Quote Originally Posted by spazzdog
At what point do I enter my first race? Suggestions?
Hey Spazz -

I realized I never answered this particular question. Sorry!

What I would do (and am doing) is when you feel you're ready, find out where and when some of the racers do their training rides, and see if you can join them. They can be male or female, but generally-speaking, the guys are faster which will tend to make you push yourself harder. Don't give up and don't get discouraged when or if they drop you. Just continue your training ride at your own pace, and then set a goal to stay with them just a wee bit longer next time. Baby steps! Set the small goals for the short-term, meet them, and then work your way up to the bigger long-term ones, like staying with them for the WHOLE ride.

When you get to that point (finishing the ride with the group) and you're feeling good and competitive, maybe even out-sprinting one or three of them on interval sprints, then I would say that you're ready to race. Even before that point, actually, you can enter a race if you think you can hang on for a while. One of the best ways to train for racing is to race, believe it or not.

Hope that helps! Go for it, Spazz - you can do it! The Games sound wonderful, and we're all rooting for you!
-Kim