RR: Tuesday Night Crit Practice

[ChipsandSalsa]

In the San Diego area there is http://sdbc.org/core/template.php?page=ride.wedtrain (I am not recommending it, just saying it is an option).

Crits are not something in my immediate future, but I do enjoy a vigorous roadie club ride.

A few things I have learned so far:

Don't advertise you are a mountain biker.
Don't be ashamed or hesitant to "Suck wheels."
Road rides, at least at the "A" level, are competitive.
It is not your imagination...They really are taking great pleasure in dropping you.
There is no such thing as an "A" level road ride--They're racing.
I am a lot slower than I thought I was.

And the three most important things: Don't get dropped, don't get dropped, don't get dropped!

I always thoroughly enjoy your ride reports, Allison.

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by ChipsandSalsa

In the San Diego area there is http://sdbc.org/core/template.php?page=ride.wedtrain (I am not recommending it, just saying it is an option).

Crits are not something in my immediate future, but I do enjoy a vigorous roadie club ride.

A few things I have learned so far:

Don't advertise you are a mountain biker.
Don't be ashamed or hesitant to "Suck wheels."
Road rides, at least at the "A" level, are competitive.
It is not your imagination...They really are taking great pleasure in dropping you.
There is no such thing as an "A" level road ride--They're racing.
I am a lot slower than I thought I was.

And the three most important things: Don't get dropped, don't get dropped, don't get dropped!

I always thoroughly enjoy your ride reports, Allison.

Careful riding with SDBC, I've heard them called "the Super Dangerous Bicycle Club" by many people. Their reputation for TDF-style pile-ups is legendary.

[ChipsandSalsa]

I ride with www.cyclo-vets.org

[Jordansrealm]

I loved riding on the road aside from the cars. I absolutely hated the "fellow" road riders though. So arrogant. I know a lot of us mtn bikers are also roadies so I just hope nobody here turns into the typical roadie prick when they put their lycra on.

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by ChipsandSalsa

I ride with www.cyclo-vets.org

Sweet! I've heard some stories about a few wily vets who take great joy in smoking some of the younger folks on my team (UCSD, though I'm old for a college student).

I see plenty of Cyclo-Vets jerseys in the area, looks like a good group.

[dirtmistress]

I got schooled at El Dorado. A great place to learn. A better place is a road club like Lightning Velo's Saturday ride. Pace lines, drafting, pulling your 'team mate' to the imaginary finish line ala Cipo and Saeco. That club was great! An a NO DROP policy. I learned so much with them.
There is nothing more dangerous than a Cat.4/5 guys race and a Cat. 4's women's race.
When I first started racing, I used to sit at the front of a Cat. 4 race and just pull them along.lalalalala..and they'd let me pull away at 17 or so miles an hour. They'd just sit there and suck my wheel. Seemed fine to me. Then everyone would go ballistic, willy-nilly on the prime laps and sometimes I'd get a prime. I was known for always winning the money primes though.
Then I'd sit at the front again and lalalalala..just pull them along. Gee, this is easy I thought. But as I got stronger and better and more race savvy the pulls at the front stopped. Plus I got a coach that got me race smart. Then the top 5 and some wins started. Of course, the EPO injections really helped!
Holy cow!! Like Hugh I am missing it also!
Jeanine gave up after a massive crash sent her unconscious into a ditch along with about 15 other women. I ran to her and she was out cold. Crit racing is dangerous but being a mountain biker, you have more bike handling skills than a pure roadie.
I've witnessed that and been told that and I used to feel that. Hugh! ElDorado this Tuesday!! Masters group!!

Originally Posted by Jordansrealm

I loved riding on the road aside from the cars. I absolutely hated the "fellow" road riders though. So arrogant. I know a lot of us mtn bikers are also roadies so I just hope nobody here turns into the typical roadie prick when they put their lycra on.

I become a prick when I put my lycra on! Stay out of my way you fred!! We are out to pound you into the pavement and make you shrivel on a hill!! ARRR!

[ChipsandSalsa]

Originally Posted by Zippy

Sweet! I've heard some stories about a few wily vets who take great joy in smoking some of the younger folks on my team (UCSD, though I'm old for a college student).

I see plenty of Cyclo-Vets jerseys in the area, looks like a good group.

They are a good group of guys, but it was a humbling experience to get dropped by riders in their sixties. Then I read on their website that out of over 300 members, "Our membership includes more than 100 National and International Champions, over 20 National USCF record holders, Olympians, Senior Olympics Champions , and RAAM (Race Across America) participants and winners. Now when I get dropped, I still feel slow, but not as slow as I used to.

