Hey everyone, I've been riding road for about a month (have about 100-125 miles in) i'm 5'10'' or there abouts, i weigh 190ish at the current moment. I'm really wanting to get into the racing scene next season and i hope to be around 180ish. right now i'm averaging about 16-17 mph over a 20 mile loop, my hills have killed me but i'm getting better, i can hold low 20's on flats no problem and when i push i can roll at about 28-30 on flats. now hills on the other hand, lets not get into that. I'm enrolled in a spinning class for this winter at my gym to try and get the techneique down and build up a high tolerance to lactic acid for the races.

My real questions are, what are some realistic goals to set for my self for next years season? would it be realistic to go into the season hoping to finish in the top 1/4 of the field every race (i know i'm gonna be cat 5) or would that be an unrealistic goal for my first race season? Would it be a realistic goal to consider moving up and being cat 1 or 2 in the next 5 years or would that be nearly impossible? I'm 19 and i love to ride and i go out atleast for a 5-10 mile ride even if i tell myself i'm not gonna ride and let my body recover. i just can't seem to stay off the bike.

I know 100-125 isn't much in a month but it's tuff to find time to ride with my work schedule and other obligations i have with family members but i'm trying to get it to where i can get atleast 2 hours in the saddle 4 to 5 days a week. gonna take some planning though.

if any of you have any recomendations i would love to read them and if a goal is realistic or not let me know, you wont hurt my feelings. If i was worried about that i wouldn't have asked.

Thanks for all the help everyone

TNG

I think the goal of finishing in the top quarter of the race is a perfectly realistic goal for your first race season, but I would worry more about doing that by the end of the season than doing that in every race.

You're going to have to up your riding time and miles quite a lot, 100-125 miles a WEEK instead of in a month is going to be what you need at minimum to finish in the top 1/4 of the field. Also, think about setting some goals in your training as well as in your racing, because the most important thing you can do in your first year is get on a consistent training plan. Most importantly: find a good group to ride with. You're going to need plenty of group riding experience, and it's best to get that before you even start racing.

Agree with RMR to a point about quantity -- you can certainly do very well in 3-4-5 training as little as 6-8 hours a week, but you've got to (a) know what you are doing; and (b) be VERY focused about taking care of business during your workouts. I'd say pick up the Cyclists Training Bible from Joe Friel. Undoubtedly it's NOT the last word in how to train, but it will help you get the idea of what a season and a training schedule look like.

Wholeheartedly agree with RMR about the group riding experience. You need it to race, and it's also going to give you a great idea of where your fitness stands vis-a-vis other racers. It will also give you a taste of whether you like to race.

Good luck... I wish I'd have figured out at 19 that I wanted to race. Didn't start till I was 30, with a job, a home, kids, wife... I lament with fellow racers I knew back then that if we'd have only put the beers down ...

Get an indoor trainer or a light ride outside as much as possible. Spin class generally work you to hard especially in the winter when you should be concentrating on building an aerobic base.

If you're serious about racing you'll need to evaluate you're priorities in your life. Basically racing is like taking on a part time job. You could probably hand on to the back of most fields on as little as 5 hours a week. But to do well in almost any class you need to be looking at 10 hours a week at least. Just about the best thing you can do with your time other than putting more time on the bike is to learn about how to train and how to race.

I think the goal of finishing in the top quarter of the race is a perfectly realistic goal for your first race season, but I would worry more about doing that by the end of the season than doing that in every race.

You're going to have to up your riding time and miles quite a lot, 100-125 miles a WEEK instead of in a month is going to be what you need at minimum to finish in the top 1/4 of the field. Also, think about setting some goals in your training as well as in your racing, because the most important thing you can do in your first year is get on a consistent training plan. Most importantly: find a good group to ride with. You're going to need plenty of group riding experience, and it's best to get that before you even start racing.

First of all, regarding Rocky Mountain Racer.... I know on good authority that this guy doesn't even race in the Rocky Mountains. Can you really trust a guy like that to give you honest advice? I think not. As far as training goes, for your buildup you're going to have to put in 100-150 miles a week to be competitive in the Cat5s. If you're only going to race crits, you can then stay competitive by streamlining your training goals and only doing 80-100 miles a week. However, if you're going to do road races then 150-200 miles a week should be your minimums. Good luck.

First of all, regarding Rocky Mountain Racer.... I know on good authority that this guy doesn't even race in the Rocky Mountains. Can you really trust a guy like that to give you honest advice? I think not. As far as training goes, for your buildup you're going to have to put in 100-150 miles a week to be competitive in the Cat5s. If you're only going to race crits, you can then stay competitive by streamlining your training goals and only doing 80-100 miles a week. However, if you're going to do road races then 150-200 miles a week should be your minimums. Good luck.

Bwah hah hah, G-nome I hate you! Well I USED to race in the Rocky Mountains, but I still haven't gotten around to changing my username for this site. Although we had some Rocky Mountain weather at the end of the ride yesterday didn't we G-nome? It got nasty coming back over the Golden Gate...