Beginner advice

Galwegian09

Hi,


I am cycling for the last 3 months and cycle about 120 km per week. The longest cycle I do is about 70 KM. I would like to have something to aim for and I am wondering how I would go about entering a race of about 100km in late August/September. Do I have to be registered to race and could somebody recommend a suitable race for a beginner. I know that there are different categories for competitions but I am not sure of which category I would be in. I cannot seem to find how racers are classified anywhere on the internet. I am 29.
Could somebody please help!

Thanks

Galwegian09

Hi there!
I think you would be in the cw or db class. Ask Joey and Baby for clarification. Hope this helps.
a runner

niceonetom

Hmmm... what level are you at now do you think? do you cycle with others?

If you want something to aim at I'd suggest you start with one of the many sportives organised around the country. They can be a great way to push yourself to go faster and further and to compare yourself to other cyclists of varying abilities in a non-competitive (officially, anyway) environment.

The steps towards racing are usually something like 1)join a club 2) get faster and fitter 3) learn how to handle yourself in tight, fast groups 4) complete in the club league 5) realise that you're nowhere near fast enough yet.

There are open races where anyone with a cycling ireland race licence can turn up and sign on, but these tend to be a step up from club races and would be a very silly place for a beginner to turn up to have a go, both from a safety perspective and from a self-esteem point of view.

Lumen

Am I drunk or does this thread make absolutely no sense?

blorg

I think the second post he just posted in the wrong thread.

As for racing, to be honest road races are bloody bloody tough and because of the aerodynamics there is a bit of a minimum standard and below it you will just be dropped out the back. It is very different from running in this regard. Apart from the fitness standard there is a bike handling standard, you are racing in a tight bunch and you really need to start first doing group riding and then second racing in a club league to develop the handling skills to do this safely. If you want to do this, best join a club in the autumn and go out on spins with them over the winter, then try your hand racing in the spring. Many club spins would be over 100km BTW.

As Tom says sportives are a very good idea- this is a non-competitive ride of some length (generally 100-200km), often over mountainous challenging courses. They are really closer to the typical running race experience for anyone below an elite level. The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford is on Sunday 30th August and would be a perfect event, it is very well run, you have 100km or 160km options (the latter being the hilly one) and you get to ride with Sean Kelly! If you have done 70km already you will do the 100km no problem, maybe even aim for the 160 depending on how well you get on with climbing hills. It is easier riding in a group and you will be able to go further than on your own... Try to get some group riding experience in before it if possible.

If you are a runner, consider a triathlon or if you don't like swimming a duathlon- this would be a perfect way to get into it as the bike bits are non-drafting so it is once again just an individual competition, there isn't the same minimum standard or handling skill necessary. Triathlon/duathlon guys are also very welcoming in my experience (I dabbled last year.)

jwshooter

blorg .i think you have hit the nail on the head ,im going to do the 100km spin at the sean kelly .
it has given me some thing to work towards .i done 60k yesterday eve and 50 today and im starting to see the gains.the race will give a novice a idea of whats involved and to see how fit and fast the top riders are.

joining the local club is a must i thing iv a very active on hear the slaney cc.

blorg

If you can do 60k and 50k evening spins back to back, maybe even consider the 160... Were your rides hilly or flat? You really only need to make the decision on 100 or 160 well into the ride BTW, I think it is probably around 50km in, so you could see how you felt at that point.

Galwegian09

Thanks for all your useful advice guys. Think I will do the Dean Kelly 100K. It would be a good challenge to keep me motivated. You can ignore the second post I made(Actually my girlfriend as a joke Ha Ha!)

ednwireland

oooh when's the dean kelly on sound soooooooo much better than the crappy sean kelly 100k (i love typos)

Galwegian09

Dean Kelly is on the same day as the sean kelly. Same thing really except you must be a bad typist!

davgtrek

OP.
Join a local club. You'll find a few levels of lads who on regular club training spins in autumn and over winter will bring you on leaps and bounds.
Most club midweek spins will be fairly relaxed.

buy a cyclometer and after spins keep tabs on your average speed.
This is a good indication of what level you are at.

but as for something to aim for you may find joining the club is more than enough to challenge your cycling. but doing a sportif and hanging in there would be good crack anyway.

Galwegian09

I have a cyclometre and my average speed cycling 45 miles on my own is 15MPH on flat road. I also cycle 16 Miles -fairly hilly ( Road between Moycullen and Spiddal) in an hour going as hard as I can.

victorcarrera

Galwegian09 wrote: »

My average speed cycling 45 miles on my own is 15MPH on flat road.

You may need to improve your fitness or kit to get above 20Mph/32Kph for that spin before you consider training with racers or racing even at S3 level.
Blorgs advice above is sensible and especially for novice racers always remember everybody gets dropped now and again so keep at it.

TheBandit

Does anyone here know anything about Orwell freewheelers. I'm in Tallaght so i think this is the closet club to me. They say they start beginner spins in Autumn but does anyone know roughly when. My cycling level is okay but i'd like to improve it to try and race next year

rottenhat

Orwell's beginner spins start in October. They're quite good for learning basic group riding skills and there are usually multiple groups of differing ability on any given Sunday so you can move up easily as you improve.

blorg

I think you want a sportive to start rather than a road race as such. 15mph/24kph is a decent average, Boards spins are often around that sort of figure, I'd say come out but I presume from the name you are in Galway.

Club races tend to run around the 38-42kph range over a pretty flat/rolling course and a distance around 45km. I think C races are probably around the same speed but are longer, up to the 120km sort of mark. Now it is a LOT easier riding in a group but that would maybe give you an idea of the sort of speed you would have to sustain over an hour to not be dropped, it is a big step up.

What are your goals with the whole thing? As unless you want to road race for the specifically competitive elements sportives are great fun and certainly fit the bill for motivating you towards a goal, developing fitness, etc. I did my first Wicklow 200 in 2007 but only started racing this year- e.g. I was doing sportive/randonees for two years before I started racing.

blorg

@TheBandit- rottenhat and myself are both in Orwell, it is a great club and very welcoming. The membership is divided roughly half and half I think between cyclists who race and ones that don't, so there is room for everyone. You should consider coming out on a Boards spin too though, I joined Orwell myself specifically to race to be honest, you get most of the rest on the Boards spins (other than the organised group riding but we are trying to beat that in to them )

TheBandit

Cheers lads, i'll look forward to october so(I just have to get this [pesky gaelforce west out of the way first.) I've been meaning to go on a boards spin for a while now but things kept getting in the way, normally drink related.