Race Goals & Other Thoughts for New Racers

[velogirl]

Reading everyone's posts, especially those of you new to racing, prompted me to share a couple of thoughts.

Determine why you want to race. This is an important one. Just because you're a fast rider doesn't mean you need to race. To be successful at racing, you need to be competitive. I can teach riders all the skills necessary to race, but I can't teach someone to be competitive.

Race your own race. Unless you're an elite athlete, there are many variables that will affect your training and racing. Don't compare yourself to others. Sometimes you don't even want to compare yourself to yourself. Each race will be different, so set goals based on where you are for that specific event.

Set goals for the season and each race that are achievable and not dependent on others or on variables you can't control. For example, you can't control what other racers will do, so don't give yourself a goal based on placing. Instead, give yourself specific performance-based goals that you can evaluate based on you (ie climbing a given hill in a specific gear, positioning yourself at the front of the pack in a certain place on the course, eating & drinking during the race).

Control those things you can control. This includes your equipment, your training, your nutrition, your stress level, your race-day schedule, etc. You cannot control the weather, the competition, the course conditions, etc, so don't stress about them. Remember, if it's raining, everyone is getting wet (not just you). If there's a killer climb, everyone is feeling the pain (not just you).

Set goals that are realistic based on your past performance. If you've done a handful of races, you'll have a sense of how you should do. Set incremental, short-term performance goals.

Set goals that will push you and motivate you. Do something that will scare you. Don't be afraid to do a race you're not well suited for. Don't be afraid to race when you've been training really hard and don't have fresh legs.

Choose a variety of events to compete in. You will be better suited to some types of races than others. So is everyone else. If you're not a climber, don't torture yourself with hilly road races. If you have pack issues, don't choose just flat crits. If you hate being alone, don't choose time trials. As a new racer, try a lot of different events and see what you like to do and where your strengths lie.

Have fun. Unless you're collecting a paycheck as a bike racer, the only reason to do it is because it's enjoyable. If you're not having fun, you should reconsider your decision to race.

[AuntieK]

Do something that will scare you.

There you go!! That' WHY I want to race. I need to move out of the ol' comfort zone...maybe it's an early midlife crisis?
Anyway, just wanted to thank you for posting your racing thoughts, velogirl. I think I'll print it out and refer to it often.

[BikeMomma]

I second Velogirl's advice -- the object is to have fun, and if you're not, you don't need to be there. Re-reading my new thread about the Sea Otter, one might get the impression that I wasn't having fun....believe me, I WAS. The whole thing was a big challenge for me. I knew there were going to be big hills, but I didn't let that intimidate me. Those corners, some of them, were a little technical, but I attacked them anyway. I was smiling the whole way through, even when that guy was bugging me at the end.

Velogirl -- keep the advice coming. Your experience is invaluable. Seeing your thoughts in writing sortof echo my own attitude about racing. Thanks for the great post.

~BikeMomma (Kim)

[CR400]

Thanks, that was good advise and helped me to evaluate why I race.

For me it's because I like the competition. Someday I want to be strong enough and fast enough to really be competitive. But right now I am still so very new to the sport. This is only my second season even on a bike again. Sometimes I'm to competitive and get depressed when I get dropped. But what I have learned is that most of the women and men I race with have been riding for longer then I have, and they didn't just start seriously trying it this year. I sometimes have issues of wanting it all now.

But everytime I go out I learn something new from a mistake that I have made and how to improve. When I do get dropped it turns into my own race like how long can I go before I get lapped or how few times can I keep from getting lapped right now. In the process my fitness increases and cruise and endurance pace gets better.

Oh yeah having someone to chase down even if I don't catch them motivates me to go faster and raise my heart rate to I get a much better workout.

[bluerider]

Reading everyone's posts, especially those of you new to racing, prompted me to share a couple of thoughts.

Determine why you want to race. This is an important one. Just because you're a fast rider doesn't mean you need to race. To be successful at racing, you need to be competitive. I can teach riders all the skills necessary to race, but I can't teach someone to be competitive.

Race your own race. Unless you're an elite athlete, there are many variables that will affect your training and racing. Don't compare yourself to others. Sometimes you don't even want to compare yourself to yourself. Each race will be different, so set goals based on where you are for that specific event.

