Bicycle racing for almost anyone

Bike racing is so confusing. BMX? MTB? Road? TT? Track? And what about the bike itself? Do I have to buy a bike for each discipline?

Well everyone is different, and yes there is more than one style of bike - let alone rider. We can exclude what I don't know - ie BMX and Mountain Bikes - and concentrate on road, crit and track bikes for now.

Firstly, don't worry too much about buying lots of bikes, or even the best bike. Try to grow with the sport, try a few things and get a feel for it before committing too much dosh. Road is the easiest way in and your average road bike will suit many criterium circuits too. So a good quality road bike is your best bet. Remember this rule of thumb: you will get 90% of the lightest, coolest and fastest bike gear for 50% of the price. My point? To get that last 10% will cost you heaps. It's what an economist will call the law of diminishing returns. To an elite althlete it matters, but they will have sponsors, too. But if you really just want 'the ultimate' then sure, go for it. But remember that a $2500 bike will do almost everything just as well as that smick and snazzy $5,000 job. It's your cash, you decide.

As you work your way up the grades you will also realise that a few key bike modifications will may your racing faster, more enjoyable and maybe even safer. Start with the lightest frame you can afford. Then swap components as you grow with your sport. In this way your $2,500 bike can be upgraded easily to match - perhaps even better - that more expensive purchase.

You can swap out just about anything - drivetrain, saddle, bars - and as everything wears out in time anyway, why not upgrade? But your biggest 'bang for the buck' will come from a wheel upgrade. It's the first change I'd recommend. Lighter wheels will often roll better, will have better hubs as well and will accelerate more easily - especially uphill. Beware of deep rims, though, as these often will be uncomfortable in crosswinds an on bumpy surfaces. Of course if you find yourself enjoying time trials - TTs - then the deeper aero rim will help you, so it's a worthwhile investment.

These tips pretty much work for road or track by the way. In either discipline spare wheels are always handy. Train on the old heavy wheels, race on the lighter, smicker ones.

OK, so that's it for now. Always keep things in perspective. It's nice to have a 'Sunday' bike, but a 'training' bike will come in handy, too. When you take your first - sadly inevitable - spill on that 'Sunday' bike you may suddenly wonder why you invested so much money on nice paintwork or fancy components. Perhaps a good, serviceable but still fast bike isn't such a bad choice after all. They all need to be pedalled in any case!

More soon, but if you want to read on now I have also written much more on this subject in my guide to bike racing.

OK, so you made it to the start line with your bike, your licence and your race number. What happens next to our newbie crit racer?

1. OK, they call your grade. Nervously you line up with a bunch of older experienced riders, some young enthusiastic guys, some kids and a few women who look like they've raced before. They may call your name off the startlist now. You check your tyres again and try to keep your heart from racing. Before you know it...
   
2. Get ready, go! This is when getting your foot into the cleats fast first time matters. Something to practice. Just don't panic if someone makes a jackrabbit start - get your foot in and get going
3. OK, you are underway. Get on a wheel, any wheel, and try to pick who looks safe to sit on (or 'draft'). The regular racers will have good bike skills. Don't get in their way but do watch and learn from them. The older guys are probably crafty, sit really close but safely, dodge potholes, rarely do a turn and never attack until the finish line beckons...
   
4. You settle in. They are doing turns up front. The first 6 riders are swapping off, seamlessly, so as one peels off (to the left, taking shelter from the wind coming from the right) another cruises up with little effort. This seems to go on for a while and you sit happily up the back just getting used to the corners and cornering with 20 other riders around you
5. Try not to brake for corners. The guy on your wheel sounded annoyed when you hit the anchors 'for no *?*$*&*? reason!'. Momentum is important, so let's not lose it by braking when it's not strictly necessary. It just takes some practice to corner so faaast!
6. OK, another lesson, don't cross wheels. That guy in front just moved across like that and almost took my front wheel out. Leave a gap, and sit to one side or the other of the rider in front
7. I feel guilty sitting here at the back, so I move forward. I ease into the group of 6 doing the turns and someone leaves a gap, allowing me in... I take the hint and get on a wheel
   
