A4 Racing

Racing will certainly bring you on big time. Not sure if A4 is the best for what you intend to use it. Most A4 races I've been to have been rather negative in racing style. That means you'll for most of it will be sitting comfy in Z2 or even Z1 and whenever you try to make a break for it people will suddenly start working together to chase you down. There are exceptions of course, like the Des Hanlon race. Due to the hills there it's a lung busting leg shattering affair. Well worth doing if you need the fitness.

If you have a club league available then that would be the best for your purposes. There is very little to no negativity in the races there (at least that's my experiences) so it's a good honest effort from the start to the finish. Races are varied, there are time trials, road races, criteriums, flat finishes, hill top finishes etc. If you to the level where you can survive a club league road race or criterium then A4 is going to feel like a leisurely Sunday spin with a bunch gallop for the line.

Vin DeBog wrote: »

FTP 20mins =290 watts (68KG...Vin

Not sure how your '20-min. FTP' would translated into the classic 'hour' understanding of FTP - it depends on how you measure it etc. But if it does mean hour, then that's 4.2 Watts per Kg, which would put you well up on a Cat3 bunch.

Hi Ho wrote: »

Not sure how your '20-min. FTP' would translated into the classic 'hour' understanding of FTP - it depends on how you measure it etc. But if it does mean hour, then that's 4.2 Watts per Kg, which would put you well up on a Cat3 bunch.

95% of your 20 minute number is considered a good approximation of your FTP, so in this case around 275W which would be enough to do well in A4, and get round in A3 I would think.

Vin DeBog wrote: »

For the hour I have about the same FTP, its the surges where I think I may have a problem i.e. jumping out of corners, changes of pace on hills. In the sportives (Maratona, Sportful) I ride I normally just ride at my own pace like a really long TT.
I have lived in France for the last few years and normally spent the weekends in the Vosges - again long steady slogs.

Do you have a view on the style of racing?
Thank
Vin

A4 is generally stop start a 36-38kph average depending on the course, and invariably ends up in a sketchy sprint finish. There is alot of surging in and out of the corners. Generally if anyone tries to break away they reel them back in and then the pace slows until the next break makes an effort to get up the road, and the pace increases again, very few breaks ever succeed, I only ever saw one.

In cycling, as in many things, you are not going to go the 'the next level' and beyond unless you are prepared to get your ass kicked along the way.
With some race-specific training you seem well capable of A4, and perhaps. But you will probably suffer a lot more than what you are at when the hammer goes down in racing, and possibly get your ass kicked out the back from time-to-time.
Unless you are not prepared for this, you are probably better to stick to what you are at and enjoy it.

The laragh classic is a tough race and well worth a crack.

Aqua Blue race in Cork was another hard one and where the strong riders seperate from the rest.

killalanerr wrote: »

At the start of the season the Cycleways Cup is all ways a good tester of where you are ,not really hilly just hard, one of my favourites,

You generally don't have a lot of luck on that circuit.Put it all to bed next year.
Vin just get stuck in to it.Nothing to fear.

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Good hard race. Traders cup too. I plan on making my return at one of them next year.

Traders cup pan flat sprint fest. ...the trick is to do the John Beggs the day before,a nice weekends racing

As for the OP i have to agree with wav and co ,just do it .....

Inquitus wrote: »

A4 is generally stop start a 36-38kph average depending on the course, and invariably ends up in a sketchy sprint finish. There is alot of surging in and out of the corners. Generally if anyone tries to break away they reel them back in and then the pace slows until the next break makes an effort to get up the road, and the pace increases again, very few breaks ever succeed, I only ever saw one.

Riders make the race.
Inevitably at the start of the season there will be some very strong lads who are not going to stay long in A4, these lads will be getting in breaks, getting points and joining the A3 ranks fairly sharpish. Go with them (or be one of them!)

If enough folk are willing to work hard to get up the road than a break can be successful. After a couple of races you will hopefully know the few lads who want to get up the road. Make friends with them and arrange to go together.

All easier said than done of course but A4 racing (or A3 racing) doesn't have to be negative. The right wind, the right day, too many lads watching Eurosport and "saving" themselves and then the break can stay away.

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Quite right. I made it my business during the 2013 season to get up the road as often as I could in open races. Got a prime for my efforts in the first of the season. Nearly stayed away in Mullingar and I am certain that if more had been interested, that the a4 group would not have been caught by the chasers in the Traders cup that year.

So what your saying is you never saw a break stay away?

As other have said, just get stuck in!

In using a power meter and knowing your ftp I would guess you are already ahead of most of the A4 bunch. and your power numbers are pretty good

Give it a go, prepare for a hiding (possibly, maybe not).

Definitely just do it, if that's an accurate measure of your FTP you could fare well. My FTP is a meagre 220W (@57kg) but even with that I managed to pick up a few A4 points during the year. It's not all about FTP, of course, but it does count for a lot.

As a category, A4 would benefit a lot from more strong riders who are willing to attack and turn each race into a real race, if you are willing to do that in races then you'll liven things up to the benefit of everyone and you may well pick up points too.

Nenagh classic a decent one also

mathie wrote: »

So how does one apply to race in A4 next year?

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