Getting Started in Cat 4 Racing
A while ago, Stillwater Heron asked how one gets started in Cat 4 racing. (A real-live reader who doesn't ride for CRCA! How exciting!)
An excellent question.
Short answer, you just do it. Show up to a race, fill out a 1-day racing license, pay your fee, and line up with the rest of the girls.
Long anwer is actually a lot like the short answer. Because a lot of getting started in racing is really just showing up. But if you want to make a really good experience of that first race, a few tips:
- find a race with a Cat 4 women's field. It will still be hard, there may still be moments where you think "OK, I'm dying now." But racing with other women who have roughly equivalent amounts of experience tends to make everything a lot more fun.
- look into finding women's racing clinics in your area. In NYC, one of the CRCA women's teams does a clinic every summer. A "controlled" three-lap race, escorted by active women racers, it's a lot of fun for everyone involved.
- be prepared to hold your ground. Racers can be pushy, and sometimes it's not worth making a fuss over, but you want to feel comfortable enough on your bike that if you knock elbows you'll be generally OK.
- make sure your bike is in good condition. It doesn't need to be the most recent thing, but it should shift smoothly and you should feel comfortable on it.
Now that it's fall, I'd also recommend a cyclocross race. It's a lot different than pack racing, but a great way to gain technique and skills, plus since the group tends to break up wicked quickly, if you aren't comfortable riding in a pack, you're still in the race.
Questions? Comments?
An excellent question.
Short answer, you just do it. Show up to a race, fill out a 1-day racing license, pay your fee, and line up with the rest of the girls.
Long anwer is actually a lot like the short answer. Because a lot of getting started in racing is really just showing up. But if you want to make a really good experience of that first race, a few tips:
- find a race with a Cat 4 women's field. It will still be hard, there may still be moments where you think "OK, I'm dying now." But racing with other women who have roughly equivalent amounts of experience tends to make everything a lot more fun.
- look into finding women's racing clinics in your area. In NYC, one of the CRCA women's teams does a clinic every summer. A "controlled" three-lap race, escorted by active women racers, it's a lot of fun for everyone involved.
- be prepared to hold your ground. Racers can be pushy, and sometimes it's not worth making a fuss over, but you want to feel comfortable enough on your bike that if you knock elbows you'll be generally OK.
- make sure your bike is in good condition. It doesn't need to be the most recent thing, but it should shift smoothly and you should feel comfortable on it.
Now that it's fall, I'd also recommend a cyclocross race. It's a lot different than pack racing, but a great way to gain technique and skills, plus since the group tends to break up wicked quickly, if you aren't comfortable riding in a pack, you're still in the race.
Questions? Comments?
posted by liz at 7:27 AM
2 Comments:
Wow!
It's been awhile since I last checked in but was up in the early hours of the morning and decided to see if there was anything new going on with you gals!
Thank you for your suggestions.
Do you ride outdoors through the winter?
Use indoor trainers?
What's up Podium Grrrrls?
Someone drop me an email... I'm getting out of shape, I haven't ridden regularly in weeks.
hit me up: weridebikes at gmail.com
or
DubSix
~r
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