Specific Race Questions...

[smilingcat]

A funny, hah hah moment. The 3rd ever crit I was going to do there were just two of us pre-reg. Me, and a former PRO. It was canceled, much to my chagrin. The way I saw it, she could have lapped me three times, but I'd still podium 2nd to a champion!

Funny but sad.

[BalaRoja]

Stunning to hear some of these comments. I mean it is great that the sport is now attracting so many women. Excellent for the long term prospects & viability.

Still, considering the biggest field sizes I will see this year are ~20 - and that's when they combine the all the women across all cat's - hearing of 40, 50+ is incredible!

Glad it is thriving, at least elsewhere :-)

[tangentgirl]

Nothing new on race day!

^^I'm assuming that bit of triathlon logic would apply here as well. Don't eat anything you've never eaten, don't wear anything you haven't worn riding(might be hard if a group hands you a whole kit that day, maybe take that with a grain of salt), don't put brand new tires on your bike the night before, don't eat a new kind of gel or bar or breakfast, don't drink an new kind of drink, all that.

Good luck! Have fun!

[Eden]

Stunning to hear some of these comments. I mean it is great that the sport is now attracting so many women. Excellent for the long term prospects & viability.

Still, considering the biggest field sizes I will see this year are ~20 - and that's when they combine the all the women across all cat's - hearing of 40, 50+ is incredible!

Glad it is thriving, at least elsewhere :-)

Its a bit of a drive, but if you ever get the opportunity you should wander up north for a race or two. The smaller Oregon races probably won't have quite as large fields, but the stage races often do (my favorite is Elkhorn, Baker City Oregon, in June - there are always some California gals there). If you want to plan for next year and go for our most popular race you could try for Walla Walla - the cat 4 field is capped at 50 and it filled up within several hours of registration opening this year! - there's even 25 women wait listed. (there are also 39 3's and 20 1-2's registered so far as well, and I'm sure there will be more eventually, but people aren't in such a rush to register because higher cat fields are allowed to be larger [70 riders] and there still are fewer of us, so they don't fill up so quickly)

[BalaRoja]

Its a bit of a drive, but if you ever get the opportunity you should wander up north for a race or two. The smaller Oregon races probably won't have quite as large fields, but the stage races often do (my favorite is Elkhorn, Baker City Oregon, in June - there are always some California gals there). If you want to plan for next year and go for our most popular race you could try for Walla Walla - the cat 4 field is capped at 50 and it filled up within several hours of registration opening this year! - there's even 25 women wait listed. (there are also 39 3's and 20 1-2's registered so far as well, and I'm sure there will be more eventually, but people aren't in such a rush to register because higher cat fields are allowed to be larger [70 riders] and there still are fewer of us, so they don't fill up so quickly)

That would be fun :-)

I've heard a lot about some races in Oregon and it is obvious you have the numbers to make for interesting fields. I mean wait lists? That's what I call thriving!

Personally I'd rather compete in a field of 40 women than in the 10 or so I will be riding with. There's such a broad range of fitness at the entry level & especially when you only have a dozen or so people.

I'm not living in Northern Cal anymore though so lots of travel would be involved. Moving away has made me realize just how great and well organized women's cycling was there as compared to other places. Things get done so, so differently here - or more accurately, they don't get done! I've had to temper down my expectations....way down.

Two other things just came to mind....

Eden, is there a velodrome in Oregon? I love track riding

Tangentgirl's post about sticking with your nutrition routine makes sense but it made me ponder something. Do most/all road races have feed zones? The flyer doesn't mention any so I'm assuming I ought my own food/fuel. I haven't ever used gels, using 'real food' instead, so perhaps I ought to start experimenting with them now.

