Hey hey so I am going to start racing later this March. I am 18 (Will be 19 in early may so no point in racing juniors). I am on the Penn State cycling team, but because of Coronavirus we may have our race canceled am may have to look for a local race. I heard in the DMV (Near Washington DC) races are pretty fast. I am not a sprinter but more of a climber so I am looking for road races over crits, but as a cat 5 rider I am scare I may get dropped.
So my 20min test is 301 watts and my 30 second test is 617 watts. I am a smaller rider (I weigh 55kg (124lbs). How are these numbers and based on these should I be in good shape to race and like not get dropped off the back immediately.
you’re good. You can win races and hang in the collegiate pack with way lower power numbers than those.
what you really want to focus on is stuff like cornering skills and riding in the pack. focusing on those skills is way more likely to make sure you have fun and stay safe, and, ultimately, will lead to better results. If you’ve got those skills, then you’re ready to race, regardless what your power numbers are (but again, yours are all good).
Focus on THAT, especially after a long winter on the trainer.
Numbers look very good for a beginning racer so go out there and have some fun learning the skills of racing a bike. You may get dropped but don’t worry about it, most of us got dropped in the beginning, but you’ll learn from it.
I spent my first year of racing getting dropped but learned from each race, improved my fitness (I had worse numbers than you), and eventually got to Cat 1. So go out there and have some fun.
You’re in really good shape dude. 5.4 W/Kg based on your 301w 20 minute power, which is great.
You also have the benefit of youth and all the energy and recovery upside that comes with it .
From what you’ve described of yourself I imagine on a road race you’ll do well by hiding in the pack or breakaway and using your smaller frame to get some decent drafting from the other racers and then make your breaks on a course where there is a hard climb towards the end - being lighter but with strong power will be your superpower
I’m more than double your age (47), around the same 20 minute power (about 310 at the moment) and 40% heavier than you, despite this and I can hang with the main group in (UK) Cat-4 Crits so you should find you can do well.
I’d recommend you consider the advice of the other posters on here and focus on three things:
If you’re already riding with a team, I’m going to hazard a guess and say that you’ll have pretty dialled bike handling skills. Couple that with your numbers and you could be in for a fun morning/afternoon on the bike.
Don’t even think about getting dropped. Don’t beat yourself before the flag has even dropped
I started racing last year in the DC area with a similar FTP but weighing 185+lb. I never once felt like I was in danger of being dropped. In contrast, I felt I was able to mix it up and animate the race. I may have missed a move or break (usually up a climb or stuck behind someone in a technical crit) but that had much more to do with recognizing the moves and race tactics than a lack of power. So the same power but 2/3 the weight? You should be golden.
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