An excellent point…and goes back to my point about just being a nameless face in the parade. No one really knows how well you are doing relative to others in your AG.
Bike racing lets everyone know immediately where you are relative to your competitors.
ETA - if that is the experience the OP is looking for (and nothing wrong with it if he does), he should look into Grand Fondos, not bike races.
It is something about cyclists…if you have a number pinned on its a race. Even on Zwift “group” rides…they are advertised as a 2.0 to 2.5 w/kg ride…big groups of guys go off the front from the start at 5 w/kg…and sprint for the last 20 seconds of the hour.
[quote=“BaronGreenback, post:259, topic:48329, full:true”]
The front of the race is not a TT
Hop on the road bike. With the length of the TT, the road bike will be faster than the small front ring.
You’re talking about Gran Fondos, or other more casual racing experiences. These things exist, they just aren’t what you signed up for…
There are also charity rides, etc. They aren’t an exact match for what you’re looking for, but are much closer to the participant medal type scenario you describe from your running events.
I had said this back when the thread was first created but bike racing is not the local 5k that people sign up for to just have fun and finish. 75%+ of people of sign up for a RR or crit are there because they trained for it, like really trained, not rode for 3 hours per week.
Bike racing setup isn’t getting a finisher medal and a smile on your face when you cross the line in 49th place. It is not triathlon or running races that encourage as many people as possible to show up. If it was something like you described there would be sandbaggers in that category too. Bike racing is super hard and humbling in that experience. Race organizers are like “you finished 11th? Train harder/race smarter next time”
Additionally, you cannot have the numbers of people do bike races as those other events.
Another thing you mentioned here was that you have an Ironman race coming up. First time I noticed you saying you’re a triathlete. I came from a triathlon background too and it’s a totally different world. Ironman racing/training does not set you up for road races or crits. For IM racing your training to hold 55-70% of your threshold for 5-8 hours. Not the best prep for what you entered.
This. This is exactly what I would’ve done.
And there you have it. Unwilling to change and then there will be threads that will be started about why cycling is dying. Triathlon is like running. Most people are there competing against themselves but the front of the race is a race. How cool is it that Joe Shmoe can line up behind the world champ and not hinder his/her race and chat with them in transition?
The novice category is supposed to be cat5 which dropped me like a dead weight. What part of that is novice? There are others who are not even willing to line up. It’s a missed opportunity. Today’s novice can be tomorrow’s elite.
“Novice” isn’t a fitness level. It’s an experience/skills level. There will always be folks that are racing novice with a much higher cat power profile, but just don’t have the pack handling ability. Sometimes these people go off the front and are never seen again, it happens. The point is to group like skills with like skills. In bike racing, often skill > fitness.
You should think of a bike race like the front of a triathlon then. Nearly everyone there is there to compete against those around them, not themselves. The experience you’re expecting is more of a gran fondo (like others have said previously).
Because you’re not trained for criterium efforts…
You keep heaping criticism on the sport, but fail to look in the mirror. Take some responsibility for the outcome.
Triathlon and running events have a lot less safety issues to worry about when it comes to in competition events. You’re not riding shoulder to shoulder with 30 other riders in a tri, and you’re not hitting the speeds in running that you do in bike racing. If Joe Shmoe lined up against the Williams brothers and the rest of the P12 field, they’d either be dropped before the first lap was over, or they’d cause a massive crash because of their inexperience and unpredictability.
You’re more than welcome to talk and hang out with the elite level racers at a bike race, no one is stopping you (except covid maybe…) but putting those riders together in a race is a recipe for disaster. Bike racing isn’t a “some people race at the front, others ride gingerly at the back” thing, that’s not a race. Again, like I and many others have said, that’s a charity ride or Grand Fondo type situation.
Don’t order a cheeseburger expecting a chicken sandwich and then complain about it…
Yup, that and other great discussion related to the USAC rules changes, with aims to improve the experience for newer race participants, are available here:
The more I’m reading, it’s sounds like you signed up for a race but are expecting a Gran Fondo experience. Large group, racing/riding at whatever pace you want. Not sure exactly what you expected, but they’re not going to tell the group to slow down because it’s a Novice category.
Edit: Also, another consideration to think about, and maybe some more experienced guys can correct me if I’m wrong, is that racing right now is not a normal intro to racing. Races are just starting to come back after Covid, with lots of lower category guys coming in with insane fitness after being stuck indoors all year. The cat 4/5 fields are loaded with guys with crazy engines right now, at least where I am. So I wouldn’t take a couple early season races to judge how you’ll do in the future. Everybody has a ton of fitness and have been waiting to race for over a year.
I think you misunderstand me. I am totally stating that I wasn’t ready for what I entered. Not deflecting.
What I am saying is that aside from that, it was not a positive experience and reflecting on it, I can see why cycling is a struggling sport and I am telling you that the barrier into a bike race is too big.
Anyways. Those are my thoughts from the race. You guys can argue and discuss whatever you want.
I entered something to try it. Didn’t workout. I have an IM race in June, and half marathon in September, and a 5k swim race in October, and then my calendar is clear. I’ll see if I will enter another race at that point and properly train for it.
Thanks for all your help everyone.
I have twice told someone in a race to slow down because they were going too fast and it worked!
That’s some advanced race craft there 
I don’t disagree that the barrier of entry into bike racing is pretty large for some folks and definitely daunting. But one thing to think about is the type of race you entered for your very first race. Stage races are usually a lot more physically and mentally taxing and often not as beginner friendly. I’d suggest not throwing in the towel, and maybe looking at some smaller, more local races to start out. Even better if there are practice races, or a club series that’d be a good entry point.
I’ve also done this with success in a race! It’s almost brilliant when it actually works.
Good luck with the events on your calendar! And I, for one, appreciate you sharing your experience here. I learned a lot from the discussion. Thanks!
I don’t know. I had a very similar experience to you for my first race. 40 mile road race with some climbing. I got dropped on the first lap and rode 90% solo to finish 25th of something out of like 28. But I loved it. I knew I wasn’t going to do well and yes it would have been fun to finish with the main group, but in no way did it deter me from wanting to race again. I think it’s a mindset. Not everybody likes road races or crits.
Jedi mind tricks. Maybe I should have tried that last time I was getting dropped.