DaViD AuKeR

Ken,



 wondering if anyone could give

me any helpful hints on road racing.

Here's a few helpful(?) hints!



Know where the wind is coming from. Stay on a wheel. Be friendly to

everyone, but try and use them to keep you out of the wind whenever

possible. The larger the pack, the less you should be at the

front...let others do the work. Don't put little dolls on your rear

brake, 'cause it might distract someone. Test all your equipment days

ahead of time, and don't ride too hard/far the day before the race. Get

to the race early enough to roll around a little bit, but don't overdo

the warm-up. In my book, ten minutes is plenty...you want to work up a

little heat, but not much more...save that for the race. Avoid the

temptation of "showing everyone how fit you are" in the first ten

minutes of the race, but be ready to react if the pack goes fast! Do as

much as you can with the least amount of output, like try not to move up

too many times unsheltered, in the wind. Smile when you're really

hurting (everyone else will be hurting, too!). Say stuff like, "I love

my bike, I love hurting..." When you think music, think rock, not

ballad! The pack is a large, seething animal - keep alert, watch what

the mood is, what starts a chase, what the rhythm of fast/rest seems to

be.    



Above all, HAVE FUN!



David

 

I'm thinking of doing my first ever road race (cat 5, old man class) and was wondering if anyone could give

me any helpful hints on road racing. I'm a decent Mt biker, but this road thing is new to me.

Oh, and now that I road ride as well, do I have to wave at Mt bikers while I'm on my road bike and wave at

road riders while I'm on my Mt bike? Or am I a "tweener" where I don't have to wave at all....Just wondering.





Ken