Is the college scene an okay place to start racing. I have never raced before, and I am thinking about doing an 11mi time trial tommorrow. I did the course today with a time of 31:47. The course is in Santiago Canyon; starts off with a slight incline, then a 1mi climb, then the rest in rollers. I thought is was pretty tough. Do you guys think I did alright for my first run through the course? Any tips, etc? Thanks!

ps. keep in mind that I have never entered any race before, but I have been riding for a few months, doing about 6-8hrs of riding a week. Although I don't think I am puching myself hard enough.

Is the college scene an okay place to start racing. I have never raced before, and I am thinking about doing an 11mi time trial tommorrow. I did the course today with a time of 31:47. The course is in Santiago Canyon; starts off with a slight incline, then a 1mi climb, then the rest in rollers. I thought is was pretty tough. Do you guys think I did alright for my first run through the course? Any tips, etc? Thanks!

ps. keep in mind that I have never entered any race before, but I have been riding for a few months, doing about 6-8hrs of riding a week. Although I don't think I am puching myself hard enough.

The collegiate racing scene is the ideal place to start racing. When I was an undergrad, my college didn't have a team, so I stuck to racing local cross races unattached and didn't do well at all. The school I'm at for grad school has a solid cycling team. I've started racing more and training more. Suddenly, I'm doing well. Having the support of a team, and especially a collegiate team is key.

The other nice thing about collegiate races is that they are VERY mellow, and VERY inexpensive. In the lower cats, you will not be the only beginner, nor will you be the only one off the back if your fitness isn't there. In the northeast, collegiate races cost about half of what a USCF race costs. If you are paying for your own races, this makes a big difference.

Race as much as you can in college. You have more time to train and race than you will ever have for the rest of your life. I tell my undergraduate teammates this all the time and they don't believe me.