8. I now follow the riders as they move forward until only one rider is ahead of me and another is on my left. As the rider in front finishes his turn (it was short, they barely got to the front and they were done!) I feel an urge to surge forward but the guy behind me calls out "steady!" so I ease off. It's harder work out here in the wind and before I know it the guy behind calls again, irritably, "go left!". So I do
9. As I go left (remembering the wind is coming from the right, btw) the rider on my wheel accelerates gently to take my place and I take the hint to ease off a bit. Before I know it he's coming off the front too and I'm heading backwards!
10. I try to keep track of where I am and as I get back level with the guy I followed last time I look to see if there's a gap. Magically, there is! I just move across into the gap and get onto that wheel again. So I've done a turn. Apart from a brief period in the wind I was actually on a wheel (or in the draft) pretty much all the time. I do a few more turns for practice and then drop back a bit to recover. That brief period up front is harder than it seemed to be at first, when you've done it a few times in a row
    
11. Another lesson. As I go back to the rear of the bunch someone - probably the guy 7th from the front in the Discovery jersey - has attacked hard on the right. He surprised the 6 riders doing turns - I think he attacked just as a small hill started, too, so they were slowing as he was going. He took a flyer up the side. It's shaken the lead riders up and they have reacted individually to the challenge. Gaps are forming between riders.
12. We were going at an easy 33kmh (still faster than I ride on my own, mind) before this happened, and now we are chasing this guy at 40kmh. I'm not sure I'm fit enough for this! I feel as though my heart may burst, my lungs are burning, I'm panting heavily and my legs are on fire!
    
13. Apparently some people feel like me. Some hesitated before chasing ('no, you first. Please, after you...' kind of thing) whilst a couple of others jumped straight up to the breakaway. So now there are 3 of them working together just off the front. 5 riders are chasing them and I'm stuck waaay down the back with the rest. OK, I should have stayed up front.
14. I'm stuck behind a wall of hesitaters and it takes a while to get to the front. I feel strong so I do a long turn and it takes a while before someone else helps out. Gradually we catch the 5 in front of us but the 3 others are now out of sight. We seem to ease off, which is good as I'm waaay over my regular riding speed and heart rate.
15. Our speed settles and we grind away, taking turns again and whittling back the lead. We almost have them when the bell rings... last lap!
16. We don't quite get to them on that last lap. They sprint and take the podium spots and I sprint with the main bunch and end up 7th. Good enough for a first race, anyway. And I have learned a few things about anticipation, teamwork, bike skills and what it takes to race.
    

OK, whilst that's an entirely fictitious account it weaves elements of my real experiences into the story. If you are a newbie to bike racing I hope that it gives you some insight into what it takes to start racing... next up I'll discuss tactics in more detail. I also have also written much more on this subject in my guide to bike racing.

Wow, your first criterium! It took me a while to build up to it, which was good in a way as I had lots of fitness and bike skills to draw upon in my first race. If you want to do well then preparation is important. You will get back what you put in, obviously, and it's not as simple as it may look.

Before you start racing you need some miles (or kilometres, if you prefer) in your legs. You may also need to check with your doctor first, just to be sure you don't have any physical maladies that heavy exercise may exacerbate. Just riding around is enough, no need to get carried away with 'training zones' yet, but focus on improving endurance, hill climbing or speed with each ride. The more miles you do the fitter you will be, and variety is important. By not shirking obstacles (like hills) you will adapt to the strength required as well as build up your endurance.

My rules of thumb are that you should be comfortable doing 3 times the race distance every week in training for at least a month beforehand; and one of those weekly training rides should exceed the race distance by at least 10%. So for a 30km crit you'd target 90kms a week for a month with one individual ride per week of at least 33km. By 'comfortable' I mean to say that riding that distance gives you no cramping, no persistent pains or other worries. Your bike should be set up so that you are comfortable, have control and look like a racer. OK, don't worry too much about the look.

Write your miles down. Write down how you feel. Log heart rate data, either from a HRM watch or just by using your finger on your wrist or carotid artery. Write a diary, or maybe a blog!

If you break your beginning races up into components you will find a few common elements or features. Let's start by analysing short, fast criteriums (in a low grade to begin with) and work from there.

1. For a criterium you need a road bike. One with curvy 'dropped' handlebars and a pair of brakes will do - yes, you need to use the back brake too!
   
2. You need a bike with 2 lightish but stiff wheels, as flexy wheels in tight corners are not good as they feel soft and squishy
   
3. The bike itself could be around 8 or 9 kg in weight but extra kilos on the bike are not that much of a problem as crits are usually pretty flat. Light wheels will assist your acceleration more than a light bike. In any case you shouldn't stress about the bike. Your fitness will matter more
4. Having said that, the bike should be well maintained and unlikely to break under load!
5. Remove extraneous objects before the race - like streamers, plastic gear guards, bells, toolkits, books, magazines - and keep 'em for later
6. Pump up the tyres. 100psi sounds good but whatever you see written on the tyre will be a good guide. A harder tyre is a faster tyre, within limits (don't over-inflate!)
   