[aicabsolut]

Most cat 4 races do not have feed zones. No feeding in crits and circuit races except pro-1, if that, I think. Road races may have a feed zone but only for races over x number of laps (which a cat 4 women only field may not do). If you do get a feed zone, it will be spelled out on the flyer as for location and which laps it is open. Unless you have a feeder there with you, then you'll need to figure out a way to get through it on your own anyway. Gels and chews are a pretty easy way to get quickly absorbed sugars into you in a small amount of jersey space. You can also put a spare bottle in your jersey. Discards (bottles only, not trash) can be made in a feed zone if there is one regardless of whether you take up a feed. Just go back and try to find your bottle later if no one is there with you.

[Eden]

Yeah - no feeds for 4's, generally the races aren't long enough, though sometimes if you do a combined field race and all the cats are doing the same course the 4's have the same access to feeds *BUT* unless you actually have someone in the feed zone specifically for you all you usually get is water and that is if there is a neutral feed at all....

Indeed Oregon does have a velodrome - Alpenrose and it is in Portland. There are also plans to build a new one. Seattle and Vancouver (Canada) also have velodromes. Vancouver's (Burnaby)is and indoor track and has racing year round. Seattle's (Marymoor) is a very long track. It was refurbished in the 90's to host the Goodwill games.

[BalaRoja]

A few things popped into mind...

1 - From my conversations with other rides, when unattached and participating in events - you have to wear a plain jersey (no artwork, no lettering, no words, no manufacturer names, etc). Is this generally true? Now please bear in mind that I wasn't thinking of showing up in a Team Tibco kit, , but it seems like you can't wear anything that even says Castelli or Team Estrogen or Primal or that has any kind of drawings or art, etc.

2 - Speaking of unattached, I've been told to expect a surcharge on my registration fee for every race. Has anyone actually experienced this? Ostensibly it is to encourage riders to participate in clubs. Personally though it seems a bit wrongheaded, as there are no clubs locally that I really want to be a part of - in NorCal sure, but not here. Yet you have to pay extra for not wanting to join clubs that aren't a good match for you anyway?

3 - What kind of tires do you all race with? For training - indoors/outdoors - I use what I like to think of as a 'tank' tire Kind of a heavy, thick thread, never flats it seems, and definitely has horrendous rolling resistance. I've thought of using some Michelin Pro 2/3 tires but am worried about flatting. I'm thinking there's a sort of tradeoff that you make: less rolling resistance but more likelihood of flats . Do you all race with the fastest tires and puncture resistance be darned? :-)

4 - If the field is small and they start the women 3/4's at the same time as the men 4 & 5's - is it bad form to try and draft the guys to get some extra speed if you can manage it? Basically they are going to run women 3/4's on the road race course at the exact same time as the male 4/5's. I'm sure the guys will be flying but if you can hang on to their draft.....well, is it OK?

5 - Have any of you tried wearing a skinsuit? I've got a TT as part of the stage race and the only tops I've got are the common, club-cut jersey's. A skinsuit should cut down on drag a bit and save you a little bit of time. If you've got one or worn one, can you suggest a good place to get one? I find plenty of 'tri' suits online but not many skinsuits.

[Eden]

Whew...

1. Generally race organizers are pretty lenient with beginners. Even if you showed up in a Tibco jersey they'd probably just warn you and let you ride (you'd just look like a total chopper ). I never see the girls do it, though I see the cat 5 boys do it all the time. At a stage race they might be a bit more stringent - especially if Tibco actually shows up.... Though technically the rules say plain jerseys only, if your jersey has a logo for the manufacturer on it or a picture no one will care - especially if its not a current team. [funny aside story..... once at a local race I saw a dude in a full on Health Net pro kit - I though to myself who's the poseur and how'd he get past registration - turned out it actually was Tyler Farrar]

2. Though they are allowed, I've never seen anyone actually do the unattached surcharge. I think this is allowed because teams pay USACycling a fee each year - that pays for stuff like the insurance that is provided to the race organizers and the riders. (did you know that at any USACycling sponsored race if you crash there is supplemental insurance that will pay the bills your own doesn't ? This is why you want the official to know and to take a report if you crash and are hurt). I don't know if the organizers get charged extra for unattached riders or not, but around here at least no one bothers with the extra $5 - I think they feel it would discourage participation and be a bookkeeping hassle.

