deadprez012

Perhaps I'm just trolling for information, but I love getting in the heads of other athletes, especially about the event that gets them going, the techniques they use to train in-season and off-season, how they cross train, etc.

So! What is your race of choice (and why, because I am very very new to road cycling and know next-to-nothing about racing), when is the next one or series of them, and please specify if you are in- or off-season and how you are training accordingly.

I'll start. I'm preparing for my first triathlon, because I've always been a multisport athlete, but as I've progressed from the structure of organized team sports to living my own life of fitness, I have developed preference for the practical skills of swimming, biking and running. My first is on September 12, and is a non-sanctioned sprint at 400m/12mi/2.5mi.

Tris are nearly year round here, so I'm technically always in-season. Still a really terrible swimmer, so learning to swim is my primary training, along with a hard, fast bike commute at high-intensity and med/high & low/med intervals for 17-20 miles 2x/month. My run training is just staying in running shape, because I'm pretty good at that.

I realize you guys are largely roadies, so obviously the swim/run doesn't apply to you, but I'm curious. Hopefully I'll pick up something that makes me a better--possibly competitive--cyclist, but this is meant to be a fun thread.

blacksquid

Try the Road Bike Racing sub-forum (AKA the 33)

agarose2000

Actually, the road-racing forum is a lousy place for a new triathlete to start learning about racing a tri. Road racing is NOTHING like triathlon bike racing, in which no drafting is permitted. Triathletes almost never need the crazy accelerations that are required even in the lowest-level of bike racing as they try to dump the weaker riders drafting off the back of the pack. Triathlon riding tends to be as steady a power output as possible, and avoid the crazy breakaway accelerations you see in pure bike road racing.

Go to beginnertriathlete.com. That site would be perfect for you, and you'll learn more there than you'll ever get here as a triguy.

From just hearing about your background where running is a relative strength, I can guarantee that you should be at least doing the following, though:

1. Get swim lessons or some coached swim training to improve your stroke
2. See #1
3. See #1
4. Bike as much as possible, especially hills.

The swim portion is a RUDE awakening for most folks coming from a pure run or bike background. There's almost no overlap. I was a decent runner (sub 7-minute mile marathons) which pretty much made me a decent cyclist right from the get-go (23+mph over an hour of racing during an Oly triathlon with very little training), but even with what I thought was a LOT of swim training and coaching over nearly 2 years, am still a back-of-the middle-of-pack swimmer.

deadprez012

Appreciate the advice, but I know plenty about prepping for tri; I have a coach from the university, lots of books, and other triathletes with whom to practice. I'm actually just interested in what events motivate some of the roadies here, and how they are training, because I don't know anything about road racing (though I'm reading up on the 33 and around the 'net) and enjoy hearing from other athletes.

This isn't about me getting ready, it's just a place for some discussion.

StephenH

Never raced. Don't plan to in the conventional sense. But I am signed up for the "Texas Time Trials" this fall. This is primarily an endurance event, with the main race being a 500-mile, 48-hour limit event. I'm signed up for the 12 hour race, though.

My plan is to plod slowly along until I'm done, drinking copious amounts of liquid and sweating profusely as I go. For training, I am riding 200k brevets, which imvolve riding along for 12 hours, drinking copious amounts of liquid and sweating profusely.

Seriously, the course is a 26-mile loop, and if it's hot, I'll probably do 5 laps, or a 200k. If it's not hot, I may get an extra lap in. I don't expect to be competitive with anyone. Unless, that is, they have a Fat Old Man category, and I'm just barely fat enough and just barely old enough (and just barely man enough, I guess) to fit in the category. Then I might have a chance.

https://www.tt24tt.com/

(Edit: Just noticed you're in Lubbock. You should come on out to Glen Rose for the Texas Time Trials, pick a distance and go for it. The course is hilly, can be warm in the day, and cool at nights. I'm also a volunteer at the event for the time I'm not riding- spent 24 hours total out on the course last year.)

deadprez012

Looks incredibly painful, but interesting. It doesn't fit in the schedule this year, but I think I'd be down next time around. Honestly, seems a bit masochistic to plant your butt in a saddle for 130 miles...by choice...with no major monetary incentive.

Not much unlike ultramarathoning or professional boxing.

Hm.

paste_me

I thought we were going to discuss ethnicity here... darn!