I plan on absorbing this one and not racing. If it was a road race, I'd more than likely do it. We have Seven Hills Racing club here what was designed to offer the newbies a way in to the sport without being intimidated. They have crit practice every Wednesday night focusing on different things. The guy in charge is a riot and makes everyone feel welcome. Whene deciding whether or not I wanted to join the club, I asked if I could race with my Trek 1000 and he said by all means and that my bike woulnd't be the cheapest thing there!

I plan on taking plenty of mental notes. My friend just did his first race two weekends ago and it was a crit. They let the 4's race with the 5's and Citizens and it was really fast. He thinks he'll stick with RR's and TT's for awhile.

Thanks for all your help!

Jeni


Quote Originally Posted by velogirl
Ooh.....hope! I like that. and how true is that? The kids still have hope/potential in their cycling careers.

Now about the race. It's a four-corner crit, which means it will be fast and the pack will likely stay together the entire race. Women's beginner crits here in CA average about 22mph. This wouldn't be the type of race I'd recommend for someone's first race, especially if she hasn't participated in a skills clinic or training race.

Jeni, have you watched a crit before? I'd plan to arrive very early so you can at least watch some of the races. This will give you an idea of what to expect (and whether or not you really want to try it yourself).

It appears that they held this race last year (I found the permit info on USACycling but they never posted the results). See if you can find the results somewhere and see how large the women's field was. This, too, will give you a sense of whether or not you might want to do it. If there's 50 women, that would be a bit intimidating. If there's 10, maybe you'd try it.

Anyways, not to scare you away, Jeni, but crit racing can be a scary leap for a new racer. The pack is large and fast, you need excellent cornering skills, and there are spectators everywhere (adding to the embarassment factor). For new racers, I'll typically recommend beginning with a road race or time trial, just to get your feet wet, learn more about the sport, and have a safer experience.

Are you involved in any of the cycling clubs listed on the website? If not, hook up with one of the clubs and see if they can offer some guidance/mentoring.

Okay, I'm starting to ramble.