Beginner to road biking/want to start racing!

[RoadRaven]

BTW, meant to say welcome to TE, abaren

Any one who plays rugby has my vote
We have the Lions here touring at the moment (best of the Scottish, English, Welsh, Irish) and the first test is in a few days. The NZ Maori team beat them the other day - fantastic - it was the first time ever in the history of Maori vs Lions!!! Great start.

And I can't help you with how to find races as I'm at the end of the world in NZ - but good luck in hunting them out. Surely a local club would have listings?

[abarensfeld7]

I'm at home with my parents but as soon as I go back to Ithaca, NY (where I go to school) next week I plan on joining in on the local cycling club's rides frequently!

I am jealous you get to see the Lions play. Amazing.

[SadieKate]

I would get in touch with your local club either in the community or the college. Some of them will have weekly time trials and other events that will give you a good introduction. You really do need to know the skills of riding in a pack before you jump into anything other than a time trial. You could even try a team tri as an introduction since you wouldn't be riding in a pack.

Keep us posted and let us know what you find and how you do!

[alison_in_oh]

Here's a race calendar pulled up on google:
http://www.nybc.net/clubs/calendar/2005raceevents.shtml

Ooh, and another:
http://spokepost.com/calendar/

I strongly suggest getting *some* group riding skills. A good start would probably be a circuit race, which tends to have a longer lap therefore a more technical course that breaks things up a bit, but without having the tedious miles of a road race. Go to the race site, check to see that they have Cat 4 women field, and do it! Show up about an hour before start time, register, warm up, and do your darnedest.

Heck, c'mon out to the Raccoon Rally, http://www.heartrateup.com/ and join the men's 4/5 group like I'm going to!

[abarensfeld7]

Awesome, everyone has been so helpful...keep it up!!!

I went for a relatively "fast" ride this afternoon -- 11.40miles, 40:30 including a huge 8-minute hill. I was hoping for a few minutes less but I wasn't going top effort and I didn't have much sleep last night....

Then rounded up the crew (sis, mom, dad) and got them all out for an 8-mile-slow-as-molasses cruise. My mom just got one of those "cruiser" bikes by Electra and it definitely offers up a lot of wind resistence! ha.

Oh yeah -- and I should have mentioned from the start that I don't plan on entering a race until August or September.

[RoadRaven]

Then rounded up the crew (sis, mom, dad) and got them all out for an 8-mile-slow-as-molasses cruise. My mom just got one of those "cruiser" bikes by Electra and it definitely offers up a lot of wind resistence! ha.

Great that you are going out with others now, but you'll find the experienced cyclists at the club you are planning on joining will be able to share road/courtesy/race protocols with you as well. How to take turns at the front, how to warn others there is rubbish on the road, how to slow down without making evryone else pile into you... etc etc

Oh yeah -- and I should have mentioned from the start that I don't plan on entering a race until August or September.

Great, you have plenty of time to get the pack experience. And when you enter, enter as much for the experience as for the race, as you know from rugby - a training session feels quite different to a match against rivals.