Heck, most of us never actually win a race…IIRC, it is single digit percentages of racers who actually win a race (based on USAC stats).
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@sirmccarthy should you quit racing? I don’t know. But the first thing you should do on the bike is have fun. Unless you’re getting paid to ride, of course.
I recommend volunteering at a youth cyclocross practice. I’m not sure if the adults teach the kids skills or if the kids teach the adults how to have fun on the bike again.
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assuming this was the 4/5 race i think it was, i’m at least partially to blame (was shouting “go go go” at the start as I sat in). if it helps, i also blew up after 10 minutes too. shit was spicy.
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Oval Crit? Everything was stacked that day, I get an email saying that they changed the direction last minute…and the day before I went out and practiced my lines in the original direction! Oh and there was this poor kid that had XC tires on. Felt so bad for him.
Yeah I think the race was basically decided within 15 minutes. The pack noticeable let up when it was down to 15 riders.
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If this is Cobb, ya that race is spicy and one of the hardest in CO due to the gravel and ‘climb’ to the finish through the neighborhood. Don’t feel bad! I was dropped in that race too a few years back. Racing is hard.
The CSU crit was changed as the ‘oval’ is under construction. It was fast. Friends in the p/1/2 race lasted 10 mins. It happens!
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@Brennus
Max head room, nice.
I finally have a weekend day off this year, so I think I will get more involved.
road racing can be demoralizing, that’s for sure. heck, I even changed my primary racing discipline to CX because it can be more fun and interesting than getting dropped. but I love training and I love road cycling, so even if I happen to not be good, I’m going to get out there. I’ve done practice crits the past two weeks and my work has paid off, I stuck with the C crit last week (it was a 30min affair of 4/5’s) and this week I stayed with the B field (3/4) the whole way through. I’m 42 and after starting road races at 34 I may be finally coming into my own lol But there are lots of ways to find joy besides racing, do what your heart feels!
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that’s the one. really tough course, i don’t think any of the fields finished with more than 1/3rd the starters.
if you haven’t done a lot of crits before, I’d suggest holding off til some of the more chill practice crits (CSP, tuesday night thunder) where they don’t pull.
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This weekend’s NOCO crit will also be tough. I agree with rbonick. If you do NOCO, get up there early or burn a match to stay up front at the 180.
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I am 53 and started racing last year (COVID delayed my racing debut at age 51 
). I have a circuit road race in a couple weeks. I will get pulled. It’s 1.5 hours away and starts at 7:30 am. I hope to still be on the bike at 8 am. Crits start in a few weeks. I will likely get pulled from the early season crits. But I love it and my outcome goals are basically to last as long as possible in sanctioned races. I will get to finish Paris2Ancaster, Rasputitsa and Unbound, so there’s that. For me, the enjoyment is in the process and just getting to line up at the start.
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Talking about that nub right at the bottom? I will slay myself to get there with the top group. Thanks for the tips.
Its funny, because when I use to run (more than I do now) there was a mud race, and I knew, if I could be the first few people to 2 obstacles, I would do well and not get bottle necked…and I sprinted to those to beat people out. Overall got like 33rd out of 1k people because of that haha.
Also what would be the best line?
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Outside to in. Stay up front through the chicane after it. The other 180 turn before the tight one can also be slow. Be up front there too. Once you get through the chicane, stay on it, but let other people filter behind ahead of you. people will attack at this point,. just ride their wheels. do it again, and again, and again.
you’ll have people dive bombing that turn and the other one, it’ll be slow, so just hold your ground. It’ll ease up going into the finish and the first 180, you can recover there.
Hey man,
We were racing together yesterday. We’re the same age as well.
As I posted on the R/Velo thread:
"First race for me this year as well, so nerves and all that comes with that, but was feeling pretty good about my fitness this early in the year. With the tight corners, I knew this race was going to get shelled from the start immediately, so I lined up at the front, had a great clip in and was 2nd wheel coming out of the first corner. Talking to a friend of mine further back, he said he was just getting clipped in and rolling and saw the front single file already out of the first turn, and knew it was over at that point for him.
I ended up first wheel into the head wind, so I led through this and then pushed it as it transitioned out into the S/F straight (winding with a sketchy first corner) and attacked that corner, thinking people further back would still be in the head wind plus going into T1 side-by-side would be a lot slower, so it would create separation. From talking to others, it did, but where I messed up is I didn’t force others to go by me on the tailwind straight. I was waiting for and expecting it, and it never happened, and I didn’t force it, I then got swarmed entering the headwind portion again. By then, I had stayed in it 30” too long (for me) and couldn’t find a wheel to hide behind with the cross wind in that portion, and shelled myself out of the lead like an idiot.