3. Get race tires and don't worry about flats. You'll want the faster tires and there will be a wheel car. At small races, especially if there is a small field it might be "wheels in, wheels out" - which means that you need to provide your own wheels and you'll only get a change if you've provided one. At a stage race I've never seen anything but neutral support (which means you get a wheel no matter what) - though sometimes they do have a lottery and if you get picked you have to put wheels in or find someone who will put them in for you. If you have anything less usual (like 650 wheels or Campy gearing) you really should put in your own wheels - otherwise it will be highly unlikely there will be anything for you in the wheel car. In the event you get a flat and for any reason cannot get a change someone will bring you in - so you need not worry about being stranded anywhere.

4. If you are starting in the same field as the boys, they are fair game.... unless all the girls make a gentlewoman's agreement before hand then its game on.

5. I wouldn't worry too much about a skin suit for your first race. TT bars are the #1 thing to have - if you don't have clip on's or haven't practiced with them go for that first. #2 TT helmet. A cheap, well free, thing to do is leave your gloves off..... saves more time than having an aero wheelset..... You can get a skin suit with no labeling - I've seen them on the Northwave web site (yeah the guys who make shoes) and Tri items would be OK as long as they have sleeves - you can't go sleeveless at a road race. Of course any of these things are only going to save seconds, if that - maybe only 10ths..., on a short course and in the 4's at TTs strength tends to decide things more than any kind of aero equipment. It's no use worrying about shaving 10ths or 100ths of a second when you are behind or ahead by minutes....

[BalaRoja]

Whew...

1. Generally race organizers are pretty lenient with beginners. Even if you showed up in a Tibco jersey they'd probably just warn you and let you ride (you'd just look like a total chopper ). ........ [funny aside story..... once at a local race I saw a dude in a full on Health Net pro kit - I though to myself who's the poseur and how'd he get past registration - turned out it actually was Tyler Farrar]

LOL! That's a great story about Tyler. And yeah, I guess the boys do like their pro kits a bit more. I've seen many a Team Astana/Disco/USPS/KOM/Maillot Jaune jersey on group rides

2. Though they are allowed, I've never seen anyone actually do the unattached surcharge. I think this is allowed because teams pay USACycling a fee each year - that pays for stuff like the insurance that is provided to the race organizers and the riders. (did you know that at any USACycling sponsored race if you crash there is supplemental insurance that will pay the bills your own doesn't ? This is why you want the official to know and to take a report if you crash and are hurt). I don't know if the organizers get charged extra for unattached riders or not, but around here at least no one bothers with the extra $5 - I think they feel it would discourage participation and be a bookkeeping hassle.

I appreciate the details. It makes more sense now and gives me a better idea of why they 'would' (even if they don't obviously) charge a bit more. I'll think better of cycling promoters nationwide because of this tidbit :-)

3. Get race tires and don't worry about flats. You'll want the faster tires and there will be a wheel car. At small races, especially if there is a small field it might be "wheels in, wheels out" - which means that you need to provide your own wheels and you'll only get a change if you've provided one. At a stage race I've never seen anything but neutral support (which means you get a wheel no matter what) - though sometimes they do have a lottery and if you get picked you have to put wheels in or find someone who will put them in for you. If you have anything less usual (like 650 wheels or Campy gearing) you really should put in your own wheels - otherwise it will be highly unlikely there will be anything for you in the wheel car. In the event you get a flat and for any reason cannot get a change someone will bring you in - so you need not worry about being stranded anywhere.

Woah, I had no idea. I'm glad you mentioned that. This is going to be a smaller event I think - certainly compared to the likes of races you've talked about close in the washington. So it sounds like I ought to bring an extra wheel or two (one with & without a cassette). I'll see if I can confirm with the promoter and/or contact person for the event.

