crit advise?

[spazzdog]

Thanks BikeMomma!

I haven't purchased the Carmicheal book (yet). I have and am using "Bike Racing 101" by Kendra & Rene Wenzel. I like it because they address (in terms of pronouns) women almost throughout the book.

I'm in the building phase... hopefully I'll be able to try a race toward the end of the season. Waiting to pick up my license until I'm well into training and feel that I'll be able to enter a race without killing myself (or someone else). It may turn out that it would be better to get more training under my belt and wait until beginning of 2006 season to race. The games aren't until July so there would be 3 months of opportunity for local races here in New England... unless I come out to CA early next year for a little race then the Cindy

Pink Kona, keep posting your progress here in this thread. I'm living vicariously... you go grrl!

spazz

[Pink Kona]

I had my lungs handed to me today on a silver platter. They were battered, bruised, asthmatic, purple and had a tight fist clenched around them. It hurt. It actually hurt more once I stopped and my heart rate caught up.

The notorious Boat Street crit was this morning. They lumped all the cats together and some big names showed up. Which meant the pace was relentless. I hung tough until lap 9 when my lungs weren't getting enough oxygen to my legs fast enough and I was spit off the back. I was one of the last Cat 4s to last though - and it came down to the pro riders sprinting to the finish. Had I hung on 1/2 more of a lap the pace slowed and I may have completed the course. It was an expensive 12 minute training race!

Crits are intriguing. They can spank you - but if you maintain and can get through the first 15 minutes, then you'll be a contender for the finish. Next weekend is another road race -my favorite. It's a 65 mile climbing race. Then the following day is another crit. I'll let you know how it goes... thanks Bike Momma for your encouragement! Bike racing is not easy.

[Bike Goddess]

Well, I did the REAL century- all 104 miles! The last 10 miles was kind of a joke as we had to do a extra loop and then hook up with the main road back. Fortunately there were enough cyclists around so it was easy to determine the route
Sorry I missed you, it would have been fun to hookup. Not many people know about that ride perhaps because its only the 2nd time they've done a road ride on the same day as the critsl.

One of the guys in my club (Pete) did the road race on Sunday. I think he placed 4th in his group. He loved the race!
Great countryside expecially once you get up into the hills around Turlock Lake and of course San Pedro Dam. I got some pictures of the T River at SP Dam. Post me your email and I'll send them over!

[BikeMomma]

I had my lungs handed to me today on a silver platter. They were battered, bruised, asthmatic, purple and had a tight fist clenched around them. It hurt. It actually hurt more once I stopped and my heart rate caught up.

Owwie! Owwie! I feel your pain - oh man, been there done that!! And somehow insane enough to seriously consider doing it again!

I hung tough until lap 9 when my lungs weren't getting enough oxygen to my legs fast enough and I was spit off the back. I was one of the last Cat 4s to last though - and it came down to the pro riders sprinting to the finish. Had I hung on 1/2 more of a lap the pace slowed and I may have completed the course. It was an expensive 12 minute training race!

Good job!!! You're almost there!!

Crits are intriguing. They can spank you - but if you maintain and can get through the first 15 minutes, then you'll be a contender for the finish. Next weekend is another road race -my favorite. It's a 65 mile climbing race. Then the following day is another crit. I'll let you know how it goes... thanks Bike Momma for your encouragement! Bike racing is not easy.

Not easy, but ohhhh so fun!! Good luck with the road race...they're my favorite too. Eeeewww, climbs.....

[BikeMomma]

One of the guys in my club (Pete) did the road race on Sunday. I think he placed 4th in his group. He loved the race!

Great countryside expecially once you get up into the hills around Turlock Lake and of course San Pedro Dam. I got some pictures of the T River at SP Dam. Post me your email and I'll send them over!

It was a beautiful day out there at the road race. I heard there were a couple horrendous crashes though. The emergency room was busy - a friend of mine was there for an unrelated incident and vouched that there were cyclists "everywhere", and all they were concerned about were their bikes! hehe...gotta love it!

The pictures would be wonderful, BG. My email should be on my profile page. I love the foothills over here. A mix of green grass and rock, sortof a rugged beauty to it. Heck, I'm just a sucker for a beautiful view wherever it is!

[alison_in_oh]

Pink Kona, you are an inspiration. I'm actually thinking about racing tonight's crit instead of just sitting on the sideline.

It'd be a men's 4/5 field though, and I've seen them ride -- the rule is no crossing the centerline because there's car traffic on the road but do you think they obey that? HA!

I think I can wait till tonight to decide. I don't think I'll race, I don't even think I can make to the site in time for staging let alone registration.

[spazzdog]

Way to go Pink!

I know the feeling of combustible lungs... got the same feeling doing track speed workouts (running). Keep up the good work! 1/2 a lap more of endurance to hang with the bunch is not bad at all. Good luck in the road race.

And BG, nice job on the century. You are a real hard-body! Hey, why aren't you racing? You obviously have the endurance and speed...

[Pink Kona]

Pink Kona, you are an inspiration. I'm actually thinking about racing tonight's crit instead of just sitting on the sideline.

