New here & new to racing - tips, please!

[jessicamarie]

Hi ladies!

I got on a bike for the first time in 10 years last December after a torn ankle ligament (klutz!) forced me to hang up my running shoes for a few months. I fell in love! There are still situations where my lack of experience and great handling skills make me scared out of my mind, but I am really enjoying it.

My boyfriend got me into triathlons this spring, but I'm toying with the idea of a cycling race in a few months with two road race stages and a TT stage. The TT doesn't scare me - we do those in training - but the only groups I've ridden in have been small and casual.

Do you have any tips for a first race? Any handling skills I should be sure to work on beforehand? What should I expect?

Thanks!

[ehirsch83]

Jessica,

You are in Tampa- which race are you looking at?( Ocala stage race I assume from what you described).

I would advise going out on some group rides in your area- like San An. They will give you a feel of what the race will feel like. Especially since the 1st day of Ocala is hilly and San Ann is in the hills and will give you the race speed and group feeling.


the faster A group rides will get you ready for what racing feels like

[jessicamarie]

You are right, I am thinking about Ocala. I've been up to San An a few times by myself, but I am looking into the group rides now! Thanks for the direction!

[ehirsch83]

And actually both days of Ocala are hilly- I forgot that they 2nd day is now in the same location as the first!

[Cynedra]

Just be careful riding in San Ann because some of the cyclists give the rest of the cyclists a bad name. That being said, a lot of the drivers give the rest of the drivers a bad name there too.

[ehirsch83]

You could do Gaither also. Not sure what other group rides are over there. Just so you get the feeling of being with a group at higher speeds and turns,etc.

[jessicamarie]

Thanks, ladies! I learned the hard way that Ocala is hilly the first time I rode a TT bike... I found a group ride that leaves from near my house with B+ and A groups where it's mostly flat. I think I'll give that a try this weekend to get my feet wet, then try to head out to San Ann next month.

Thanks for the tip about the drivers in San Ann - that explains why I got yelled at when I was stopped and at least 3 feet off the road last time out there! While on the topic of San Ann, do you know of any good (safe!) routes of 35+ miles in that area?

[Jiffer]

What is the distance of the road stages? That could make a big difference, because the shorter the ride, the more likely riders will stick together, which changes the dynamic of the ride.

I have only done three road races and I was pretty much scared out of my mind at all three! I SUCK at hills, so I lost the group every time as soon as the first real hill came. If you are decent on the hills, you will have a much better possibility of hanging with the group.

Whoever is in the front of the pack will set the pace, unless someone passes and changes it.

The races I did were in the 25-30 mile range. Starting out, all riders were pretty much together, like I said, until the first hill. The pace was never too hard. Just cause you're racing, it doesn't mean everyone rides at interval speed the whole time. OUCH! However, on one of the races, it appeared the front riders were doing something my husband had warned me about. They'd take off and go super fast and the whole group would speed up, then they'd slow down. And then do it again. From what I understand the main reason they do this is tire people out so that they will eventually be dropped.

One thing that was REALLY weird to me on my first race was being surrounded by like 20 women and NO ONE WAS TALKING!!!! Having done a lot of group rides, I was just used to a lot of chatter, but this was no joy ride, this was a race.

I did wonder if, in a race, people would bother to call out things in the road like glass. I found out they do. In general, my three race experiences were good as far as the sportsmanship and friendliness of other riders.

The ride will likely get split into groups. I ended up with one other rider during the last 10+ miles of my first race. We took turns drafting each other in the strong headwind. When it got close to the end and I was pulling, I decided to up my pace and see if she'd hang on. She did. DARN! I knew we'd eventually sprint it out to the finish line, but I wasn't going to be the one to stand first. I knew I only had so much in me to sprint, but the second she stood to sprint I did as well and we were neck and neck to the line. It was actually pretty exciting (even though the leaders had already come in a long time before). I didn't really know who crossed the line first until I saw the results because it was that close.

On another race, I found myself riding alone for a good portion once that big hill came. I had passed a gal barfing on the side of the road and knew one rider was dropped before the climb, so I knew I was ahead of at least two. Then I passed one more on the climb. My big goal for the rest of the ride was to stay ahead of her. I am great on the descents and did my best to get as much distance between her and I as possible. Then I was basically alone for 15 miles on windy roads with rollers. It was hard gauging how hard I had to ride to stay ahead of her. Every time I looked I didn't see her, but tried to keep my pace up just in case.

Well, about a mile from the end that woman went and PASSED me! UGHHHH!!!! I was so frustrated. We took turns pulling to the end and she actually "asked" me, "You wanna sprint it out to the end?" I was shocked she actually asked and I didn't really answer. The next thing I know she's standing and sprinting. I took off after her, but she was a far better sprinter.

