State open Handicap - How does it work?

[Postieboy]

Hi all I'm looking to enter the Keegan Downes Memorial Sundowner Handicap except I have no idea how it works.

Is it any different to a normal club handicap?

Any tips for a newbie regarding nutrition, pacing, tactics etc etc for a race 115km long? (I've never done one more than ~50km)

Also thinking of entering the Gunnedah to Tamworth graded race the following day so any advice on rest and recovery in between would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

[trek52]

What grade do you ride at club racing ? Your club will submit a grading to the federation and they will work your handicap off that. Or the federation will handicap you based on some black magic x the number of spanners in a sidcrome tool set. I rode scatch 15 years ago and still get off sctach or 2 min and I am nearly 40 and fat so who knows how they do it.

The Sat up there is hard, hilly at the start and usually cross winds for the last 40km, the trick in a handicap is to do enough work to keep the bunch moving but not so much that you are buggered when other bunches catch you. If you get caught by the bunch behind then do no do any more work, the onus is on them to do the work not the bunch that just got caught.

I cant comment on rest and recovery as usually I have about 3 million cans and get to bed at 4 am for the next day. Some years I go well on Sun some years I am awful

[wardie]

There's 2 articles here that might help:

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/tag/handicap-racing/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm seriously considering doing both races as well. I've never done them before. I did start a thread in the Road Racing section about logistics re: accomodation etc if you want to read that.

[Postieboy]

I race in C grade so hopefully I get at least a few minutes on scratch

So it sounds just like a normal club handicap just over a much larger distance.

I grew up in Coonabarabran and my folks still live there so accomodation/logistics shouldn't be a problem. I'll even take some time off work and head back a day early to watch the Santos North West Tour do the Coonabarabran to Siding Springs stage on Friday. There is some great cycling around Coona if you ever get the chance.

[Derny Driver]

What grade do you ride at club racing ? Your club will submit a grading to the federation and they will work your handicap off that. Or the federation will handicap you based on some black magic x the number of spanners in a sidcrome tool set. I rode scatch 15 years ago and still get off scratch or 2 min and I am nearly 40 and fat so who knows how they do it.
.... usually I have about 3 million cans and get to bed at 4 am for the next day....)

hahaha one of your best. Should be 3 million bottles of red though.
Your problem is you win too much, therefore you get back marks.

If postieboy rides club C grade then he can expect a front mark. My son rides A grade club and gets a middle mark. But his cousin who is the same strength, training partner, gets a back mark because he has a bit more experience and has a couple of results to his name. So it is a bit mysterious.

You will need 2 bidons, 1 water and 1 of something else like powerade or Endura. And maybe 2 or 3 gels for the second half of the race. You could take a banana or muesli bar but you probably wont eat it. My son did Goulburn to Sydney (170km) on one and a half bidons and 1 gel, and he was good during and after the race.