So who here races?

[53 x 11]

What is the standard of racing like in SA/Adelaide (I assume you live there?)?

Its OK, I haven’t really done any smaller interstate races so I dont have much to compare. The people running cycling here are pretty backwards, we do all our RR in the winter and are told this is so it corresponds with the Euro season EVEN THOUGH IT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. There is also way too many handicap races.

Our crit series is pretty good with decent money on the line ($300 for first, $300 for best team, $80 premes and $2000 for best team at end of season) but there just aren’t enough races at the moment. When I started in 2005 we would have two graded crits a week now there is only really one a fortnight. You also have to put up with guys like Brobridge, Rohan Dennis and Brett Aitken.

 

[53 x 11]

I did 212km on Tuesday and if there is no benefit from doing that sort of ride, then what else do I have to do?

If you’re riding crits atm don’t do that too often unless your building towards goals which require that endurance.

It you want to do well in races under 150 km my best advice is to do 5 min ergo efforts at or very slightly above threshold heart rate (about 80%, if your like me that’s probably about 170-175 bpm) with a 10 min break at 150 bpm and then do that cycle another 4 times.

Do that twice a week with one or two 100 km rides and a race each week and you should be in A grade in no time.

 

[Michele]

Take part at some circuit and granfondo events just for fun.
Im the guy on right side, white/blue.

 

[the big ring]

I race. Road, track, one MTB race so far. Don't like crits, too many heroes cutting the corner, but have done well in them, relatively speaking. Preference for breaking away - crit or road race. Favourite rider would have to be Jens for that reason alone.

C grade open 3 man break away in a crit at the end of a tour (Nov 2008). Came 3rd in the crit and 4th in the tour. Was my first goal race back after rupturing an achilles tendon in a triathlon the summer (January 2008) before.

 

[stefank]

I'll have to admit that the only things I've ever raced seriously are yachts. But bikes are keeping me moderately fit as I approach old age, and I envy what some of you are doing.

 

[craig1985]

I race. Road, track, one MTB race so far. Don't like crits, too many heroes cutting the corner, but have done well in them, relatively speaking. Preference for breaking away - crit or road race. Favourite rider would have to be Jens for that reason alone.

C grade open 3 man break away in a crit at the end of a tour (Nov 2008). Came 3rd in the crit and 4th in the tour. Was my first goal race back after rupturing an achilles tendon in a triathlon the summer (January 2008) before.

We live on nothing but a diet of crits here. In fact a few years ago, climbing was my main forte, but now I have had to change and develop a sprint, be able to TT off the front if I wanted any chance of having any results.

 

[rgmerk]

Its OK, I haven’t really done any smaller interstate races so I dont have much to compare. The people running cycling here are pretty backwards, we do all our RR in the winter and are told this is so it corresponds with the Euro season EVEN THOUGH IT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. There is also way too many handicap races.

I dunno about you, but as long as it's not raining I'd prefer to race as an amateur in an Aussie winter than summer.

If you do long races on a hot day, you need multiple drink stations if people aren't going to collapse in the heat, which means riders need a support crew. The pros at the Australian championship were going through a bidon per 18-minute lap. That's just not feasible for an amateur point-to-point race. During winter, by contrast, a couple of bidons is sufficient for quite long races.

More generally, you can rug up against the cold easily enough. Pretty hard to protect yourself against a stinking hot northerly.

In any case, I think Australian road cyclists are pretty well served by cycling events all year round. Club road racing in winter. State open events in the spring and autumn (as well as some during winter). Crits and mass-participation rides during the summer. What more do you want?

 

[the big ring]

I dunno about you, but as long as it's not raining I'd prefer to race as an amateur in an Aussie winter than summer.

If you do long races on a hot day, you need multiple drink stations if people aren't going to collapse in the heat, which means riders need a support crew. The pros at the Australian championship were going through a bidon per 18-minute lap. That's just not feasible for an amateur point-to-point race. During winter, by contrast, a couple of bidons is sufficient for quite long races.

More generally, you can rug up against the cold easily enough. Pretty hard to protect yourself against a stinking hot northerly.

In any case, I think Australian road cyclists are pretty well served by cycling events all year round. Club road racing in winter. State open events in the spring and autumn (as well as some during winter). Crits and mass-participation rides during the summer. What more do you want?

Agreed. I do not consider this a backward step.

The only addition I would make is - we have (certainly in Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth, all venues I have visited in the last 4-36 months) incredibly accessible, world-class, indoor velodromes. Reading FGF forums re: US access to any velodrome (and we have even more usable outdoor ones) given their population size - we are very lucky with regards to infrastructure.

I often enjoy the weekly training rides more than the races. One ride in particular is 112km (70mi), with 1500m (4900ft) elevation and 6 sprints on the way home. No driving to / from the race, no entry fee and the bunch are people you know and trust. Brilliant!

 

[Anonymous]

Along the river is one of my favourite parts of Exeter. Especially on an ice summer's day.

tis nice, well outside of the school holidays when theres not to many families around, its pretty much cycle routes right round the coast here now, you can certainly do a good 25k of flat (mixture of cycle track and roads) out before you hit any awkwardness, the plan is for the entire devon coast to be cycle routes. its hard not to get distracted by the pubs along the way though.