Later she told me I was her carrot. She had spent the whole time since I passed her trying to catch up. Well . . . at least I was someone else's inspiration.

My big goal with every race was to NOT come in last! I sustained that goal with the first two races, but sadly not so much with the third. (Unless you count the 2 DNF's as coming in behind me).

So there are a couple of my race experiences. I decided after the third that there wasn't really a lot of point to me racing until I was stronger on hills. And then I was set to start trying some time trials the following season, which would probably suit me much better, when my health forced me off the bike.

I agree you need to do some group rides to get used to riding with other people. Practice drafting behind people you feel you can trust. Experienced people who ride steady and are used to pulling and drafting. In my club I have come to learn who I like to draft and a couple of people I tend to avoid drafting. I know triathletes aren't allowed to draft, so this may take some getting used to. But if you do draft, it can make a big difference in giving you more energy and stamina to finish the distance. If you pull, try to only pull for short distances (whatever seems reasonable that everyone else is doing). Don't feel like you have to pull for long periods, though, even if others do. And don't keep pulling just because you "feel okay doing it". You are expending more energy than you realize.

Be aware of people who are drafting behind you and don't slow down suddenly without warning, or swerve or do anything that might cause them to bump your wheel.

When starting out in those three races, I quickly learned I hated being blocked into the middle of the group. I made my way to the outside of the group and tried to stay there. However, if there is a "do not touch the line" rule, you have to be careful about that. Sometimes you can touch the middle line and get away with it, but if there are officials watching in a car behind you, they can disqualify you for it.

Good luck!

[jessicamarie]

Jiffer, THANK YOU for your stories and advice! It's good to know that someone else has gone into these nervous, but reading about your races just makes me more excited.

The road stages are 36 and 48 miles (or at least that's what I'm remembering off the top of my head). I'm pretty good on hills for no other reason than I'm light and have a good power-to-weight ratio. Riding with bigger guys is a game where I shoot up the hills and then try to make it down before they bomb down and pass me! My boyfriend is a pro triathlete and I draft off him regularly (no other way I could keep up!), but I am nervous about drafting behind anyone less experienced. A broken collarbone in training was enough to keep him out of draft-legal road racing, so he's no help here!

Good point about being blocked in the middle of the group - I'm checking on the rules for the race now. Did you find that everyone was pretty confident with handling in the pack, or were there a few "twitchy" riders?

[Cynedra]

Google San Ann Cyclery and they have a couple of good maps to look at for riding around San Antonio. I tend to end up driving them more than riding, but they can be lots of fun. SThere was a lot less road traffic then too. If you get a chance to go down the Blanton Trilby Road section, I would highly recommend it. Most of the the time, vehicle traffic is not too bad and the hills are pretty nice.

I've only driven part of it, but if you get an opportunity, see if you can find the Horrible Hundred map out of Clermont. Talk about your hills.

[Jiffer]

Jiffer, THANK YOU for your stories and advice! It's good to know that someone else has gone into these nervous, but reading about your races just makes me more excited.

The road stages are 36 and 48 miles (or at least that's what I'm remembering off the top of my head). I'm pretty good on hills for no other reason than I'm light and have a good power-to-weight ratio. Riding with bigger guys is a game where I shoot up the hills and then try to make it down before they bomb down and pass me! My boyfriend is a pro triathlete and I draft off him regularly (no other way I could keep up!), but I am nervous about drafting behind anyone less experienced. A broken collarbone in training was enough to keep him out of draft-legal road racing, so he's no help here!

Good point about being blocked in the middle of the group - I'm checking on the rules for the race now. Did you find that everyone was pretty confident with handling in the pack, or were there a few "twitchy" riders?

You're welcome. I know when I was contemplating my first race I really wanted to hear from other women who had done it and I really didn't want to make a fool of myself and come in ten or twenty minutes behind the last person! I got a lot of encouragement on this site, which helped and I'm glad I did it. Six riders came in behind me on my first race and that really boosted my confidence. Plus I rode with one of those six for a little while and after it was over she really encouraged me to keep racing.

I do have to say that every time I was at the start and it was about to begin, my heart was pounding and I wondered, "Do I really want to do this? Is this fun?! What's going to happen?!" I was definitely a little intimidated by all the riders around me. When the races started, my heart still pumped and adrenaline was high, but I eventually eased into it. Especially when I was dropped and then it was kind of like a great ride alone somewhere different and interesting!

By the way, just as you are small and light and can, therefore climb easily, I am tall at 5'9, which is why flats and downhills are my specialty. I wish I felt more comfortable with the idea of criteriums (crits), because those are plentiful where I live and generally flat. All the road races I did were pretty far away. However, I hear too many stories of crits being a lot more dangerous. Too many fast turns close to other riders. When one goes down, others go down.