I then did another lap somewhere in the middle and self pulled because I was embarrassed / angry at myself for having a race IQ of 50 yesterday. Self pulling was really dumb as mentioned above. In all likelihood, I still would have probably gotten a mid pack finish if I didn’t do that, even though I shelled myself out of the front. It was a waste of the drive / money to do that and I put too much time into this to give up like that. It’s also just being a sour sport. I hate that from others, so it’s not okay when I do it too. So if you were there and wondering “wtf”, that’s what happened. For most, it probably looked like I went out ripped on the field for two laps and pulled off a lap later, which is what happened, but it wasn’t intentional."
That course broke apart every single race yesterday, I think Collegiate A mens only finished like 10 people from maybe 35-40 starters. It was a combination of a technical crit with sketchy corners, a strong head wind in the worst parts for there to be one, a quick lap time wise, and an aggressive pulling of people. This was frustrating for a lot of people.
Cobb I heard was similar as well. That gravel section dropped A LOT of very strong and experience cyclists, you just picked two really bad samples to go off of, but I understand your frustration, I’m really frustrated and embarrassed how yesterday went too, and I don’t race like that (except yesterday, foolishly).
So my advice is stick to it. I’m going to miss NoCo, but I’ll be at a lot of the other ones. There are also much better and more fun criterium series for you to race here. The CSP Summer Training Crit series is awesome, it’s weekly on Wednesday nights from June until August (10 weeks) as is the Tuesday Night Thunder hosted by Pearl Izumi. Way more fun vibes, hard racing but it feels a lot less like going for broke.
Also don’t hesitate to reach out if you are looking for someone to ride with. I saw Primal was mentioned and they’re a good bunch with some really strong riders, I’m on Stem Ciders Racing (formerly Palmares) we also have a great group of riders your age as well. You can probably figure out who I am at this point, so don’t hesitate to reach out and say hi. Definitely don’t want to see people discouraged, and even then, it still happens to most of us from time to time (whether a bad tactic, move, luck, etc.).
Also fitness matters for sure, but there is A LOT to race craft and that comes with experience. If you look at Strava from that race, there were riders who averaged 300w+ and finished behind others who were averaging 245-250w. Crit racing is humbling, because when you fail, you fail in a really public way (in front of those you are racing and people watching). Just keep at it and I’ll be sure to introduce you to other racers as well! That goes a long way.
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Thanks dude, I’ll be sure to say hello at the next event you and I go to! Do you plan on doing the Louisville Crit?
A buddy I was talking to had a very similar experience in which he was the front man for awhile but got completely toast. Then offered me some fireball haha.
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Yes, I know him and am a friend of his, and I’m pretty sure I know who you are now. He actually sent this thread my way.
Yep, planning on being at Louisville and racing way smarter.
I recommend the CSP races. Big races, but because of the non-technical nature of the course, the pack stays together. You can sit in and average 27+mph on 180w average, those are great races and it’s a positive environment. If you get dropped, you can jump back on when the field comes by (they ask you don’t contest for the sprint)
Yesterday was definitely more the exception than the rule.
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I’ll put in for those days off when those races come up, they sound like a blast! Honestly its been the friendships that have been made that have made the experience even more fun!
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They’re in the evening. Cat 4/5 should go off at 6:15pm and Cat 1-3 will be at 7:15pm (they switch the time slots every year). It’s on the Colorado State Patrol track on South Table Mountain in Golden. Keep an eye out in BikeReg, as they sell the races out.
Pearl Izumi is in the industrial park (in Louisville) in front of their headquarters (actually races around The Pros’s Closet). That’s a super chill / party vibe. That’s on Tuesday nights in the summer whenever they announce it, so keep your eyes peeled. They’re also super cheap to enter, people are hanging out / handing out and drinking beers after, etc.
Also, if you know any other racers who feel the same way you do after yesterday, pass this stuff along to them and try not to get too discouraged. I think a lot of people were yesterday having spent $40 and the time to get there to only last 5-15 minutes before getting pulled.
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Don’t give up! I also raced this weekend and yeah it was really tough both days. Crits are super tough with the surges, especially on that course. In the pack it was like brakes…then 600w every corner. If you haven’t trained that specifically it can blow you up quickly. Also keep training, there are so many fast people in CO and it is intimidating but half the fun is the process. Also every race is a learning opportunity so make sure you think thru what went well and what didn’t for next time.
Noco is fun but will surge hard out of the sharp corners. go get it!
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Don’t stop. Like some else said, enjoy the process. Seems like you’ve identified the places you’re getting dropped (choppy dirt and not being at the front). Work on those areas and skills and see what happens. Go into the races with curiosity. What happens if you start at the front or watch other riders and follow through more technical sections. Maybe try a different discipline. Keep it up and have fun.
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