junior racing pace?

I've found in our junior races in Australia, there is always an odd mixture of really slow riders and really fast riders with less poeple in between. So its a bit hit and miss. Anyway, if you get blown away that should inspire to come back later in the year and whoop some [censored].

ToffoIsMe said:

Well I'm 16 and am going to begin racing this spring. Guys at the shop I work at tell me that since I'm under 17 I have to race in a junior division or something and can't ride Cat5 until I'm 17. Anyone know what the average pace is on these junior races? I just want to make sure I'm not going to get blown away.

Look at some websites of races mostly they have some results of junior races on it with the winning time and the distance, so you have a bit of a feeling with which speed they race...

ToffoIsMe said:

Well I'm 16 and am going to begin racing this spring. Guys at the shop I work at tell me that since I'm under 17 I have to race in a junior division or something and can't ride Cat5 until I'm 17. Anyone know what the average pace is on these junior races? I just want to make sure I'm not going to get blown away.

Go to the "Bloody Soapbox" forum and ask this question in the Xes thread. You could find some helpful people there, if you are lucky.

ToffoIsMe said:

Well I'm 16 and am going to begin racing this spring. Guys at the shop I work at tell me that since I'm under 17 I have to race in a junior division or something and can't ride Cat5 until I'm 17. Anyone know what the average pace is on these junior races? I just want to make sure I'm not going to get blown away.

Since you're post lists you as from New Jersey, I'll assume that is indeed where you are posting from.

What shop do you work at?

Do ANY of these guys race?

You have the option of racing either the CAT 5 or the Junior race, or both, if you're so inclined.

If you race Juniors, you have to contend with the Junior gear restiction. There is no restriction in a CAT race.

When you qualify, you may move up a CAT. There are no age restrictions, and if you want to race nationals in PA this year, you will have to be a CAT 3 for anything other than the time trial.

I am the parent of a Junior who is a 3 on the road, and a 2 on the track, before the age of 15. Many riders at the Velodrome are 1 or 2 as Juniors. There are as many higher level junior riders out there.

My best advice is to get involved with a team that has a junior program. I can get you contact info if you reply to me privately.

Hope this helps

trackmomy said:

Since you're post lists you as from New Jersey, I'll assume that is indeed where you are posting from.

What shop do you work at?

Do ANY of these guys race?

You have the option of racing either the CAT 5 or the Junior race, or both, if you're so inclined.

If you race Juniors, you have to contend with the Junior gear restiction. There is no restriction in a CAT race.

When you qualify, you may move up a CAT. There are no age restrictions, and if you want to race nationals in PA this year, you will have to be a CAT 3 for anything other than the time trial.

I am the parent of a Junior who is a 3 on the road, and a 2 on the track, before the age of 15. Many riders at the Velodrome are 1 or 2 as Juniors. There are as many higher level junior riders out there.

My best advice is to get involved with a team that has a junior program. I can get you contact info if you reply to me privately.

Hope this helps

I work at the Peddlers Shop in Deptford, New Jersey. www.pscycles.com
Yes they do race. Two of them race Cat5, one races Cat2, and one races in a 35+ division.

Hey man,

I raced 10-14 this previous year and I am going to race 15-16 this year. I have raced and trained with the kids who race in the 17-18 catagory and they are FAST!!!. Most races start out at 25+ then settle down but do not go below 23.

I hope this helps

ToffoIsMe said:

Well I'm 16 and am going to begin racing this spring. Guys at the shop I work at tell me that since I'm under 17 I have to race in a junior division or something and can't ride Cat5 until I'm 17. Anyone know what the average pace is on these junior races? I just want to make sure I'm not going to get blown away.

I guess it's different where you live, but down here (North Carolina) Juniors can race men's race's but they can't use more than a 45x12 or 53x15. I think that Juniors should be allowed to race men's race's just because they are so much faster and harder and Juniors who race men's races will also get the oppurtunity to develop skills like bumping and leaning on other riders.

by the way I race Cat. 4 and plan to be a Cat. 3 by this time next year and by the time I am 18 I will hopefully be a Cat. 2

Cyclist14 said:

I guess it's different where you live, but down here (North Carolina) Juniors can race men's race's but they can't use more than a 45x12 or 53x15. I think that Juniors should be allowed to race men's race's just because they are so much faster and harder and Juniors who race men's races will also get the oppurtunity to develop skills like bumping and leaning on other riders.

by the way I race Cat. 4 and plan to be a Cat. 3 by this time next year and by the time I am 18 I will hopefully be a Cat. 2

How old are you?
I've been reading into the gear ratio rules and they have got to be the most rediculous restrictions I've ever heard of. I've been riding bmx for a few years now and have extremely strong legs from that, so I tend to use the big gears alot and can push a 53x12 at 90rpm pretty easily.
I've been doing a lot of training lately, spending time on my trainer every night doing intervals for an hour and a half or so, and I'm taking a race prep course from January-March. Think this will be enough to make me come out winning this spring? From what I understnad I already have to race up an age group because my birthday is mid summer, so instead of riding 15/16 I'll have to ride 17/18.

Cyclist14 said:

I guess it's different where you live, but down here (North Carolina) Juniors can race men's race's but they can't use more than a 45x12 or 53x15.