7. Join a bike club and get a racing licence. In Australia it's around $170 a year but varies with each club and your age. You get 3rd party insurance with that and a cool licence to prove you are a racer. Consider health insurance as falling off at speed may be costly
   
8. Crits go round and round so you'll pass the pits several times. If you puncture (or have a 'mechanical') you will be allowed 'a lap out' but unless you are fabulously prepared and have a buddy following you with spare wheels it's unlikely you'll be able to take advantage of that in your early races. You can often leave spares at the start line anyway, just let someone know to watch 'em, in case they 'walk'
9. Assuming you have followed my earlier advice and have trained at least enough to have sufficient endurance for the event in question, arrive at the racing venue with plenty of time in hand (30mins minimum, preferably an hour)
   
10. If you haven't already done so, get your licence from the club secretary. If you haven't paid, pay now
11. If you have your licence, look for the entry desk. It could be under a marquee. It could be in a club house. There may be a queue of fit looking lycra-wearers to guide you. Queue up and pay your entry fee (could be $5-$10, more for open races). You will be graded, probably in a low grade at first. They will give you a race number (cool!) and may hold your licence untill you return said number after the race. Race numbers are often colour coded to show grade
    
12. Put your number on (usually pinned low on your jersey and slightly to the side where the judges sit (it pays to check out local custom here).
    
13. Pay attention to what's happening as races are often organised in unusual orders. Like A grade (fast guys) first, then B grade, then C and D combined, or totally in reverse. Local customs apply - don't miss your start!
    
14. If it's OK to do so, roll around and warm up on the course. Don't start cold in any case!
15. Don't miss the start!

More in the next post on the race itself...

Probably a life lesson as much as a cycling lesson. It's don't give up. You may be in pain, you may have been dropped, but (a) everyone is hurting and (b) you never know who will get dropped next or what may happen up the road. So dig deep, and then dig deeper. By gritting your teeth and absorbing the hurt you'll either stay with the fast guys or get dropped and maybe stay in touch.

Jens Voigt is a prime example. You don't necessarily see him as a mountain climber but he will have a go anywhere. Look at this example: Stage 6 - August 7: Seefeld - Sankt Anton (Austria), 196.6 km Voigt overcomes the pain barrier. Dropped on a climb, he let the leaders go ahead on the steeper climb and then hammered back when it flattened out a bit. Result? He not only got back on, he toughed it out for the win!

Well it could be about the bike, if it matters that much to you. Let's face it, it's hard work racing - sometimes it can be just as important (or easier) to you to just cruise, get fit(ter) and not worry about racing. Maybe just dabble but don't commit.

I have some problems with this myself, which I'll share now. Dabbling is great. I dabble in Art. But I'm always wondering 'whatif'. What if I had committed to art? Or music? Or writing? Or cycling, for that matter? Life is about decisions and compromises and living with the results. By total immersion you may well achieve your potential, but it's unlikely that you will achieve anywhere near your potential by dabbling. Of course you can always rationalise these decisions and worry about it all later, but I wanted to make the point - dabbling is not going to help you to achieve at the highest level.

It's a sliding scale, though. Maybe your life allows you to dabble 20% of the time in cycling, and maybe that's enough time to reach 80% of your fitness potential? Just be aware that this trade off is your choice, so don't come to me in 20 years time saying that you could've been a pro if only you'd committed yourself... phew, glad that's out of the way. I never really wanted to be a pro, I just wanted to win club races!

So - given that we are dabbling here, not immersing - we are going to maximise our efforts and results and minimise our time. That's the thrust of my argument. Let's get the best result for our buck. Which brings me to bikes. You don't need the flashest gear to win a race. (It may be motivating to have flash gear, but it won't be a bigger lever than your fitness and skill level.)

My winningest bike was an $800 Shogun in 1984. I had a great run on that bike. The headset kept unwinding, the wheel bearings were rubbish and the crank bolt kept loosening off at the worst times. But some locktite and a bit of nous fixed the reliability and a set of lighter wheels had that bike flying. What was good about it? It was pretty cheap and drew no attention. It worked - the gears changed, the wheels turned, it steered. It was light enough, certainly for criteriums if not the steepest mountain passes. It proved to me that the bike was not the problem, nor was it the solution. My fitness and attitude were both the problem and the solution. I could improve my fitness by riding everywhere as often as possible and my attitude was 'let's give it a go and give it 100%'.

Let's stop here for now. More later.