Racing 101

Raam

http://velocitynation.com/content/coachingfitness/2009/road-racing-101

Everyone sucks when they start road racing. It's not because there is something wrong with them, it's just really fúcking hard. In my first race I got dropped after 400m.

scottreynolds

Raam wrote: »

http://velocitynation.com/content/coachingfitness/2009/road-racing-101

The guy sound like a loser.... I got dropped after 8km in my seconds race and lost after 10km. Thats mutch more impressive.. I can't recall my first race

DirkVoodoo

scottreynolds wrote: »

.. I can't recall my first race

Didn't you win?

Raam

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Didn't you win?

He sand-bagged his way into group 1.

DirkVoodoo

Actually, Rule 6 is don't attack. Attacking is a breach of Rule 5. Let the race come to you. If you're the kind of guy who don't want to go to no dance unless you can rub some titty, you'll probably want to make a move.But if you blow your load early you'll be a spent force when things get hot and heavy

scottreynolds

Raam wrote: »

He sand-bagged his way into group 1.

It was always my night ... I knew that anyway -- I would have won from my own group... I was in the zone

lukester

Some of the comments:

If there is anything that I have learned from this sport it is that cycling will humble you (or it should) and the sport is synonomous (spelling?) with suffering. If you can't handle being humbled or suffering, choose a different sport.

1. get fit. yes, do. no one is all that fit? bull****, EVERYone is fit. there are coaches and power meters and training programs and that **** works. that's why there's no one lapping the field. ride a bunch and don't just plow through every ride the way you would a distance run, but do some sustained efforts and do some sprints and jumps and stuff. when you are gasping for air after doing some sprints and jumps and stuff, do some more sprints and jumps and stuff. ride with friends, try to hurt each other from time to time.

2. the tv can teach you a ****load. watch it. watch dvd's of old races. make yourself look like the pro's do. it matters, and it helps. they don't do what they do because it looks cool. it looks cool because they do it (with the exception of the bleach blond perms). descend like they do, sprint like they do, sit like they do. listen to phil and paul. we're sick of hearing it because it's the same thing all the time, but that's because it's mostly RIGHT, except when they are sucking off LA.

3. closed circuit races with no corners are some of the most dangerous ones. nothing like a field of newbies ripping around at 30mph with nothing except their own lack of pack skills to break things up. don't avoid hills or corners. learn to climb and turn.

4. bike sorta matters. diminishing returns after maybe 2-3 grand. tiagra and dura ace are not on the same planet. get a decent carbon frame and ultegra or rival and some wheels that don't suck, and you're good to go. learn how to do at least minimal maintenance. don't be the guy coming into the bike shop with $7000 of "it's not shifting right." there's no safety check, so all the more reason to know a little about your machine.

5. be cool as in try to be relaxed, yes, but be uncool enough to ask questions of people who know more than you. they will actually help you, unless they are totally insecure, in which case you don't want to hear what they have to say.

6. attack. don't be a pussy. attack when it hurts already. if you're marginally fit and you are riding in the pack, then when it hurts you is when it hurts everyone else, so hit them then. put your head down and give it 20-30 seconds, look back, and if you have a gap of more than 50 feet, put your head down again. if it's just strung out, regroup and try again later.

7. ok, sorta. but if you get dropped because you took a psycho flier and were making an honest effort to win, then **** it, you're a bigger man than the guys who just finished. if you got dropped because it was too fast, repeat step one.

8. you will race again. reflect, get pissed off, channel it, ride more, hurt more, watch more, ask more, listen more. hurt more.

Rule 1:
When in doubt, remain absolutely silent.

Rule 2:
When asked about your past give vague, open ended answers.

Rule 3:
Have a great name.

Rule 4:
Look fantastic in a suit
Looks fantastic in casual wear
Look fantastic in anything
Sound good
Smell good
Kiss good
Strut around with supreme confidence
Be uncannily successful at your job
Blow people away everytime you say anything
Take six hour lunches
Disappear for weeks at a time
Lie to everyone about everything
Drink and smoke constantly
…basically be Don Draper

godihatethehils

scottreynolds wrote: »

It was always my night ... I knew that anyway -- I would have won from my own group... I was in the zone

you ARE the zone Scott.

scottreynolds

godihatethehils wrote: »

you ARE the zone Scott.

People are going to start thinking I have two logins ... I'm out of the zone now - feeling tired and sore but on a Taper -- Cyclists don't really Taper so this is fun.

godihatethehils

scottreynolds wrote: »

People are going to start thinking I have two logins ... I'm out of the zone now - feeling tired and sore but on a Taper -- Cyclists don't really Taper so this is fun.

Did you do your mega-marathon....and did you post a report on it?

If you did would you be so kind as to post a linky to it so I don't have to go lurking around the triathlon forum??

Raam

scottreynolds wrote: »

People are going to start thinking I have two logins ... I'm out of the zone now - feeling tired and sore but on a Taper -- Cyclists don't really Taper so this is fun.

I heard you took the train because it was too windy.