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There is no definitive guide to starting on a path to bike racing, at least not that I am aware of. And this blog post isn’t going to be a definitive guide either, but hopefully it will be a resource. First, do not be intimidated. You can find an event that is a good fit for your where you are, and progress if you want when you want. So, no pressure!

Most of us come to bike racing through some form of progression, from cookie ride to endurance event and some eventually enter the world of licensed races. So let’s look at some attributes.

Choosing an Event – Selective or inclusive

Bike races are different than other endurance events such as running and triathlons, because they are selective by nature. That is, riding in the group allows you to ride faster than you ever could on your own. But if you can’t keep up with that group, without working with others you will quickly fall off the pace.  Selective events, particularly those with multiple fields or on a circuit may “pull” riders or remove them from the course if they are unable to keep pace. Most of us have at one time or another been pulled from a field, myself included.

Non-selective events will allow you to finish the event and get your personal best time. Cookie rides and endurance events are often fund raisers and great ways to build condition without the worries of being eliminated from the field. They are a great way to get started and often support a worthy cause. There are often distance options that will offer a challenge for beginners to advanced riders. These are NOT races, so while some people are competitive and will “race” them, generally that’s not the purpose.

Endurance events are similar to cookie rides, but sometimes last for two or more days. Think Seattle to Portland, Reach the each etc…

Gran Fondos are very popular and great events for riders of all abilities. The front of the race and the longer distances will be occupied by highly competitive athletes.

Generally   will require a racing license and are selective by nature. Time trials may or may not require a license, but will not be selective, so is another great way to enter a more competitive field without the worry of being pulled from an event.

Google is amazing and will help find an event, but there are three other resources I would point to. USA Cycling is a good way to find an event nationally. For Gran Fondos and Oregon has OBRA and Washington State has WSBA .

Choosing a bike

Now that you have an event, it’s time to make sure your bike is ready. Bike type, brand, size component and wheels are a HUGE topic. So rather than diving into all of that here is my recommendation. With the knowledge of a target event or two, find a couple of local bike shops to go spend some time learning about the bikes they recommend. Do not rush into a purchase. You should be allowed to test ride as many bikes as you want from as many shops as you want.

Buying from a bike shop is a good way to ensure there is a local company to stand behind the purchase. Whether you buy new from a shop, used from a shop or used from a friend or Craigslist, bike fit is paramount, by a LOT. It is better to be on a properly fitting entry level bike than a poorly fitting top of the line $10,000 bike.

When buying a bike, the shop should fit you to the bike and be able to make adjustments to the stem length, as well as saddle height, and handle bar angle and width. While it is an investment, many shops offer a “professional” bike fit that goes beyond a basic stand-over height. And I recommend a professional fit.

While I haven’t used it, Retul, if I were in the market for a new bike and looking for a fit, I would probably look for a shop that has it as a fitting system. Not only does it fit you to a bike, it recommends which bikes geometry are right for you.

Buying a Saddle

Your ass is one of a kind. So don’t settle for the saddle your bike comes with. You local bike shop should have a lot of test saddles to try out. You should be able to try out a saddle for a couple of rides, to make sure it is a good fit. The saddle is pretty small so there is lot of pressure on a relatively small area. If you have a poorly fitting saddle you can not only be uncomfortable but also develop saddle sores. They are even worse than they sound.

Clothes – does this make me look fat?

Road cycling clothes are famously unflattering. What you want is highly comfortable and clothes to match the range of whether you ride in.

Getting started in the sport is expensive. It is better to have one really nice bike kit (outfit) than to have two that are not as nice. You already know I am a fan of Classic Cycling. Classic Cycling has their own brand of clothes that are second to none.

To ride in cooler weather, get arm warmers and a vest rather than a jacket. They will combine to give you a much broader range of whether to ride in. Invest in a nice base layer. Knee warmers before you get leg warmers, because they will be comfortable in a broader range of weather.

Training – beginning

While riding a bike solo or with friends is fantastic, nothing will prepare you for a mass start event like joining group rides. Your local bike shop (LBS) should host weekly rides or be able to point you to some to choose from.

Training rides often have groups broken up by average speed. Be sure to find out if there is a ride leader and introduce yourself if there is. Also, like races, rides are either “drop” rides or “no drop” rides. No matter what the ride is labeled, be prepared. Carry a phone, hydration, food, spare tube and a way to change and inflate your tire. Unless you know the group well, you should assume you will be left to your own devices if you cannot keep up with the group.

Training – structured

If you chose an audacious goal to begin with or are just highly focused, you will benefit from following structured training. Here are some options for you.

