Anyone here race road races? Curious to know your thoughts and experiences. I've haven't raced road in a long time (and actually, my 'races' were just competition amongst friends when we used to do centuries), and would probably suck now, but I am finding myself wanting more out of my training and road rides than just doing well on the group rides (and I'm not doing great, just passable, FYI).
Also, I know some here have done long tours. My good friend is going to do the Ride the Rockies (he got a coveted lottery spot) and that has me intrigued to say the least. Thoughts/reflections? Thanks.
My concern is that once I do those things, I'll burn out on riding, which I don't want to do. One of the things I enjoy about riding (and skiing) is no one telling me where to go or how fast - in other words, the freedom. But then again, I impose those restrictions on myself when I train with a schedule, so I am not sure if I am being hypocritical when I say that.
No road racing here. I'm scared of the "Crash 5" season. Wouldn't want to hurt the new bike. That said, just riding I love. You know that silly and I took another cycling vacation this year. Something about not doing anything but eating and riding really appeals to me. I'd love to do more (RAGBRAI, found a SWEET tour around Arkansas, the PCH, etc) but we're really not a point ($$) where we can do it as much as we'd like to. She did todays leg of the Soldier Ride, which seems like a cool event.
If there is even a question of you getting burned out K, tread VERY carefully. You DO NOT want cycling to turn into a job. Remember, we do it because it's fun. Not sure how your training is working out, but if it stops being fun (not because it's hard) chill out for a while. We had some extra folks along on the Katy Trail trip this year, and I think they forgot why we ride at a few points. It makes my heart drop thinking that the funnest day we had was silly and I riding alone in the cold ass rain (50-60 miles) alone because everyone else shuttled that day. I know to each there own, but it seems like sometimes people miss the (my) point.
DUDE!! Ride the Rockies?!?!?! That's a tough spot to get. I know it's not you, but still. I'm trying for a spot in this years Triple Bypass, but it's not looking good.
K - Why can't you just find a route and do your own thing, at your own pace? I'm trying to set up a trip with a few friends for about a year or 2 from now to either ride from top to bottom in Italy, or around New Zealand. We'll have the girls follow in cars, and just go at our own pace, stop when we want to stop, and push when we want to push.
Just an idea. I think burn out is a big thing for me too, I have to be super careful. I try to swim and run (obviously), but also mix in hiking, walking, and plenty of bottle curls (BEER!), but like Aaron said, just make sure you're still having fun!
E-Dude...Just got back from the Rockies. Hiked some, no biking though. Thoughts on cyclists on the Trail Ridge Road...why are you riding with no helmet? Idiot. Sunday afternoon on a beautiful summer day...there is going to be TRAFFIC...why are you group riding side by side 3 wide so cars back up behind you and people start cussin and moanin about those idiot cyclists on the road? and last but not least...for those riders following the rules and riding smart...DUDE-How do you pump up hills like that????? Being a lowlander, I was having a hard time walking and breathing at the same time. I did get in one good hike up Twin Sisters and one easy day to Alberta Falls and around Bear Lake.
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Well Lisa, Colorado did just pass a law that allows cyclists to ride 2 wide on "reasonable" shoulders, but now the question is, what is reasonable? Most cyclists are still pushing it, hence the morons you saw.
And you get used to the altitude, takes about 2 weeks. I'm really not that good a cyclist, I just had about 2x the air in Arkansas. Made me look like Lance!!!
Yeah, I realized that the guys riding 3 wide MAY have been doing it on purpose because there are plenty of stretches on that road that don't have much shoulder and if they get passed on a turn they risk getting squished into the rocks beside them or they take a chance on causing a head on in the lanes, or worse since there is a sheer drop off on the other side of the road. It's a beautiful road to drive and I'm sure it's great to cycle. It would just scare the piss out of me to do it with all that traffic. I did alright on the hike, I was certainly breathing heavy and feeling it on the uphill climbs but....
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The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'.
Kaiser, I guess I'm more of a solitary man. The only racing I do (and I don't do it well) is against myself or the clock. The local tri club has been running weekly TT's, and I did a few last summer. A speed demon I'm not, but I just wanted to improve with every ride.
Touring, though, is something that I have always enjoyed. I did my first real tour more than 20 years ago - a self supported, solo, camping tour around Cape Breton Island. I don't think I'll ever top that, although Tuscany might be nice.