4. If you are starting in the same field as the boys, they are fair game.... unless all the girls make a gentlewoman's agreement before hand then its game on.

Ok, ok, that's interesting. I pretty much do group rides exclusively with men (there aren't any women's rides here whatsoever, so what choice do I have?) and find I can hang on pretty well if I can just stay near the front and draft in close. Nothing like going 23mph while doing 150 watts behind some 6'3" windbreaker!

5. I wouldn't worry too much about a skin suit for your first race. TT bars are the #1 thing to have - if you don't have clip on's or haven't practiced with them go for that first. #2 TT helmet. A cheap, well free, thing to do is leave your gloves off..... saves more time than having an aero wheelset..... You can get a skin suit with no labeling - I've seen them on the Northwave web site (yeah the guys who make shoes) and Tri items would be OK as long as they have sleeves - you can't go sleeveless at a road race. Of course any of these things are only going to save seconds, if that - maybe only 10ths..., on a short course and in the 4's at TTs strength tends to decide things more than any kind of aero equipment. It's no use worrying about shaving 10ths or 100ths of a second when you are behind or ahead by minutes....

I've got clip-ons and have been practicing on them several times per week. It truly does take time getting used to the position and you notice different muscle groups seem to get fatigued. I'll keep my eyes open for an affordable TT helmet as you suggested. Worst case, I may just put one of those helmet covers for cold weather that I got from TE, over my regular road helmet.

Thanks so much for all the tips Eden. Much appreciate it all

Thanks

[aicabsolut]

For your kit, you can always order something like this "unattached" kit: http://unattachedrider.com/skinny.htm Just having anything "race cut" will help you avoid that bib number sail situation you are worried about.

While you're a cat 4, the race promoters will not charge you an unattached fee. Same with men's cat 5. Maybe they can, but I've always seen an exception for these categories. Although the fee encourages club participation, I guess they want to create more of an incentive for new racers to show up.

I like my Michelin Pro3s. I kind of liked the old Pro2s better, because they were less susceptible to cuts, but they dry rotted faster. The handling is great. They are awesome in wet conditions. I use them all the time. I used to be able to buy them 1/2 price through the Team Michelin deal for collegiate racers, but that program is discontinued. One advantage to being on a club that is sponsored by a shop is that they have a "shop night" where you can stock up on things like good tires at a low price.

Another commonly used clincher that is good for training and racing are the Conti GP4000s.

[smilingcat]

now I'm really confused.

is it Crit or TT you are racing? I thought it was a crit... Then all of sudden, talk of skin suit, TT helmet...

I assume it is still a crit, drafting guys, wheel in/wheel out...

Have fun at the race!! It's about having fun right??

[aicabsolut]

The skinsuit question was related to a stage race that included a TT stage.

[SheFly]

Please forgive me if this isn't true across the board, but here, even if you start at the same time as another field, you are NOT ALLOWED to work together, and can be DQ'd for it. So, if it is a men's 4/5 field, and someone from the women's 3/4 group can catch, they wouldn't be allowed to work together.

SheFly

[BalaRoja]

now I'm really confused.

is it Crit or TT you are racing? I thought it was a crit... Then all of sudden, talk of skin suit, TT helmet...

I assume it is still a crit, drafting guys, wheel in/wheel out...

Have fun at the race!! It's about having fun right??

Would love to do a crit but don't think I'm ready for flying around 90 deg. corners at 25mph!

This will be a TT + RR.

Yeap, having fun is the goal. Not embarrassing myself would be a close 2nd though...

Please forgive me if this isn't true across the board, but here, even if you start at the same time as another field, you are NOT ALLOWED to work together, and can be DQ'd for it. So, if it is a men's 4/5 field, and someone from the women's 3/4 group can catch, they wouldn't be allowed to work together.

SheFly

Egads, I better find out how that all works here. thanks for pointing this out...