Racing next season

Danmann said:

Afternoon all,

23yo male looking to race next season - at some point. Done lots of riding over the last year and am capable of centuries and longer.
I am joining a cycling club and training with guys who already race.

Basically I am after some advice for winter/springtime as to how to best prepare. I just don't want to go in blind and look dumb I guess.

Any advice tips, training or otherwise would be a big help and greatly appreciated!

you may well find many answers within the various threads here. as well as that, listen to what your peers have to say, and especially important is how to hold a wheel and ride in a group.

seek out the advice of a coach, feel free to contact me at RST ([email hidden]) or maybe try a local coach.

most importantly have fun and try to maintain a consistent approach during the winter -- especially the crappy winter months. most likely, you'll need a (turbo) trainer to get you through some of the worse winter months.

also, set some goals, and decide on what type(s) of racing you're going to do (e.g., RR, TT, MTB, track, etc) or have a go at all of them!

ric

ric_stern/RST said:

you may well find many answers within the various threads here. as well as that, listen to what your peers have to say, and especially important is how to hold a wheel and ride in a group.

seek out the advice of a coach, feel free to contact me at RST ([email hidden]) or maybe try a local coach.

most importantly have fun and try to maintain a consistent approach during the winter -- especially the crappy winter months. most likely, you'll need a (turbo) trainer to get you through some of the worse winter months.

also, set some goals, and decide on what type(s) of racing you're going to do (e.g., RR, TT, MTB, track, etc) or have a go at all of them!

ric

Many thanks Ric.

Type of racing would RR and TT - always liked the idea of a TT event. Got a turbo trainer on the way at Xmas from the Missus - good gal! ;-)

Realistic goals are difficult to set as I don't know what to expect. Not sure if I would be capable of a win in my first year, might get dropped every race. Difficult to set a target when I don't even know if I would stay with the bunch let alone get out front.

Thankks for the advice though, much appreciated.

Danmann said:

Many thanks Ric.

Type of racing would RR and TT - always liked the idea of a TT event. Got a turbo trainer on the way at Xmas from the Missus - good gal! ;-)

Realistic goals are difficult to set as I don't know what to expect. Not sure if I would be capable of a win in my first year, might get dropped every race. Difficult to set a target when I don't even know if I would stay with the bunch let alone get out front.

Thankks for the advice though, much appreciated.

you may well get an idea of your fitness via group rides and the odd bit of ego bashing that sometimes occurs (e.g., everyone starts racing a hill).

to get an excellent idea of your fitness and potential it may be worth booking a MAP test (etc) with us. we'll interpret the data and give you an idea of what you should be looking to do.

you could also set a goal such as finish the first 2 out of the 3 races that i start.

as regards TTs you may already have an idea of what sort of speeds you can average from doing TT like efforts in training. Thus, it maybe somewhat easier to set a TT goal to start with.

ric

Good times... Im 19 yo, and tried racing for the first time this year. I dont really train like I should, school and work and all, but it really is fun to race. I dont get the chance to ride with people a lot, so my first real experiences were awesome. I agree with that simple goal setting stuff, my first race was the 3-day Tucson Bicycle Classic, and i just went for not getting last on any of the stages. I finished like 35th out of 39 finishers. I say, just go out, see what you can do, try to stick with the leaders, meet new ppl, talk to ppl in the peleton, and most of all HAVE FUN!!!! its great...

-Ben 😎

Danmann said:

Afternoon all,

23yo male looking to race next season - at some point. Done lots of riding over the last year and am capable of centuries and longer.
I am joining a cycling club and training with guys who already race.

Basically I am after some advice for winter/springtime as to how to best prepare. I just don't want to go in blind and look dumb I guess.

Any advice tips, training or otherwise would be a big help and greatly appreciated!

Where abouts in surrey are you?
I have some long rides this winter, so depending on where you are i could swing towards your area.

Chris