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OPINION
If only there was a 5th Cat
Tue, Jul 29, 2014 16:54
17
bcc jerseySo. Here we are then, after saying I'd do it over a year ago and spending a year yoyo-ing between fitness and bed-boundness as my back repeatedly fell apart, I'm two-and-a-bit hours away from my first ever road bicycle race. Not counting TTs. Forty minutes plus one lap, Odd Down circuit. Cat 4s only.
Will I win? No. In the points? No. Stay on? Probably not. Even setting my sights at a pass rather than a fail is hopelessly optimistic. I've just spent a week in France eating croissants and generally not cycling at all. Let's call it tapering, if you like. Whatever, I'm not at my peak. Which isn't a very high peak anyway. I've not had masses of experience of riding in a group, and very little at anything like race pace. I don't even have a suitable race bike to call my own right now, so I've dragged one out of the road.cc shed. I picked a cheap one so I'd look okay hanging off the back.
So why do it at all? Well, because I want to do it, and I aspire to get better at it. And I've seen friends start on the same road, and improve, and move up. And I want that too. But to move up, you need to start. So. I start. Wish me luck. I need it.
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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17 comments
So that's why you volunteered to help with our Hill Climb.
Hinton Hill certainly won't take as long as a road race.
Did anyone mention that all the prizes in the Bath CC Hill Climb include a cake? There's also a family catagory and a nobbly tyres prize. Entries on line www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Events-List
Its good to read about everyones first experiences of racing and it seems they are all pretty much the same. My first race was a road race Cat4/3/2, turned out the only cat 4's were my buddy and me needless to say we got a good kicking but it opened my eyes to how good the quick guys really are, and just because you got some top tens on Strava doesn't mean your fast. Must have another try soon.
I am a cat6 racer, I say racer it's more eating cakes and drinking beer.
I'm planning to have a go later this year. Good to hear from others in the same boat.
I think some of the comments on here are really useful - thanks for your collective wisdom!
Well done Dave! You'll do better next time. Bash some hard intervals in the meantime!
Congrats on having the courage to give it a go.
I've been meaning to give it a try and have used all manner of handy excuses to avoid actually doing it. Soon I will MTFU and get out there.
how did it go? well, i got spanked. but i kind of expected that, so no dramas. stayed in for half a dozen laps and then the elastic broke. persevered in a group of three for most of the rest of the race but in the end i got spat out of that too. it was 35 mins + 3 laps and i got lapped just before the 35 mins was up so i bowed out and watched the final three. Ed from the Bath Uni team took a fine second place.
The psychological barriers can be the biggest enemy, with me anyway. Just remember that not every rider thats there is super fit, and that when you are suffering so is everyone else, it's easy to think they are all fine and you are dying.
Also there is no better training than actually racing, you will never go as hard in training.
A few of the guys I was talking to after confirmed both of those, I'm back there next week for the next in the series there!
Did my first last night.
First 15mins up in the bunch, probably a little too far back, going around 110% to stay there at times, then reality kicked in and around 5 of us go chucked out the back.
Stuck at it and finished, need to train harder!
Come on then, how did it go? (and well done for getting stuck in, I am also going to need to take the plunge)
For some, it's the path, not the goal
story of my life. go kick some ass.
G'luck, I'm looking forward to it more than my races
All the very best Dave. Don't break a leg... or a clavicle, or an elbow... ! Just try and stay with the surges (it'll probably go like the clappers at the start and settle down on a circuit) and work your butt off to stay well within the head of the bunch.
PS been such a while since I raced in a bunch of any kind I would be Schrodinger's Cat
There is a 5th Cat, its called a sportive
have a great time!
Actually, its called silly commuter racing!