As for the riding ability of other riders, in my limited experience I didn't feel unsafe around other riders. However, I also didn't get to stick with a group for too terribly long.

Having said that, my husband couldn't wait to move up to higher divisions for that very reason. He did experience riders who did stupid things that he new the higher division riders would be unlikely to do. Plus with them boys, they can be more aggressive and I think they're more likely to take certain risks or just "not think" when doing something more than women would. He also told a couple of stories of men being jerks. Most of the guys were friendly and sportsmanlike, but he's run into the opposite. One rider who kept kind of swerving into him on his side. They literally bumped more than once. My husband finally said something to him in frustration and the guy was just a jerk about it.

So you never know and should be prepared mentally for whatever kind of riders you encounter. Always be on your guard as far as what other riders may suddenly do around you. What I liked about being on the outside is when we went over a smallish hill that maybe I fell back on just a bit, I could more easily work my way back to where I was after the hill, instead of getting trapped behind other riders that might fill the gap I just created. Whether a race or a fast paced group ride, I always use whatever advantage I can to stay with the group and, for me, that often means "catching up" on the flats or downhills. (By the way I'm one of those who breezes by people on the downhill who often passed me on the climb. Yet, the fast climbing skill seems to outweigh the downhill and flat riding skill overall.)

Anyway, I encourage you to go for it, just like others encouraged me.

[ehirsch83]

OK a few things about Ocala

We will have a yellow line rule( we will have a lead police car and an official following us along with a wheel truck for spare wheels) if you cross the yellow line the official will penalize you.

Girls in FL can be catty- expect them to let you know if your handling sucks, lol

there will be attacking- girls racing can be negative racing(16mph-25mph-18mph-24mph,etc.) don't expect it to be steady- people will try to attack to shed the weaker links.

Ocala is similar to San An area- shorter power climbs, so nothing long.

Also- there is nothing, absolutely nothing to do where the race is- parking, staging, start/finish are in a field out in farm land.

Bring chairs, towels, water, ice, food,etc.

I will be there- I wear fit lab(black/white kit) and have a black/red/white Ridley Noah RS.

The women all race together, so the 1-3s will be with the 3/4s. We will have different #s(the 1-3s will start with a different # then the 3/4s) and usually at the beginning of the race the officials will have one group raise their hand, so everyone knows who they are racing against.

The TT starts in the same location- it is a rolling, short course with a holding start.

If you have any other questions ask away!

[ehirsch83]

Oh also! no aero bars in the road races and your jersey must have sleeves .

They are also being strict on number pinning this year and if you try to fold the corners before you pin it, you will be fined or DQed

[Eden]

there will be attacking- girls racing can be negative racing(16mph-25mph-18mph-24mph,etc.) don't expect it to be steady- people will try to attack to shed the weaker links.

? I'm not sure if you are referring to attacking as negative racing? Putting in attacks isn't negative racing, it's the way things work. You attack you try to form a break. Shedding weak links is fine.... and knowing other's weaknesses is fine too. If you can drop a good sprinter on a hill why wouldn't you do it... We tell our gals ride around together and sprint is not a race - that they need to use their brains and teamwork too.

Negative racing (at least what we up here in the PNW consider negative racing) is generally not attacking, but rather just sitting in, waiting for others to make a move, then pulling in every attempt at a break only to slow down again to reform the group rather than launching a counter attack. It is usually done in the hopes that people give up trying and that your team doesn't have to work as hard and especially so your sprinter doesn't have to do any work until the sprint.

[ehirsch83]

? I'm not sure if you are referring to attacking as negative racing? Putting in attacks isn't negative racing, it's the way things work. You attack you try to form a break. Shedding weak links is fine.... and knowing other's weaknesses is fine too. If you can drop a good sprinter on a hill why wouldn't you do it... We tell our gals ride around together and sprint is not a race - that they need to use their brains and teamwork too.

Negative racing (at least what we up here in the PNW consider negative racing) is generally not attacking, but rather just sitting in, waiting for others to make a move, then pulling in every attempt at a break only to slow down again to reform the group rather than launching a counter attack. It is usually done in the hopes that people give up trying and that your team doesn't have to work as hard and especially so your sprinter doesn't have to do any work until the sprint.

Eden,

our fields aren't big enough here to have teams actual working with tactics.

I wasn't referring to the attacking as the negative part- I was referring to how slow the field might go in between the attacks. Just more of a state of the race, not an actual tactical reference.

I know what you are referring to as negative racing and it happens a lot in our pro1/2 local men's field.