The USCF rules only restrict gears in junior races not CAT (Men's) races. I don't know about the local rules in NC but you may want to check with a local official about this. It would not be fair to selectively restrict gears in a CAT race, especially to a junior who is already at a disadvantage due to their age/size.

ToffoIsMe said:

How old are you?
I've been reading into the gear ratio rules and they have got to be the most rediculous restrictions I've ever heard of. I've been riding bmx for a few years now and have extremely strong legs from that, so I tend to use the big gears alot and can push a 53x12 at 90rpm pretty easily.
I've been doing a lot of training lately, spending time on my trainer every night doing intervals for an hour and a half or so, and I'm taking a race prep course from January-March. Think this will be enough to make me come out winning this spring? From what I understnad I already have to race up an age group because my birthday is mid summer, so instead of riding 15/16 I'll have to ride 17/18.

The reason for the gear restrictions is to help level the playing field a little. So the 18 year old with the receding hair line and a full dose of testosterone (all natural of corse) won't have too much of an advatage over the kid still going thourgh puberty that shaves every other month. Also to help preserve still developing tendons.

Dude, you can race Cat 5 all you want as a junior. I am a junior and I race Cat 4 as well as a junior race here and there. You can be a junior and race as a Cat 1. Just be careful when you do compete in a junior race. Make sure that you have the right gearing. I use a 45-12, but a 53-15, 52-14, and Im not sure what the correct one is for a 50, are all accepatble. The reason for the restricted gearing is so that you don't overdevelop your knees. You also learn how to spin, which helps conserve energy. And, once you are able to spin, you can keep up in any race. Just spin at like 140-150 rpm, and bam!, its easy. Also, the 45 is a nice gear in which to climb in. You don't have to go into your 39, or 34, just grind it. Which is an advantage is many cases.

You can go to the ucf's website and look at the rules. And you can also search for teams in you area in the same way. I if you plan to race a lot, this year, I mean like more than once or twice, then consider getting a liscence. The one-day ones are expensive and annoying to fill out. There are a bunch of other stuff, but I have to go. Good luck,
A friend in cycling

BTW, I would recomend putting the 45 as a big ring. It makes it easier, so that you don't have to lock gears out, and confuse the shifting. It looks really retarded when it is first put on, but youll get used to it.

Would I need to get seperate licenses to race junior and cat 5 races?

ToffoIsMe said:

Would I need to get seperate licenses to race junior and cat 5 races?

no, you don't

whoawhoa said:

no, you don't

You can almost always use a 53X14 and pass the roll out at the end of the race where they actually roll out one entire crank revolution and see if the distance is within limits. Look at the usacycling website for specifics.

You can use a 45 up front but getting the shifting right and the parts right can be tricky. Try finding a 45 Shimano that works with your regular setup. Often very difficult. Shimano makes a 14-25 rear cassette for this reason.

The pace of junior races varies a great deal. Local ones generally not as hard. Any regional or national races, some of the 17-18 year olds can be Cat1 Cat2 riders and well, that says it all.

Look up Mike Fraysee or Cuevas cycling teams from New York. I dont know the junior programs down in jersey.

Good luck.

You cant use a 53x14 BUT you can use:
53x15
52x14
50x14
45x11
I use a 45x11 but I am putting a 52x14 on before race season

bobke said:

You can almost always use a 53X14 and pass the roll out at the end of the race where they actually roll out one entire crank revolution and see if the distance is within limits. Look at the usacycling website for specifics.

You can use a 45 up front but getting the shifting right and the parts right can be tricky. Try finding a 45 Shimano that works with your regular setup. Often very difficult. Shimano makes a 14-25 rear cassette for this reason.

The pace of junior races varies a great deal. Local ones generally not as hard. Any regional or national races, some of the 17-18 year olds can be Cat1 Cat2 riders and well, that says it all.

Look up Mike Fraysee or Cuevas cycling teams from New York. I dont know the junior programs down in jersey.

Good luck.

orbearider1212 said:

You cant use a 53x14 BUT you can use:
53x15
52x14
50x14
45x11
I use a 45x11 but I am putting a 52x14 on before race season

A 45x11???? i dont think so. The largest junior gear, the one that just makes it in roll-out is a 45x12. Look it up on the uscf website. At least, that is what the ref said at the beginning of one of last years races.

The ref was wrong because I raced the whole year with a 45x11 and the officals even told me It was dead on. They rolled me out and it came to exactly 26 feet, which is the roll out length.

luv2ride said:

A 45x11???? i dont think so. The largest junior gear, the one that just makes it in roll-out is a 45x12. Look it up on the uscf website. At least, that is what the ref said at the beginning of one of last years races.

orbearider1212 said:

You cant use a 53x14 BUT you can use:
53x15
52x14
50x14
45x11
I use a 45x11 but I am putting a 52x14 on before race season

I've always passed with a 53x14

BanditManDan said:

The USCF rules only restrict gears in junior races not CAT (Men's) races. I don't know about the local rules in NC but you may want to check with a local official about this. It would not be fair to selectively restrict gears in a CAT race, especially to a junior who is already at a disadvantage due to their age/size.

Actually Junior's don't have restrictions in men's races but our coach wants us to race and train on a 45x12 max gear.