases them, and that breaks up the group. No one really did that in this race. However, in my husband's division, he was doing that constantly! It worked pretty well the first time. Broke down the lead group considerably, but every time he tried it after that, they always caught him and he was more exhausted from it than they were, because they worked together to catch him. One guy, who he ended up pairing up with sort of, cracked him up. When they caught him after one of the times he had broken away, the guy rides up next to him and says, "You keep creating a panic!" My husband ended up making a "secret plan" with this guy. On that last short climb before the finish, they were going to break away together and then work together for the last mile or so to stay ahead of the group. However, when they got to the climb and nodded to each other that it was time to take off, my husband took off and when he got over the hill, he looked back and his new buddy was no where to be found! He had way out climbed him and now had to fend for himself for the last mile!

Another thing that happens on road races, which my husband experienced and then told me about ... and then I experienced ... is that the lead riders will try to wear out the rest of the riders. In my second race, the pack was together for about 10 miles. But it was an accordion affect. The lead riders would speed up, so everyone would pick up the pace to stay with them. Every time this happened I wondered if I'd be able to hold on, but then they'd back off and ride slower. I finally realized the lead riders weren't trying to break away or ride faster. They were just trying to wear us out.

So, there are a few of my experiences as a new road racer. At the moment, I am planning on doing the first two of the races I did last year. I want to see how much better I can do them this year. See if I can hold on to the pack longer on the climb. But I think I might seriously look into time trials. Crits are kind of tempting, but .... I don't know. I don't think they're for me. You have to figure out what is for you.

Good luck and have fun!

[Jiffer]

Ok, I know that was long, but wanted to add something else! During the time we did those races my husband did have a coach. I have used this same coach in the past for about a six week time frame, but didn't want to spend the money to go to him again. Since my husband was doing the same races (along with some other things I didn't do), I kind of followed some of what the trainer gave him to do. Doing that training, and doing the actual races, made a faster rider. I may not have stayed with the pack, which was kind of depressing, but my own personal riding got much stronger, and that is part of the reason I did the races. To push myself, and it worked. I was riding the best I ever had during that time. Right after that I developed anemia and then one thing after another has kept me from keeping up with my training and I'm not at the level I was at. But I'm making my way back now. ;)

[bonnypriest]

Ok, I know that was long, but wanted to add something else! During the time we did those races my husband did have a coach. I have used this same coach in the past for about a six week time frame, but didn't want to spend the money to go to him again. Since my husband was doing the same races (along with some other things I didn't do), I kind of followed some of what the trainer gave him to do. Doing that training, and doing the actual races, made a faster rider. I may not have stayed with the pack, which was kind of depressing, but my own personal riding got much stronger, and that is part of the reason I did the races. To push myself, and it worked. I was riding the best I ever had during that time. Right after that I developed anemia and then one thing after another has kept me from keeping up with my training and I'm not at the level I was at. But I'm making my way back now. ;)

Wow Jiffer! Sounds like really cool experiences with your first races. I'm even more excited to do them now. Thanks so much for sharing that with me & anyone else who's wanting to race. There aren't many women around here that I know of who race & it's been really hard to figure things out on my own. I had no idea where to start. I really do appreciate the help.

Oh...by the way...I'm with you on the crits. Dang that sounds scary. I'm 38, married, no children, but have no desire to end up in the bottom of a pile of bikes & women skidding on pavement. NO WAY! Not for this girl. One of the guys that rides with us says I'd be good at crits & tt's, but I think I wanna jump into the road races first. It's not my ability that I'd be worried about in the crits, but someone else messing up & we all go down. (Not that I wouldn't be that girl, but I sure wouldn't want to be!) ;)

Again Jiffer...thanks so much for sharing your experiences with me. I wish you lots of luck this year. Keep training hard to get back to where you were. You just keep pushing hard! Then...go kick some butt on those hills! :D

[aicabsolut]

I would like to say that road races are not any safer than crits. Both are risky.

If you can't handle the possibility of crashing for whatever reason, then racing isn't for you. I go back and forth with myself about this all the time.

I'd say for your first race, pick an event with a Cat 4 only field and just go have fun.

BTW, I put together a PowerPoint presentation for my collegiate team about racing basics--strategy and basic rules. It's a bit easier to read than going through the whole USAC rulebook. It does contain some collegiate-only rules (like points for intermediate sprints in crits and an overview of collegiate categories), but if you'd like to take a look, PM me an I'll send you a PDF.

[aicabsolut]

It would be interesting if you could post this online somewhere. I've no intention of racing, but the information sounds valuable:)

Maybe someone has a website that could host it?

I'll see if the team wants to put it up on the team blog or something. If so, I'll let you know. :)

[Aggie_Ama]

I know a few of the Flyers, great women. Some of the team are mountain bikers and cool chicks, I consider one pretty good friend. If you ever want to come to the dark side (mountain racing) I would have more advice! But whatever you do, fun is the KEY!

[bonnypriest]

aicabsolut & Amanda...I just sent you both a PM! Thanks to both of you for the added help. :D

[Jiffer]

You're welcome Bonny. I'm glad my long stories didn't go to waste. I know I was very intimidated about my first race (and the others!) ... so I thought hearing someone else's experience as a newbie might be helpful. I just know I was really curious what it was like and how well I'd do. I figured, I'll never know what it's like until I try and I never have to do it again if I hate it and/or totally suck. My husband really encouraged me to do my first one. He had done that particular one before and saw what the riders were like in my category and said I could totally do it. After that first race I got to talking to another rider, one of the few who I actually beat. We were both excited to not be last and had stuck around to see the list and find out just how far from last place we were! Kind of funny! I told her it was my first race and I really wasn't sure I was racing material, but wanted to try it. She really encouraged me to keep racing, which was nice. I never forget that.

As for danger, I can't speak for crits as a person who has even been to one, let alone ridden in one. I just know some stories I've heard, which probably make it sound worse than it is, but people I've talked to who have done both seem to think there's more of a chance of going down in a crit than road race (and may have experienced same). Of course, when you lose the lead group in a road race and you're either by yourself or with one or two other people, how dangerous can it be?! But my husband knows what it's like to be in the lead pack in tight quarters and, while you can of course get tangled up and bump into each other, he also agrees that it's over all safer than crits. Now there may be road racing courses that are a lot more dangerous out there along with more extreme circumstances depending on number in the pack, competitiveness of riders, etc. than he or I have ever experienced. Just giving my two cents worth from my little world of knowledge.

By the way, just writing out my lengthy story and telling you how I'd probably be good at TT's made me get excited about the idea. I checked out all the TT's in my area, of which there are way more than road races, and I'm SO going to try them! My first one is March 6th. :) In looking at previous race results, I feel I can actually be competitive in those. Can't wait! Thanks for the inspiration. :D

[bonnypriest]

You go get 'em Jiffer!!! Let me know how the TT's go. Are you planning on using your road bike or getting a TT bike? Just have fun & go kick some serious butt!!! Thanks again for the help & the stories. I really do love to hear other people's experiences.