Preparing and Getting into Racing

[Brenchen]

Hi all,

I've been thinking about getting into racing for a while. But never had the courage or the fitness (I think) to do it.

As I've searched the internet, and been asking some people, some say just get out there and give it a go. I am planning to do exactly that on the next year maybe starting off crit racing?

So my question is, now that I am in a foreign country, not able to speak the local language, and so I can only train by myself (can't really communicate with the local clubs -if there are any at all- to go on group rides). On most weeks I do 2 days of cadence (aiming at 100+, on climbs aiming for 95+), 2 days of recovery, and 2 days of endurance (usually one day doing 52km, the other doing 58km).

But since I've only been riding myself, my motivation and morale is kind of low, and beginning to slack off. So this is when I start to think about racing again. And I would like to put the question out there, if I have till end of January to bring myself up to speed, what should I do in terms of training? I won't have the opportunity to participate in any racing really until I come back to Australia.

And for training, just continue what I do now (with the endurance rides ever increasing)? Or should I do something different? I started doing what I'm doing now with the mind to just increase base fitness, but it's getting quite boring...

Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

Cheers,

[gururug]

Bunch riding and a good base level of fitness. Most people fall down on one of these two.

Once you have those you can ramp up your thresholds.

If you don't get it done, race E/D grade and you'll be up to speed in a few weeks ( albiet a few exhausting weeks )

[Brenchen]

Yea that's the thing, I don't have a group to train with or ride with at all in these months. So I must work on some other aspects in the mean time. And you do mention this good base level of fitness, could you explain how you mean "good"? What is considered "good"?

[nickobec]

I started racing 6 months ago, without really ever participating in group rides. Most of my training was/is my regular 42km commute to work a few times a week and an endurance ride (now a race) once a week .

I train with a power meter (due to medication I can not train by heart rate). Assuming you don't want invest that amount of money into racing before you know if you like it, get yourself a heart rate monitor and a copy of Joe Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible". It is a little heavy going for the uninitiated, but well worth the effort to understand the various zones and what the mean.

Because the way my commute is structured (subject to various roadworks), it is 15 minute warmup, 30 minutes at threshold (if feeling good, other times 20, or if not feeling good 30 minutes at tempo), 15 minutes or so at endurance pace due to traffic condition, 8 minutes if feeling good at VO2max then 10 minutes of cooling down.

5 months of training like that, with the odd week off, served me well, did not get dropped in my first race, won my 5th race, got promoted a grade after a couple of close 2nds after that and slowly getting use to riding in a pack.

So yes it is possible in your situation, to be race ready by training by yourself.

[toolonglegs]

Heres one mate... you have 29 minutes to get ready ... they welcome visiters and newbies.
http://www.plbcyclo-brest.fr/

[Brenchen]

Heres one mate... you have 29 minutes to get ready ... they welcome visiters and newbies.
http://www.plbcyclo-brest.fr/

Merci! Mais il est trop tôt, et il pleut maintenant... So I guess no riding. I had a look into this site http://www.vcplouzane.fr.gd/Page-d-h-accueil.htm Can't seemed to find anything useful. Is it the same kind of website? Are there somewhere a link to its address? Because I am actually near Plouzané, so closer than Brest.

[toolonglegs]

That looks like a kids club.
You might have to try in Brest. Is it far away?.
Rain ... get used to it, weather will be seriously shite in a month or so .
BTW... don't let language get in the way. I spoke zero French when I arrived here... I had organized my first group ride with in a day or two. OK conversation wasn't great but the riding was.

[Brenchen]

It's actually amazingly small here the community. I asked the shop about how cycling works this part of town, he said pretty much nothing (which aligns with what I saw when I go on rides). Racing season is over, won't be back on until November or something. And no group rides or shop rides as we know it, maybe just a club in Brest near Guipavas (I think the one you mentioned) is really the only active one. So it's a bit disheartening and boring.

Maybe on your side of town there's lot more interesting things happening?

[toolonglegs]

http://www.bic2000.net/ Bic2000 in Brest is a pretty big club, they have a DN1 team... those guys will ride all year round. Maybe try dropping them an email. Brest only looks to 10 or kms from you?.
But yes road race season is over... won't start again till around start of March. Only CX races in winter.

[Brenchen]

http://www.bic2000.net/ Bic2000 in Brest is a pretty big club, they have a DN1 team... those guys will ride all year round. Maybe try dropping them an email. Brest only looks to 10 or kms from you?.
But yes road race season is over... won't start again till around start of March. Only CX races in winter.

CX (circuits I take it?) are good for me I guess... To start racing anyway. I've just drop them an email and hope they can reply.

[toolonglegs]

CX... Cyclocross.
No road races till mid Feb at least.