[53-12]

There is nothing quite like doing a training crit on a regular basis to increase your fitness level. I would do the Rose Bowl one Tuesday and Thursday religiously for years when I was Cat 4 / Cat 3. Got to the point that I could stay at the front the entire ride and even made it into a winning break with the man, Thurlow Rogers -- once. Quite a rush.

[2wheel_lee]

Originally Posted by dirtmistress

Crit racing is dangerous but being a mountain biker, you have more bike handling skills than a pure roadie.

I'd have to say my former BMX skills is what helped me the most. I was very used to moving aggressively in high-speed traffic, as well as being very comfortable using my elbows and shoulders to get to where I wanted to be or preventing someone else from being where I was. BMX can also teach you ways of attacking via pushing others' discomfort zones. Yes, I found crits to be very aggressive, especially for the last 5-10 minutes. I'm sure that in the higher ranks I'd get killed.

[OffRoadie]

In case you guys aren't aware of training group rides in your area:
http://www.socalcycling.com/Group%20...GroupRides.htm

All the big ones that will give you a beat down are listed (Montrose, Simi, Rose Bowl, Swami's, etc). Note that in San Diego, there is a seasonal ride Thursday nights on Fiesta Island. I heard Dominique Rollin showed up there once.

I highly recommend taking track classes. In SoCal, we are EXTREMELY fortunate to have 3 velodromes: San Diego, Encino, and the ADT Event Center (Carson). Each has a local training and racing program, and the ADT Event Center hosts world class events. In the classes the will teach you how and allow you to practice pack riding. Once you finish the class, you can continue with whatever programs your local velodrome offers in terms of training sessions and racing.

[davidB]

Originally Posted by OffRoadie

In case you guys aren't aware of training group rides in your area:
http://www.socalcycling.com/Group%20...GroupRides.htm

whoa. /neo

one of the first times i saw a group of roadies was when i was learning to ride dirt at Bonelli. Then and there I swore I could never ride road. I didn't know they were racing like that. Thought that was normal.



p.s. all that looks nuts!

I need to get a road bike.
Heck it's good exercise
I've always wanted to ride a velodrome just once

[dirtmistress]

I remember one of my first pick up races at ElDo a guy looked at me and said;'are you a mountain biker?' and I said 'yeah, how'd you know?" and he said because of your gloves! Was it because they were filthy and ratty? I don't know,doesn't matter. I kicked his ass in the sprint!!

[Pain Freak]

I love the crits, but I also love living. I've done the Rose Bowl a few times and I have to admit I like it, but the penalty for a crash is severe. Last time there we were on our third lap and this was about all I had left and had just fallen off the back as we started the little incline, the group was still over 30 at this point and a kid from the infield area kicked a soccer ball into us. I was far enough back where I could see almost everything. Over 20 people went down, went down hard. Some of the people said there were 3 guys with broken collar bones and I seen another guy with a broken wrist. Lots of blood everywhere, road rash and cracked helmets. I seen the guy I'd been riding next to and he was a bloody mess. The ambulances showed up and took two people who had lost consiousness, they just happened to be boyfriend and girlfriend.

I later went to do the Montrose ride and that was a lot of fun and I hung on a lot longer then I thought I would. I did Simi and we gave up to soon on that one. We later caught the group and they'd logged about 5 miles more then us and we were able to hang the rest of the ride. Went to Eldorado Park once and we were still pretty green. We got dropped immediately, that was very humbling and a little embarassing. It's really amazing how fast some of these 60 year old guys are.Fast,very,very, fast.

I think crits are like a lot of other types of riding. You can get good at it if you train for it. The intensity of this kind of riding is unlike any other that I've tried and I do like it, but I'm just not fast enough and I don't want to be in the way, so I'll try something else.

[lbmtbgrl]

The big crew getting closer

Where is this?

[Red Hot Sloth]

I think its Temecula...looks like...Jefferson? or Madison Street?
Either way, it looks like the west side of Temecula.

Originally Posted by lbmtbgrl

Where is this?

[Jordansrealm]

Test rode a road bike today at The Path. Soon I think I will own one again...

[allison]

Originally Posted by Red Hot Sloth

I think its Temecula...looks like...Jefferson? or Madison Street?
Either way, it looks like the west side of Temecula.

It's in a business park off of Winchester/Diaz. I'm not super familiar with the street names.

[Red Hot Sloth]

Diaz...yes...why was I saying Jefferson? That east of there
I knew it looked familiar.
How was traffic around there at that time of afternoon? I worked in the Temecula/Murietta area for a long time and and noticed a drastic incease in traffic around there the last few years.

Originally Posted by allison

It's in a business park off of Winchester/Diaz. I'm not super familiar with the street names.