Simple event based plan: There are plenty of free plans online and in magazines designed to “prepare for your first century” (100 mile ride). Free training plans are available for nearly every discipline in the table above.

Some riders progress to competitive level plans. These too can be free, but are often paired with software such as Training Peaks. From there the sky is the limit. You can purchase a pre-written plan or hire a coach who will prescribe workouts and track your progression.

Have some heart – Many bicycle computers and smart watches track or pair with heart rate monitors. Heart rate can be used to set and stay within specific training zones in order to focus your structured training.

Power up- Heart rate monitors are great, but the pinnacle of structured training now involves using a power meter. Power meters come in many forms, from a rear wheel up, to a pedal to crank arms, all sending a message to your bike computer about the power you are producing in the form of Watts.

 

Progression to Regression

Get a bike, join a group ride, train for a cookie ride, try out more cookie rides, try a Gran Fondo or Time Trial, decide you need a more expensive bike(s), follow a training plan, enter a bike race at the lowest category. Realize you are not as good as you thought you were. Strictly follow a training plan CAT up (move into a harder racing category). Join a racing time. Realize you are not as good as you thought you were. Focus on diet, increase your training volume, hire a coach, create a pain cave at your house in which to train indoors when you can’t go out. Volunteer at bike races. Get burned out with it all. Go for a ride without your power meter, heart rate monitor or even GPS unit. Realize you were too wrapped up in it all. Relax and have an extra beer. Go out for a training ride you haven’t joined for a while, realize you are no longer at your best, dust off a structured training plan and get back after it.

Training safely

Riding safely has a lot to do with where you ride and when you ride there. A good starting point is to find a group ride with your local bike shop. Strava is an app that also offers insight into where cyclists ride.

I wear an ID bracelet (Road ID). I have a head and tail light. I have routes that I think are safe(er). Group rides will open up new routes to you and introduce you to roads that are used to seeing cyclists.

Oh, and both Strava and Road ID offer mobile apps that can keep your loved ones informed about where you are. Road ID even sends an alert of your current location if you stop moving for a certain amount of time. For me that often is a notice to my wife as to when I have stopped for a post ride pint when I forget to turn it off!

 

 

What is missing?

So what is missing from this guide. Give me some comments and I’ll see if I can improve this post over time.

Not the bunker and canned food kind, but getting ready for the next ride and new season kind.

This year I’ve decided to keep my gear in better shape. That includes new training and race tires.

Since my bike time was spent this morning on the bike, service course becomes the skate park with the boys.

Speaking of boys, had a great ride with my Team O boys this morning. Like actually outside and everything.

Wish I had some pics of the amazing Tuscan vineyard house we rolled past.

Thanks Jim and Sean for the great ride.

When I asked friends about what topics they would like to read about here, balance was on top of the list. It’s on the top of my personal goal list as well.

We all are doing a balancing act, all the time. Family, work, friends, training and racing. Expand time in one area and you have to remove time from another. Sometimes it is easy to have things balance out. I worked until 2:00 AM delivering a change to production for work; I leave work for a 2 hour lunch and go see one of my boys at school. Most of the  time, it is more difficult.

In graduate school at Queens University, we did a time management exercise where we stack ranked what is important to us, then filled out a pie chart on how we spend our time. It is such a great exercise to go through.

Chico stage race has been on my calendar as a goal for a couple of years now. This year, I’m actually in condition to try an early season race, but my oldest son Foster has a soccer game in Eugene that same weekend, and it was an easy decision to make. I’ll be going with the full family to Eugene for a weekend, and we are taking the RV.

I did look for a local bike race in Eugene and found a collegiate race that Sunday is at the same location as Foster’s game later in the day. But for men it is collegiate only. It is an open race for women who want to race, and for those in the area it looks like a great Ominum.

Balance, like control is a tough nut to crack. I feel fortunate to have so much support from my family to pursue racing, and spending this weekend with the family seems like a great alignment between my values and how I spend time.

I also get to enjoy events due to volunteers giving of their time. Who knows, perhaps the weekend away will be a good time to give back to the cycling community. That would feel like a good balance!

 

Last year, I never felt like I hit race form. I was just checking on Stava’s Fitness and Freshness graph. According to Strava, I am as fit now as I ever got last summ

er. Well, that certainly confirms both what I felt last summer, and that my training is going well. In fact, training is going better than any winter since I started using Strava.

It gives me some hope that the training is headed in the right direction. I am scheduled for a FTP test Sunday, but might go to the Sauvie Shootout instead if it’s dry and not too cold.

The real test will then come on Tuesday with weigh-in and Power test.