Since then, I've also solo'd Vermont from top to bottom, and a few other solo trips in Ontario. Together with my wife, I've done Philly-DC & Montreal-Quebec City.
I don't ride too fast, or too far, each day. I figure about 1 - 1.5 hours by car = 1 day on a loaded bike. Have a good breakfast, ride for a couple of hours, take a leisurely lunch, ride another couple of hours in the afternoon, get off the road around 4 pm, and it's time for a hot shower and a cold beer.
I also find that as I'm getting older, sleeping on the ground is losing its appeal. I feel much better the next morning when I've slept in a comfortable bed. So maybe it's time to ditch the panniers, and carry nothing but a credit card.
I don't know that I would enjoy a large scale group ride as much as touring on my own, but I keep thinking that I should try RAGBRAI some year. I've also been looking at an organized tour of Cape Breton/The Cabot Trail to do with my son, if he can ever find the time.
In the meantime, I'm pretty much limited to a fall tour of Niagara wine country with a few other couples. (A warm-up for Tuscany, perhaps?) We've been doing it for 6-8 years now, and it's always a good time. We only cover about 25-30 km, but enjoy many samples of wine along the way. I figure that the riding between wineries helps to metabolize the alcohol. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
I was just reading an article in the paper today about RAAM, and that's just a little too extreme for me. Apparently one of the Canadian cyclists bonked (after riding 565 miles in less than 38 hours) on the outskirts of Tuba City, in north-central Arizona. He rolled to a halt, climbed off the bike and executed a "controlled crash landing" to the ground.
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Last edited by canuckguy : 06-14-2006 at 02:18 PM.
I'm training for RAGBRAI this summer. It's going to be a pokey-puppy ride: pedal, eat pie, pedal, eat pie. But I do need to be able to sit in the saddle six hours a day for seven days.
And after Iowa, my brother and I plan a week of biking and camping in Vermont.
So I'm riding a lot. A whole lot.
I'm not worried about burning out on biking because I've learned to do a bunch of sports now and can simply rotate into a different one for a while if I want a break from the bike. I ride around with a sense of having all these real options.
But I also ride mostly by myself. I set my own pace, pick my own route. Saturday I tried sandwiching a 33-mile organized tour, Tour de Rock, into my 82-miler. I biked to the ride, got there 15 minutes late, chased down the group, enjoyed the company, scarfed some BBQ and then pedaled off to finish my mileage.
That was a really fun change of routine, combining the benefits of biking with others AND doing my own thing. So I'll probably do something similar again.
DUDE!! Ride the Rockies?!?!?! That's a tough spot to get.
Dude, Ride the Rockies. Prick.
E
Dug up this old thread to say that those friends are now doing their third in a row. They register as a group (which gets larger and larger) and get a lottery spot every year. Maybe out-of-staters get a better draw.
Me.... I'm still wimping out. Yeah... I know, I know.
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"It's what you've got inside that matters. The details and technological things will take you only so far. You still have to pedal the bike. Some people are always looking for the magic secret. There's no secret. Just bust your ass." -Dave Zabriskie
Seriously, I don't think I could. Not day after day, at altitude through mountains. That's one too many variables for me. I just pretend to be a biker - I'm not really built like one. One day, flat and sea level is about all I can take.
Man, you'd be so distracted by conversation and by how gorgeous everything is, that you'd forget all about it. Seriously, when I was in Steamboat, some of the guys looked like they shouldn't be driving the route, let alone cycling it. I know you could do it.
E
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"It's what you've got inside that matters. The details and technological things will take you only so far. You still have to pedal the bike. Some people are always looking for the magic secret. There's no secret. Just bust your ass." -Dave Zabriskie
No road racing here either, but we have a road race in my home town once a year. Those dudes go alot faster than you might think. It's crazy. I wouldn't mind getting into biking, but I think road racing is too intense for me. It's definitely fun to watch though.
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Any Road Racers or Tourers?
That said, just riding I love. You know that silly and I took another cycling vacation this year. Something about not doing anything but eating and riding really appeals to me. I'd love to do more (RAGBRAI, found a SWEET tour around Arkansas, the PCH, etc) but we're really not a point ($$) where we can do it as much as we'd like to. She did todays leg of the 
Give Truth About Abs a try. It's working really good for me.
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