It'd be a men's 4/5 field though, and I've seen them ride -- the rule is no crossing the centerline because there's car traffic on the road but do you think they obey that? HA!

I think I can wait till tonight to decide. I don't think I'll race, I don't even think I can make to the site in time for staging let alone registration.

You totally should go for it! But make sure that if you do race that day, you put down nutrition no more than 2 1/2 hours beforehand. I had a teammate choke down a Cliff bar minutes before the crit and she didn't feel so good.

Do you not have many women racing in Ohio? We nearly set a record on Sunday with 39 women in the race. The average speed was 22mph. Female participation in the PNW has grown significantly, despite 50% chance of showers. And typically they will separate the Cat 4's from the rest of the group. The 1/2/3s always race together. But I look forward to the races with the combined fields. I strongly believe that you're only as good as your riding partners.... advancing up a field can certainly boost skills.

[alison_in_oh]

You totally should go for it! But make sure that if you do race that day, you put down nutrition no more than 2 1/2 hours beforehand. I had a teammate choke down a Cliff bar minutes before the crit and she didn't feel so good.

Do you not have many women racing in Ohio? We nearly set a record on Sunday with 39 women in the race. The average speed was 22mph. Female participation in the PNW has grown significantly, despite 50% chance of showers. And typically they will separate the Cat 4's from the rest of the group. The 1/2/3s always race together. But I look forward to the races with the combined fields. I strongly believe that you're only as good as your riding partners.... advancing up a field can certainly boost skills.

I'm not really sure yet. This particular race is just the weekly local crit, 2 mile lap through a business park. There's an A and a B group, split approximately 1/2/3 and 4/5. I'm told there are about 5 women who ride regularly enough to be "known", one of whom rides with the As.

There are women's races out there, but I think the turnout is low and they usually combine all categories. I understand it can be kind of demoralizing to be brand new and riding with the Cat 1 women!

I think I'll skip out for this week, it'd be too tight to get home at 5:15, get some food in me, prep my bike, drive the congested freeway for as much as 45 minutes to an hour, register and start at 6:30. But if I like what I see as a spectator I'll think about ways to streamline the prep for next week.

The only reason I want to race is as a benchmark. I read somewhere that some people train to race and others race to train (ie to keep motivation up for regular riding). I think I fall in the latter group. So you're right that the challenge of riding with those better than I is just what I need!

[alison_in_oh]

Mostly copied from my post to bikeforums:

I went last night's crit sans bike. The B group did 11 laps. About a third of the pack, including all four or five women, were dropped in the first lap. Everybody just kept gamely struggling along (and getting in the way of both main packs, and screwing up the race coordinator's ability to keep track of placements!) From conversations among the B group riders and from eyeballing it, the main pack wasn't doing more than 24 on the straightaways. I was chilling at 24 in my small ring this morning on my commute, and have ridden on group rides with Cat 2 and 3 racers where I sat in and spun at 26-27 or more. So as far as basic speed/fitness: I think I can do this. I think I'm going to bring my bike next week.

Yes, I'm sure that I'll get gapped and lack power to keep up with any bursts of speed, and yes there's a 120 degree hairpin that scares the crap out of me, but I think if I stay in the middle at the start the laggards will drop off behind me and if I keep an inside line as y'all suggest I'll stay up in the turn. I think I can manage not to completely embarrass myself.

[spazzdog]

Alison... you go grrl!

And check in the "Downhill" thread... I posted some diagrams last night that show the lines to take on a variety of turns.

spazz

[Pink Kona]

Scoping out the course is key to completing it. You know where the turns are, or in this case THE turn is - and where people get out of their saddles. Hopefully enough of it will have sunk in so that when you're racing it - it will come back to you. The surges are inevitable - but placing yourself in the front 2/3 will conserve 5-10% more energy then if you're hanging on in the back for dear life. If you're on the back - try for dear life to move forward.

I am so excited for you Alison! I can't wait to hear how it goes. Training wise - sounds like you're getting some awesome base miles commuting. I would throw in a sprint effort too - if you don't already. In the end it comes down to the sprint. And if you master it - you will be faster than 95% of the women out there. (Let me know if you'd like some sprint workout suggestions.) Good Luck!

[alison_in_oh]

I am so excited for you Alison! I can't wait to hear how it goes. Training wise - sounds like you're getting some awesome base miles commuting. I would throw in a sprint effort too - if you don't already. In the end it comes down to the sprint. And if you master it - you will be faster than 95% of the women out there. (Let me know if you'd like some sprint workout suggestions.) Good Luck!

Thanks, I'm excited too! I don't have a structured training program yet, but I'm trying to study up on the best way to improve in all-around ability. I think that sprints and long steady aerobic effort are things I need to work in. My usual rides have been a couple of hours of fartlek-style intervals, riding at a high-aerobic heartrate (averaging 85% of max), hitting the hills hard, and occasional bursts of effort to catch back on with the guys I'm riding with, or to make a light before it changes.

Man, I hope my new saddle comes soon! And spazz -- thanks for the images!

[BikeMomma]

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

[spazzdog]

Thanks BikeMomma!