Set goals for the season and each race that are achievable and not dependent on others or on variables you can't control. For example, you can't control what other racers will do, so don't give yourself a goal based on placing. Instead, give yourself specific performance-based goals that you can evaluate based on you (ie climbing a given hill in a specific gear, positioning yourself at the front of the pack in a certain place on the course, eating & drinking during the race).

Control those things you can control. This includes your equipment, your training, your nutrition, your stress level, your race-day schedule, etc. You cannot control the weather, the competition, the course conditions, etc, so don't stress about them. Remember, if it's raining, everyone is getting wet (not just you). If there's a killer climb, everyone is feeling the pain (not just you).

Set goals that are realistic based on your past performance. If you've done a handful of races, you'll have a sense of how you should do. Set incremental, short-term performance goals.

Set goals that will push you and motivate you. Do something that will scare you. Don't be afraid to do a race you're not well suited for. Don't be afraid to race when you've been training really hard and don't have fresh legs.

Choose a variety of events to compete in. You will be better suited to some types of races than others. So is everyone else. If you're not a climber, don't torture yourself with hilly road races. If you have pack issues, don't choose just flat crits. If you hate being alone, don't choose time trials. As a new racer, try a lot of different events and see what you like to do and where your strengths lie.

Have fun. Unless you're collecting a paycheck as a bike racer, the only reason to do it is because it's enjoyable. If you're not having fun, you should reconsider your decision to race.

Thank you velogirl. This is AN AWESOME post. I'm a wannabe racer and what you wrote is really giving me the courage to give it a go. I think the idea of getting dropped, or worse, lapped, has really been the biggest fear factor. But I think what rings the most true to me is to determine WHY you want to race. I know I'm a fierce competitor and you're right, that is not something that is taught, it's something that you want. A lot of people ask, why do you feel the need to race. I don't know what to say except, I just do.

Thanks again for the great tips and words of advice.

[Bike Goddess]

I think what VeloGirl is saying applies to cycling in general (or any other group type sport). Those of us who are competitive tend to forget that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others (this seems to be my tendency at times when I'm riding with women who are 10-20 years younger than I am).

I'm always challenging myself to do better. It's just my modus operendum (spelling here?). But at the same time, I realize I'm in this sport for the fun as well as the challenge and sometimes its nice to just get out and smell the flowers and enjoy the quiet!

[ChainsOflove]

I was wondering if you hard-core roadie babes could talk me thru this.

There is a training series I'm interested in checking out but I am freaked about being the oldest/fattest/slowest. Not that I'm that ashamed of myself but what happens when a pack of maniacs is lapping you? I don't want to be crushed!!

Should I just show up and try this or maybe just go and watch once or twice?

Its held at a Nascar type track! That's why I want to do it. I am pretty sure there are only about a dozen girl racers in this thing. It doesn't cost much.


WDYT??

p.s. I have a great racing bike and the right gear, etc.

[Pink Kona]

I was wondering if you hard-core roadie babes could talk me thru this.

There is a training series I'm interested in checking out but I am freaked about being the oldest/fattest/slowest. Not that I'm that ashamed of myself but what happens when a pack of maniacs is lapping you? I don't want to be crushed!!

Should I just show up and try this or maybe just go and watch once or twice?

Its held at a Nascar type track! That's why I want to do it. I am pretty sure there are only about a dozen girl racers in this thing. It doesn't cost much.

GO FOR IT! I find that things are best experienced by jumping in with both feet. Maybe I'm afraid I'll never do it unless I give it 110% - but unless you just go for it - you'll always wonder what it's like. (I must warn you a little though - this is coming from an ex-boxer.)

Great posts - one thing that came to my mind though was the grin factor. I'm an avid grinner - always have been. If you're not smiling then why do it? But lately I've found that smiling may have gotten in the way of being competitive. About a month ago I was at a local road race and found more energy to smile wide for the camera than to climb the second hill at the end of the race. Guess what happened? I was dropped like a bad habit. So since then I've put more thought and energy in focusing on the task at hand, keeping the smiles to a minimum - and raced my race. It seems to be working - I made the break on a local crit recently and although I feel off their insane pace I was still able to grind out my lead on the chase group and pull in a 4th place finish. I remember at one point hearing a friend yell at me - SMILE JEN! to which I thought - stay focused, keep grinding, keep working, two laps to go... and then smiled and laughed about myself after the race. It's nice to have a good balance. Or make pain look like a smile.

