First Cycling Race
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Seward Park Thursday night cycling series. Well today I tried it out. It was awesome! According to the schedule, there is a beginner's clinic at 5:00, but after getting there just on time on my bike, it turned out the guy who does it was out of town, but I asked the guys who were collecting forms and money if there was anything important I should know. They said to not make any sudden turns and hang in the back if I'm uncomfortable riding in groups. Nothing new, I knew that from watching the Tour de France. So far so good.
I rode the .8 mile lap a couple of times prior to the race to test it out. First there is a downhill for about .3 miles, then it's flat for about .3, then uphill for about .2. The hill is difficult. 10 minutes before the race it started pouring--that made me nervous 'cause it was still raining when the race started.
I hung out in the back. The pace was surpisingly fast but I kept up for the first 2 laps. By the 3rd lap I got dropped on the hill and was back about 100 feet, dead last! By this time it stopped raining but the conditions were wet for the rest of the race. Fortunately I cought up about 2 laps later, but then was dropped again midway through the race (15 laps x .8 miles). Again, I cought up 2 or 3 laps later and decided to hang in the group. A couple of times I got right into the middle of the pack consisting of about 25-30 riders total. I felt comfortable by then. The race "official" standing on the side of the road rang the bell at the start of the 9th or 10th loop. The first three people (I think) who finished the lap got points added that are counted in the season total. It's the same concept as the green best sprinter jersey in the Tour de France.
With three laps to go I was in the last third of the group. Just before the start of the last lap I moved up to the middle of the pack, and before the last hill I was in the top third. However, it didn't help me very much because right at the start of the hill a bunch of guys flew by me. I pushed as hard as I could and ended up probably about 15/30, but I really have no idea because you only get points if you finish in the top 6 or top 3 for the bonus lap.
I'm satisfied with my performance. It was very difficult and challenging, which is why I'll definitely do it again a few more times before the racing season ends in early September. A few "tricks" I learned: when going downhill, at least on this one which was moderately steep, I didn't pedal once I got up to speed but rather got into a tuck and coasted behind other riders. The tuck and tailgaiting helped my speed noticeably. However this maneuver can be dangerous, or at least you have to be cognizant of what everyone else is doing, because on one loop the front of the group sped up very fast at the bottom of the hill (whereas on other laps I was fine just coasting for a while afterwards) and I lost a few positions. Also, the hill is where the action was. I was very week on them and usually lost a few spots going up.
I'm looking forward to other races. This was a good first run at bike racing. BTW, my (and the peleton's) average speed was 23.7mph--that's fast for me!
Total: Seward Park 11.9mi Race (15 Loops x .8mi); position: 15/30?; 23.7mph
Total: 23.46mi Bike Ride (to/from Seward Park)
I rode the .8 mile lap a couple of times prior to the race to test it out. First there is a downhill for about .3 miles, then it's flat for about .3, then uphill for about .2. The hill is difficult. 10 minutes before the race it started pouring--that made me nervous 'cause it was still raining when the race started.
I hung out in the back. The pace was surpisingly fast but I kept up for the first 2 laps. By the 3rd lap I got dropped on the hill and was back about 100 feet, dead last! By this time it stopped raining but the conditions were wet for the rest of the race. Fortunately I cought up about 2 laps later, but then was dropped again midway through the race (15 laps x .8 miles). Again, I cought up 2 or 3 laps later and decided to hang in the group. A couple of times I got right into the middle of the pack consisting of about 25-30 riders total. I felt comfortable by then. The race "official" standing on the side of the road rang the bell at the start of the 9th or 10th loop. The first three people (I think) who finished the lap got points added that are counted in the season total. It's the same concept as the green best sprinter jersey in the Tour de France.
With three laps to go I was in the last third of the group. Just before the start of the last lap I moved up to the middle of the pack, and before the last hill I was in the top third. However, it didn't help me very much because right at the start of the hill a bunch of guys flew by me. I pushed as hard as I could and ended up probably about 15/30, but I really have no idea because you only get points if you finish in the top 6 or top 3 for the bonus lap.
I'm satisfied with my performance. It was very difficult and challenging, which is why I'll definitely do it again a few more times before the racing season ends in early September. A few "tricks" I learned: when going downhill, at least on this one which was moderately steep, I didn't pedal once I got up to speed but rather got into a tuck and coasted behind other riders. The tuck and tailgaiting helped my speed noticeably. However this maneuver can be dangerous, or at least you have to be cognizant of what everyone else is doing, because on one loop the front of the group sped up very fast at the bottom of the hill (whereas on other laps I was fine just coasting for a while afterwards) and I lost a few positions. Also, the hill is where the action was. I was very week on them and usually lost a few spots going up.
I'm looking forward to other races. This was a good first run at bike racing. BTW, my (and the peleton's) average speed was 23.7mph--that's fast for me!
Total: Seward Park 11.9mi Race (15 Loops x .8mi); position: 15/30?; 23.7mph
Total: 23.46mi Bike Ride (to/from Seward Park)
posted by Severe Training at 8:52 PM
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