First time racer and excited about heading down to Greenville this Saturday. Can anyone tell me something about the layout of the Donalson road race course??? How about advice for a first time Cat 5. I think I'm pretty strong and hoping for a top 10 but know the lack of racing experience is going to hurt this fella.

It's boring. You go around in circles. There are no major climbs. Don't wipe out on the railroad tracks. Be humble. There are a lot of strong guys you've never seen in the Cat. 5 race. Don't crash. Hold your line. Wear a plain jersey unless you are part of a USCF Cycling club. Don't attack off the line.

I ride there a lot but don't race, may try it one day though. Get there early and do a warm-up lap, it's just over 7 miles long. There are only 2 nice climbs which aren't tough at all but I'm sure that's not the case under race conditions.
When I push myself alone I can do a 22-min. lap, not sure if that's slow as hell or not, but those climbs seem steeper then. :)

Good luck and pace yourself.
Lou.

I've never raced at Donaldson, but I do the Tuesday night "practice-races" every week. Here are some observations about the 7 miles basic loop. I assume they will do it clockwise.

From the parking area the two big rolling hills come quickly. Concentrate on keeping good momentum going down the first one... I have been dropped on that downhill several times...the up will be easy, then drop in again, the second climb will have many people out of the saddle briefly. AFter it levels out (golf course on your right) it is still a subtle climb, so don't back off too much.

Then you get a fast-ish long downhill where somebody broke his skull last year, the pavement gets rough. Then you'll round a curve and hit the "back side" which is a long, gradual hill. That's where I excel as a lightweight rider, for what that's worth. After rounding the next curve, watch for the railroad tracks. Lots of guys will start attacking right after the tracks, so be ready to hammer as soon as you sit back down. It's a false flat there and always hurts me. Hang tough, you'll hit smooth pavement soon. If there's a headwind on this section, be very careful not to get stuck out of the line. Then another down to get some momentum, and a medium long hill back to the start. Another place people will attack is after the stop sign at the beginning of every new lap.

Good Luck