[Eden]

..... It's nice to have a good balance. Or make pain look like a smile.

Oh so true - everyone keeps saying you must have been having fun you are smiling about the attached photo - Its the top of a 3K climb after I had been battling to lose the least amount of time possible so definitely not a smile, but I'm smiling now and it was fun no matter how hard that moment was.

But this thread is about goals isn't it. I think I need to seriously think about setting some more. This is my first year racing and I started the season with little idea of what my expectations should be. My goals for the beginning of the year were pretty simple - see if I could stay with the pack and stay up. I've been quite suprised to find myself doing well so now I feel like I need to shift my thinking to less general goals and how to achieve them.

I still just have a lot of nebulous thoughts at this point. Like, OK now I know I can make it to the end of a race with the pack - what I need to learn now is how to set myself (or my team mate) up for a successful sprint. This may be the hardest one for me and at least some of it is mental - I still get to the end of a race suprised to have made it so it doesn't make me much of a finisher. I'm hoping the Thursday night training series will help with me some with strategy and confidence.
I also want to improve my climbing. I'm the right build for it at 5' even, 103 lbs, but I have a lot to learn about technique and am still building the strength to climb fast. At least here I have a solid goal - I've done the Mt. Baker Hillclimb (24.5 miles 4,300 feet) twice now. It gives me a baseline and something to strive for. This time the goal is to go under two hours (I was 2:08 last year)
Shall I talk about TT'ing..... anyway I could ramble on. I'm thinking that maybe I should look into some form of coaching. It would likely give me more focus and feedback and a much better training regimen, but the question is to do it sooner or later. I'm still at the point where I feel like I should see how this first season goes for me, then get more serious about it, but then the other little voice says don't waste any time girly you're not getting any younger...

[CR400]

If people see me smiling in a race or ride, the truth is I'm really just breathing and have no idea what my face looks like.

I now have two goals to complete at least a century of a 250 mile ride across my state that my club is doind, we'll ave 20+mph, and about 25-50miles of steep climbs.

Second is to compete in Welch's a local race which is a little over half climbing and get a better time this year.

[ChainsOflove]

Thanks for the encouragement Pink! The "Jump in" theory is a way of life for me--except with anything athletic, which for me takes a lot of courage.

I"m not ashamed of being the oldest/fattest/slowest, I just want to be safe and I don't want to be unnecessarily traumatized.

[Eden]

Thanks for the encouragement Pink! The "Jump in" theory is a way of life for me--except with anything athletic, which for me takes a lot of courage.

I"m not ashamed of being the oldest/fattest/slowest, I just want to be safe and I don't want to be unnecessarily traumatized.

On a track it doesn't sound to bad - with a field of 12 it should not be too scary - you can always go off the back it you are getting too nervous. If you are going to be passed you want to stay to one side or the other, don't make an sudden moves or slow down- keep pedaling, and just wait for the group to go around you. Its really not too bad.

I've done a local weeknight training race in a mixed field of guys and gals a couple of times. I expect to get lapped in this race (sometimes more than once ) and some of the newbie guys that show up there do make me very nervous, but I've never felt in any danger by being passed by the pack. Since it is a training race the organizers are very liberal about its running. If you are about to be lapped at the corner (it is a bad corner since it is off camber and more than 90 degrees) you can go off of the course and jump back on the back for the next lap.

By all means - go and watch once or twice if it really worries you and find out if they have a class before the races start - our local crit training race has a cornering class that runs each week before the first race that is free with your entry, but it sounds like a good way to introduce yourself to racing.

[ChainsOflove]

Eden
Thanks for the response--unfortuneately your race pictures wouldn't open for me!

I think the field of women would be about 12--the entire peloton looks to be 50-60 or so.

Anyway, we are expecting heavy rain this week so I don't know if they will be there. I'll report back on my findings!