The Difference btn. Road and Mtn. Racing LOL

After a couple of years of trying my best to road race as a Cat 4 woman...I realized I had forgotten my roots as a mtn. bike racer.

I noticed some big differences in the atmospheres or energies of the two scenes, but what I've noticed is that road racing is like Wall Street and mtn. bike racing is like Woodstock :D

I'm not disparaging the road scene or anyone who races road, but I think I'm better suited for mtn. bike racing...

The women I race with though are all first class and very supportive though...just want to make that clear.

Maybe I'll do both for a while...

We rarely have more than 10 women show up for the cat 4 women's races...Usually half are fast enough to be 3's and race with them. The rest of us get splintered...

So...with regards to the road, I'm thinking of racing with the 45+ Masters men or the cat 4 or 5 men to gain more racing in a pack experience. I do group rides a lot and I'm fine, but I want to get more real racing experience.

Or, maybe I'll just fly the coop and do mtn. bike racing...LOL.

Decisions, decisions...

I'm crunchy granola to the core LOL...

Yeah, I've noticed (sorry for the generalization, I realize not everyone fits stereotypes, but this is just something I've noticed)

mtn bikers tend to be very hippish where I've been riding... Old "much loved" (beat up) gear, granola, pb&j, plain water, Clif products and honey (or Hammer). Organics, etc. Stringy vegan/veggie guys and gals with great smiles and dispositions. I've been offered 'to share a bowl' quite a bit (not that I've taken them up on it) but that's just the type...

Roadies tend to be more white-collar, high-dollar, fancy equipment-oriented. Friendly, but very much into their cadence, HR, speed, etc. Shiny, clean eq, look at you like you're going to burst into flames if you happen to pop off your bike downtown and share a beer and a smoke with a friend.

I'm not sure if it's that hippies aren't always as into 'speed' as they are into 'getting on trails'... or that they see their bikes as utilitarian modes of travel instead of an excercise habit/hobby?

I dunno. I'm too much of a wuss to actually do mtb racing (I'm afraid I'd break easily if I braked hardly) so I have a do-anything mtb frame with cushy shocks and thin-ish smooth tires. hybridisation?

Up here in WA state I get the feeling road racing than mt biking is much more popular for women. One of my teammates complains that she always comes in second (at mt bike races)- because there are only two of them........

If you do go ahead with moving to CA you'll probably find larger fields (I would guess in both disciplines). Road racing is even more popular with women in CA than it is here and we have a pretty good field of women here. Our road races range from as many as 60 women in the early season (yes lots quit after a race or two) to around 15/16 for some of the less popular races.

I race road, mtn, and cyclocross and sum it up like this:

Road racers drink a beer after the season.

Mtn bike racers drink a beer after the race.

Cyclocross racers drink a beer during the race.

And don't even get started on the single speed racers! I think beers is ALL they drink :)

You goddesses crack me up! Hee hee!

I always say the more the merrier when it comes to racing...Helps to get us faster...well, faster :)

I'm giggling about the beer stuff...Hee hee! (I'm pretty boring...No alcohol or drugs LOL, but last road race of the year, I did have sugar and caffeine! Whooohoo!).

I guess though it's not just the road racing that's getting old here for me...it's the weather and the same old same old conservative stuff...LOL.

When I run into my old mtn. bike racing friends at road races though, I am so happy...They actually say things like, 'nice job' or 'way to hang in tough'...what a concept! LOL

Not sure where the tides of change will make me land LOL...

We had a local crit here a few weeks ago (Manhattan Beach) which drew 20-30 women in each of the Cat 3 and 4 levels, and more than 50 at the women's pro level. The men's Cat 3 and 4 each drew 100+ entrants in comparison.
Where was I? I was there for the free samples at all the vendor booths!

If cyclocrossers drink beer *during* the race, then that's where I want to be!

(Commutermobile could be a cyclocross bike, couldn't she?)

Bluetree--where do I sign up? LOL I'd love to live in Southern California. Most of my road races only have 8-10 gals at the most. Most of the time, they have us start with the 1, 2, 3 women and so half of us get dropped and have to fend for ourselves :( It so is not conducive to getting stronger in the sport or getting racing skills in a pack. I was looking at the links for your races and was impressed that the categories for women are all separate! Whoaaaa! :) 1 and 2 together and then, separate for 3 and 4. Wild stuff! My hubby is a cat 2...Here they put 1,2 together or pro, 1, 2 all together for the men. BTW, I love free samples ;) It's the best use I can find for my cleaveage! :D

KnottedYet--Wow, beer during races...hee hee! That would be fun...Hee hee! I get drunk after one though, so I'd be a real hoot, eh?

Of course, that's racing...

... the non-racers in either category have entire categories of their own!