Mark Greenwood

The other suggestions I've seen here are all good (hold your line, keep

your hands on the drops in close quarters, etc). The name of the game

is very steady, controlled riding. Don't panic, don't swerve, don't

make sudden moves in the pack. You will earn the enmity of your fellow

racers and no one will want to work with you if you do. Save your

explosive energy for attacking. Excellent pack riding skills are

survival skills in road racing. If you can, practice "bumping" drills

with other riders during training so that the first time you experience

it isn't during a race. Good bike handling is no guarantee that you

won't crash, but ignoring it is almost a guarantee you will at some

point. Get some idea of the protocol of working in pacelines

(particularly echelons since they seem to confuse a lot of new racers

and they will form in races like Piece of Cake, flat with lots of wind).



I would add: don't sit in at the back. Everyone will tell you to stay

out of the wind (good advice), but (1) you're more likely to get caught

in a crash if you're at the back, and (2) you can't react to anything if

you're back there. Keep in the first dozen or so riders; if you have to

take a pull, do what you think you can and then get off and slide easily

back into the group. A lot of novice racers are so afraid of getting

stuck out in the wind they'll do anything to avoid being on the front -

that's just wimpy racing. When you're on the front, you set the pace -

don't let other people set it for you. Also, don't be afraid to take a

flyer off the front (at a "smart" time) if you feel good. You probably

won't succeed and you may end up getting dropped, but if you're in it to

have fun, so what? You might as well die trying, good attacks make for

more exciting racing, and if your timing happens to be poor it ends up

being a good learning experience.



When you get tired, you won't feel like thinking about the race, you'll

be totally concentrated on just hanging on. Staying focused on what the

pack is doing, though, will get you through it. Keep paying attention

to what's happening around you no matter how tired you get. If you're

so tired you can't focus, you're a danger to the riders around you, and

you're probably about to get dropped anyway.



Joining a team has been a good experience for me; it's a great way to

learn race tactics, and training rides with a team will hone your road

riding skills quickly.



Good luck and have a blast! I have. Hope my comments are helpful.



Mark



Ken Lindhorst wrote:

 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