Racing?

[Eden]

Hi Ladies

Its snowy and cold outside in my area of the planet but I'm dreaming of spring and getting back out on my bike (the trainer and spinning is just not the same).

I started biking because I committed myself to completing some triathlons - to loose weight and get into shape. And that plan worked. But as much as I love tris, I find myself gravitating towards cycling more. So as I plan my upcoming calendar, I am looking into the possibility of racing a bit. Problem is that I can't find any information or newbie friendly websites that describe how to get into bike racing - most seem to assume that I know what I'm talking about --and I don't . So I'm turning to you, the ladies of the forum. Can you help?

What do I need to do/know to get into racing? How do I locate info on races? Do I have to be a part of a team or can I race on my own? Does anyone know of any newbie friendly teams in Utah?

I would also love to hear your experieces with racing. Pros/Cons--the good, the bad and the ugly.

Thanks

A good mentor is the easiest way to get into racing. You certainly can race without a team, but to tell the truth I don't really recommend it. If you race without a team you will be immediately suspected of being a bad bike handler. It's not that anyone really wants to offend, its just that everyone wants to keep their skin on their body, so they stay away from anyone who looks like they might be dangerous and people who are not on teams are always suspected of not having any group riding skills.

Things you definitely need to know to get started. Many races are sponsored by USAcycling so you will need to get a license. For beginners you can usually buy a one day license for $5 at the race. If you plan to do more than a few races you can save money by buying a yearly license at www.usacycing.org - as well as finding a whole lot of good information about racing and getting started racing. You can also find a list of all of the registered clubs in your state. Many of them will have links to their own web sites so you can find out more about them or even contact them. I notice there even a women's team in Sandy UT. Even if you don't live near enough to be able to ride with them, they would likely be a good source of information about racing in your state and where to find the best beginner teams/races.

You really need to have good group riding skills before you decide to start racing. If you've only ever really ridden alone its not a good idea to throw yourself into a peleton. You should know how to draft properly (no half wheeling), be comfortable riding with others very close on either side and how to corner with a pack. Joining a team is the very best way to get this experience. If that is impossible at least ride with a club. See if there are any skills clinics or training races in your area where you might be able to learn riding and cornering skills. Be aware that you must have a standard drop handlebar road bike for road racing. NO AEROBARS! when riding with others. Aerobars make handling the bike more difficult and can cause bad accidents when riding in a group. Softride style bikes and bikes with two differently sized wheels are also not acceptable.

Other important things:
Always arrive early and warm up before a race. The shorter the race the longer the warm up. You're usually not allowed on the course so warming up on the road can be hard. If you don't have a stationary trainer it may be a good idea to get one.
Try to develop a routine about packing up so that you don't forget anything. Making a check list can be a good idea. You don't want to be the one who gets to the race and realizes that you don't have your shoes/helmet etc.
Always get a good meal about 2 to 3 hours before the race. Try things out to see what will not disagree with your stomach! My races are generally early so I'm an oatmeal gal.

I started racing last year and I've really had a great time. I joined a team the fall before I did my first mass start race.

the pros:
racing is fun!

team work is awesome - cycling really is a team sport. You can do the beginner races alone and in general in their first races most people are still to intent on staying with the pack and on two wheels to pay attention to tactics, but if you go any further you will learn how important a team really is. When you do get there you'll learn that it can be incredibly rewarding when one of your team mates wins and you know you helped.

you will get stronger and more fit - if you race and train with any regularity I promise you will get stronger.

the cons:
crashing is a possibilty. I haven't hurt myself severly, just some bruises and road rash, but I have crashed.

you can spend a huge amount of time (and money...) doing this! I was at a race at least one of the days most weekends this year from April through August. Plus they were all over the state and some in the next state down so I spent a lot of time on the road. At least my husband races too so it was something we do together. It can be hard on relationships when only one party races.

It can take some time to get strong enough to stay with the pack - don't give up if you get dropped in your first couple of races - you will get better

so that's my overview... I'm sure I haven't touched on many things you are wondering about so please do ask more questions

[RoadRaven]

Just endorsing Salsa and eden's comments

The best way to prepare for a race is to first ride a few and "get a feel"

They have listed some good ideas to follow up

[sulis]

Thanks ladies. You provided some very helpful info. I didn't know about the licenses et al.

I do want to try some racing but its so hard to find info. I guess I need to find a more informative bike shop. The guys that run my favorite shop, while always nice and helpful with me in maintaing my bike, are BMX races so they know absolutely nothing about the local road race scene. I tried the WWCC and another local group for weekly rides but I was the only one to show up - not very successful there (that was last summer). Guess I'll give it a try again in the spring. Sigh!

What kind of winter time training do you find helpful in preparing for a race season? I am currently spinning twice a week. I work out 4 to 6 days a week but like to vary it for fun. Should I be riding every day?

[Eden]

Every day is probably a bit too much. I ride 5 days a week, but in addition to my rest day I usually have one day that is strictly 30min of core/strength training plus some very easy spinning and another day that is only zone1/2. Right now during the winter you want to emphasize slower endurance rides over hard work outs - longer slower rides are better than hammer fests.

I won't really try to go into it in depth here - there's lots of good literature already written that's better than I can try to explain it, but I would recommend if you don't already have one, you get a heart rate monitor and look into zone training. Some may argue that its better to train with power, but as far as beginners go hr monitors are relatively inexpensive and a really good place to start.

[Mimosa]

Like eden says, in preperation for the new season you should start training 5 times a week by now. That can be a mix indoor on the rollers (during bad weather), riding in the evening (in the dark) and doing a long run (3-4hrs) on your day off. And contacting the womens team eden suggested is also a good idea. I found that if you want to ride at a certain level then you need to find people who share that level to really get the information needed. Having teammates really helps to find the races you are looking for and they can help you get used to riding races. Don't back down, the first half year in racing can be overwelming, you need to learn a lot fast and the hard way (sometimes literally *auwch*) and you can get some very disappointing results before you get better.

.... but in the end you'll love it

[AuntieK]

Hey, Sulis!
You've gotten some great advice here. Glad to see you want to start racing.

Last year, I jumped into racing with little experience. I would seriously consider racing your first year as a citizen (unlicensed) racer. This would be where you would just buy a one-day license like Eden suggests. I wish I had know about racing citizen last year because I got my rear kicked by those fast Cat 4 racers!

I've also considered joining the club (WWCC) in your area, but it's a little out of the way for me. They look like a great club, I hope it works out better for you come spring. Luckily for me, a more local shop is starting up a race club soon, so hopefully I'll be out there with them.

Good luck to you & hope to see you at those races this spring!

[Eden]

Citizens category? We don't have it around here I guess. There is a series held at a local (car) race track that is not USCF (USACycling) sponsored that has a beginner category as well as cat 4 so I guess its like that. No one is required to have a racing license to race there since its not sponsored and its a really great way to learn if you have something similar available. We haven't had enough women racing to have a women's cat 5, but our fields are getting bigger and bigger so we can hope!

Oh, by the way Sulis -if none of the above made much sense- when you race there are 4 categories for women. You start as a cat 4 (men have a 5) and you move up either through experience (25 races with 10 or more particpants to go from 4 to 3) or points. Points are earned by getting a top 6 finish. Around here we don't have enough women to separate any fields except for 4's. After you upgrade the 1,2,and 3's generally race together and are scored together.