Originally Posted by
sir_crash_alot
Thanks, my goals are to race competitively for sure, and would try for as high a placing as I can accomplish (and perhaps even someday threaten for a podium spot). That being said, while that is my goal and approach, I want to state that I don't hinge my success or enjoyment on winning or even doing well, but rather that I enjoy the competition and pushing myself to my best. I know that based on my fitness and abilities I'm nowhere near many other amateur racers even in my age bracket, but I enjoy pushing myself to hang with them.
I look forward to getting it wrong the first day! 8AM in Hayward Wisconsin for the Hungry Bear Gravel Race! I predict I'll go out hard for 10 minutes on adrenaline and nerves and then get dropped like a rock tied to an even bigger rock.
My riding friends who started racing gravel before me pretty much all had the same comment about their first race..."I went out too hard". My suggestion is to start out at a pace you think you can maintain for the distance, with some deeper (but still moderate) efforts on climbs, and give it all you have in the last hour. If you can find a group to ride with to carry a higher pace at your tempo effort, that's great, but digging yourself into a hole at the beginning is generally a recipe for being slower overall.
Some thoughts about pacing from DJ and his brother, BHDJ...