snhrider

A couple months ago, I was in a 40 mile (4 laps) race where about 38 out of 100 riders did not finish the race. I completed the race and finished last about 20mins behind. I was behind far enough that when I finished, the next wave of riders were already starting. If you were in that situation, would you have continued the race and finish last or just bail out in the middle when you had the chance and DNF.

UmneyDurak

Really depends. Usually I would try to finish, but I was doing one road race with 20 miles loops and horrible roads. After second lap, I just called it quits.

DrWJODonnell

DFL is better than Quitting. No one knows why you get a DNF, but if it was me, I would know why, and that would be enough to push me on. I want to prove that I have the stupidity to finish rather than the intelligence to know when enough is enough.

recursive

Personally, I don't really see a point in completing a race if you know you'll be in last place. If I just wanted to ride, I wouldn't have bothered entering a race.

patentcad

Tough question. Of course in TT's it's you against the watch, so you always have a reason to complete the race and see how fast (or slow) you rode that day. And Pcad's worst performance this year was DFL + 4 (in the disturbingly fast 45+ bunch, faster than the 4/5's), so I have that going for me.

Who cares what we think? It's what you think that matters. This is a given: if you're out there racing at all, you're putting it on the line in a way that non-racers don't, and you should get some respect. Should. This is bike racing and Road Nazis only respect sheer speed and results.

Carry on Mein Kleine Weenies und mach schnell.

WCroadie

I'd finish if I could. I'd rather finish in last place then quit.

MONGO!

If you're not going to finish why bother starting?

curiouskid55

I haven't had the experience of finishing last , but cant' imagine I would feel as bad about it as I did the time that I DNF'd.

rizz

You've already paid to ride. Might as well maximize your dollar value. Last is still ahead of DNF in my book.

caloso

Dfl > Dnf

jrennie

I noticed this in the last crit I did. I was hanging out in the back(not by choice) and every time I would look around toward the close of the race another rider was gone. This was a p1/2/3 race and the guys that DNP were pros or cat 1 guys and I guess it was an ego thing. I'd rather finish.

king-tony

Last, I hate the guys who pull off course on the last lap of a crit when the pace picks up and they can't hang. DFL is not really DFL when others quit.

CrimsonKarter21

You've already lost by not winning, but you'll be a bigger loser if you pull off. I'd understand if you were having serious physical problems that might be dangerous to your health*, but if it's just because you can't push your physical and metal limits, then you're just a quitter.
Let's just put it this way; I felt like absolute **** when I missed the last turn of a race last weekend, but I would have felt even worse if I quit like I wanted to.




*- Actually, if you're having serious physical problems that might be dangerous to your health, then you actually should keep going. Cycling is good for you, no?

EventServices

This sport isn't like marathons where you prove yourself by finishing hours after the leaders finish. There are practical reasons to retire.

If it's a crit, you're just getting in the way when the field laps you. Now you've become a safety threat, especially if it's a big field, especially if you're getting caught in the turns or sprint. If it's a small field and the officials don't mind, no big deal. But please look over your shoulder and realize that the race holds sway over your desire to finish.

In a road race, as long as you realize that you're on your own following all rules of the road once you're outside the envelope, fine.

Riders who sit up at the back of the pack during the sprint are actually pretty smart. Why sprint for 56th place? Bragging rights? Some pretty bad crashes happen when some over-eager racer sprints into the back of some guy in 40th place. That's absolutely pointless in a bike race.

patentcad

If you're shelled why bother finishing?

That is the philosophy of the large majority of bike racers, myself included. That's why I like TT's, nobody gets shelled. There IS a reason to finish. There might also be a reason to finish in a RR if I'm in one of the chase groups out of contention for the top spots, just to see where I stack up in a race that gets shattered. In a crit, if you get dropped you should get off the course lest you become an obstacle to other riders on the circuit. In a circuit race with lots of races (like NY's Central Park) ditto.