 

[md2020]

Not a current racer but raced as a junior and cat 1/2 in the late 80's. I guess my best result was 10th in the 16/17 national RR one year. Oh yea, I won the Tour of the Gila as a junior (admittedly not against a great field).

 

[rgmerk]

Oh, and for what it's worth I'm a very, very mediocre racer, having just got myself promoted to C grade from D grade at the local crits after my first win. I suspect that makes me a mediocre cat 4 rider in the US context.

 

[ravens]

So post a pic and lets see the scars. As for the tattoos, they're mine, you don't have to understand. I don't understand rap music either.

I don't understand people who say a certain type of music is not for them. I don't care if it's rap, opera or gregorian monks chanting, what appeals to the listener is good, what doesn't is not.

Kathleen Battle and Eminem both have music I love ... and hate.

I have not raced, but if I ever get below 190#, I have promised myself to enter one, just for fun. Maybe not just for fun if it turns out I like it.

 

[craig1985]

Give up.... You must be pretty fit to do 212km.

First time I had ever rode such a distance. We did an Australia Day ride down to Byron Bay, and since we were on the freeway (perfectly legal mind you), and we were cruising along at 45km/h. I could of gone gone home via car, but I decided to ride back and somebody joined me. It was 34 degrees and riding the last 70km into a strong headwind.

Its OK, I haven’t really done any smaller interstate races so I dont have much to compare. The people running cycling here are pretty backwards, we do all our RR in the winter and are told this is so it corresponds with the Euro season EVEN THOUGH IT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. There is also way too many handicap races.

Our crit series is pretty good with decent money on the line ($300 for first, $300 for best team, $80 premes and $2000 for best team at end of season) but there just aren’t enough races at the moment. When I started in 2005 we would have two graded crits a week now there is only really one a fortnight. You also have to put up with guys like Brobridge, Rohan Dennis and Brett Aitken.

I personally like handicap races. I find it a much better way of racing then crits where everybody just sits in the bunch and in the last 3 laps is when people wake up and do something. We do have a variety though, we have an off-road crit circuit that has an 8% climb, another one with a uphill sprint, a a road race that has 10km laps (A grade does 7 laps or 70km) with a couple of climbs though, but it usually ends in a bunch sprint. We have another circuit that is again off road (what I mean is that isn't in an industrial estate, but a purpose built road cycling facility), and is very exposed to the wind, and I like it when there is some strong cross/side winds that string and split the bunch up. You really have a good idea who is strong and who is not.

 

[craig1985]

Very fast crit, with an average speed between 41-43km/h. Got a flat early and got a wheel change and kept on racing. There was also a major crash in one of the lower grades.

 

[King Of Molehill]

Raced against Lance in 91

I raced road from 1986 until 1994, competed in the Canadian Olympic trials in 1988 and my biggest claim to fame was being lapped by Lance Armstrong in the 1991 Gastown Grand Prix in Vancouver, BC (we were all lapped by him ;- )

Unfortunately all of my pics are in print form so I'll have to find a scanner or take them into a photo place to get them digitized. I've got a great 'photo op' of me riding up to a place called Cameron Lake in Waterton Lakes Park in the Canadian Rockies, I'll try to get that up here.

 

[Carboncrank]

that's me in the yellow.

 

[BroDeal]

that's me in the yellow.

Been training at the International House of Pancakes I see.

This also confirms that you are Jackhammer101.

 

[usedtobefast]

i race. not much anymore. keep the license up to date.

 

[soOpOSMthanks!]

that's me in the yellow.

You look as lame as your posts.

 

[Anonymous]

Been training at the International House of Pancakes I see.

This also confirms that you are Jackhammer101.

So that is the fat dude from Ohio who was going to fly down here and beat me because I said I didn't believe he had a girlfriend? Hey Chubbycrank, don't read your posts unless someone quotes them, but I would suggest not posting anymore pictures of yourself. It only verifies everything we always suspected about you.

 

[Race Radio]

that's me in the yellow.

Wow, you raced on ONCE? What was it like to have Monolo Saiz yelling Venga, Venga, Venga! in your earpiece? Was Fuentes your Gynecologist?

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

I think it's odd that those who criticize CarbonCrank have yet to post any photos of themselves racing.



Just sayin....

 

[Race Radio]

I think it's odd that those who criticize CarbonCrank have yet to post any photos of themselves racing.



Just sayin....

that is not a race, that is a charity ride.

If there was a guy on a message board who had threatened to kill those who he disagreed with would you post your photo?

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

If there was a guy on a message board who had threatened to kill those who he disagreed with would you post your photo?

Touche sir....

 

[fatandfast]

I think it's odd that those who criticize CarbonCrank have yet to post any photos of themselves racing.



Just sayin....

Many feds have swishy standards. You can't race with a team/club that's not on your paperwork. Once is not on anybody's license in the US. The beater is the sleeveless jersey. All of our other endurance athletes have feds that allow sleeveless unis we do not.It's a UCI thing. Love to see most of the bunch in wife beaters and g-bangs on.What a money saver g-string shorts