There is nothing better than getting new team kit after a year or two of the same stuff!

1. They don’t think of their fitness as work, but rather a way of life

It’s kind of like taking a shower, sure you can go without one, but you just don’t feel right the rest of the day.

2. They don’t skip workouts

They take training days as seriously as a Dr.’s appointment.
Appointments and meetings get scheduled around their workout time, not the other way around.

3. They take their rest as seriously as their workouts

They know that in order to perform at their best and to get the most out of their body, they have to give it a rest. Rest days and sleep are as essential as the workouts themselves.

4. They eat to fuel their goals

Everything they eat serves a purpose. Protein for muscles, carbs for energy, and produce for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Treats are done, but never over-done.

5. They tune everything out when they work out

Focus. They know that anything you give your undivided attention to works out better. Being in tune with your body allows them to make tweaks, and know which tweaks to make.

6. They push through frustration

If you think it’s easy for the super fit to get fit, and stay fit, you’re wrong. They’re highly competitive and always striving to hit new goals. They struggle like everyone else with busy lives, stress, plateaus, fatigue, and frustration. But there isn’t a thought of giving up; it’s just a matter of finding their answer.

7. They prepare their food in advance and don’t leave hunger to chance

They know what they’ll be eating the whole day. If they don’t bring their food, they know what they can order off menus and what they can find at a grocery store. Drive-throughs don’t exist in their world.

8. They use their flaws as motivators, not a reason to give up

They see their flaws (even if you don’t) and despise them like everyone else. But rather than letting their flaws bring them down, they use them to motivate them UP.

9. They envision the win-goal-finish line every day

The goal is crystal clear in their mind. The thought of the sculpted body, or winning the race always keeps them motivated. Regardless of life’s pressures they race towards the winner’s tape.

10. Persistence, persistence, persistence

Yes…they are persistent!

11. There are no excuses

They learned early that excuses are time-suckers and don’t get you anywhere near your goal. Better to get it done then whine about why you didn’t.

12. There is no giving up

Going way back to the winter of 2013, I was riding a computrainer a good amount at Uptown Cycles, in Charlotte NC. The workouts were great. I would do a power test

every couple of months, get my threshold power and follow some great workouts. All that work paid off in the summer, and when I moved to Portland, I felt like I was really flying on the bike. Whether I was or not, I don’t think matters as much as I felt like I was.

Part of my goals for 2018 and this blog are to get back into that condition. Hard to believe it’s been that long! I’ve raced and had fun every year. I’ve even had flashes of good form, but never fully found the magic in the legs.

Yesterday doing a Zwift workout, I had a mental-physical connection as the workout started seemingly too easy. But the 3rd of 6 power intervals I didn’t know if I would be able to maintain that

power. It brought me back to those UC workouts and how I felt when I was doing those computrainer sessions.

That is very encouraging, even if I’m still no where near the old power level.

On a separate note, I am getting my PowerTap wheel back today from Jon Lengbehn who I know will have done a great repair on it. the side of the rim blew out when I was putting some air in it, so now I have a new hoop all laced up and ready to go.

 

And now, I’m looking forward to joining the Sauvie Shootout this Sunday. Thanks Springer!

OBRA (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association) posted their 2018 race calendar, which helped fill in the puzzle for me.

I am going to try to make 2-3 mutli-day races. Not sure If I’ll be ready for Chico in two months…

Of course, in addition to these races we are fortunate in Portland to have weekly races most Monday and Tuesday’s along with many Wednesday’s.

I usually make Monday or Tuesday night racing.

3/31	Piece of Cake Road Race
4/14	King’s Valley Road Race
5/5	Montinore Road Race
5/31-6/3	Cascade Cycling Classic
6/9-6/11	Bend Omnium
8/4	Vancouver Criterium

On this, the second day of 2018, I want to take a moment to highlight one of my favorite personal growth resources, Dr. Sparks Actualized Leadership blog.

Like you, I am seeing a lot of social media posts about resolutions in one form or another. Here is what I like about Dr. Sparks writing and work…  It requires deep engagement. Finding our potential is a never ending challenge of balance and effort for which there is no quick fix, five easy steps or shortcuts.

Dr. Sparks has essentially published a book on self-actualization in the form of the articles posted on his blog. I’ve linked above to one that is particularly good to start with, but I highly recommend beginning at the start and working your way through them.

Well, quite a lot is new for 2018! I’ll be documenting the season right here, along with writing about products, sharing pictures and videos and generally writing for fun.

What else is new? A new team, a new power meter, using Zwift, a new dietary regiment, turning 45.