The closest thing to the Kum Bay Ya of a 5K run or a triathlon the USCF offers is an individual TT, and that's one reason I enjoy them so much. I have finished 15/20 and 27/39 in my two outings vs. other 45+ riders, but that was fine. Even if I was 99/99, I'd still get my time, still know what my average speed was, and still be able to measure my performance against every other rider in a 200+ person event via my stopwatch results. That's very cool.

Part of learning to bicycle race is getting enough fitness together so that you do NOT get shelled or dropped by the peloton. I got to that point fairly quickly in my first stint at racing (1993-1999). I think I raced 150-180 times over those 7 seasons (many weeks I'd race twice) and probably only got shelled 10x during that time frame. Once you get dropped I'm not sure I get the finish 20 mins. behind the peloton concept, but if the officials don't pull you, you payed your fee, that's kind of what you're there for, so why not, as long as you're not encumbering the race in progress?

Again it doesn't matter what I think or anybody else thinks, it matters what YOU think. Keep racing, keep showing up, and two things will happen: you will figure it out, and you will get faster. One thing we can all agree on: people that quit racing don't get faster.

Racing rocks on many levels. The camraderie/personal challenge/focus for your riding/training adds so much more value to cycling, and that's why I'm doing it again @ age 50. That's why guys I ride with who are 60+ still do it. You don't have to be as fast as Dr. W. to benefit and enjoy racing. I'm living proof of that.

Und of course, better Dead than Fred mein schatz.

waterrockets 

Yeah, if you can't keep up with the main pack, you're training, not racing. If you've already hit the wall, finishing may result in over training.

If you're in a chase group that will never catch back on, might as well stick with it and help each other in, and finish your training ride.

There's not one answer.

Duke of Kent

EventServices has addressed this, and I'll take it another step or two down the road.

In a lot of big money crits, individuals on teams are assigned certain roles in some cases. A lot of times, that's a) get into the early break, b) get into the middle to late break or c) help chase. All of these scenarios are go till you blow. In a lot of cases, they just don't have much left. They've done their job, regardless of whether they stuck in the break until it was caught or they brought one back, and now their job is done.


I would almost imagine that a DS might be less than pleased if you WEREN'T blown out the back after a good effort.

patentcad

There's DNF, DFL, and the dreaded DNC, which stands for Did Not Care, and that's the worst result.

smoke

finish. 'quit' is a disease. it's a state of mind that perpetuates itself. if you have the physical ability to finish, then finish

snoboard2

i forgot to pack a spare tube/co2 one race and got a flat on a solo break 4 miles from the finish. I took off my shoes and walked 4 miles. I'm finishing the race 100% of the time.

patentcad

This is a running mindset, and is totally alien to the Road Nazi mentality. As long as you're aware of this, and you don't slide any farther to the Fred Side. It's a slippery slope, with helmet mirrors at the bottom.

waterrockets 

It's pretty tough to DNF if your car is on the other side of the finish line

biffstephens

In a crit you loose the option....so it is not the same.....

I say try until you can't....when they tell you to stop it is not quiting.....

RockyMtnMerlin

Okay - here's different point of view. I help put on a stage race (RR, Crit, TT) that has about 400 participants. I can understand the concept of not quitting if you are 20 min down in a road race. What I can't understand are those who want to keep riding when they are 40, 50, or 60 min down. Please remember that in many races there are a lot of volunteers who need to stay out there while there are still riders on the course. Please think about them when you are making your decision about what to do if you are off the back.

NomadVW 

I think the point has been made, but if you're out training and you can't finish intervals because you have nothing left, a coach would tell you pack it in for the day and go home. It's not quitting, it's protecting your body from overreaching.

If you're in a race, and you're over your limit off the back, continuing to ride could do more harm than good, and being ready for the next training session or race. The difference is knowing whether you are over your limit and off the back, or you just suck and got shelled because the rest are stronger than you.