First Crit & Power

Racing
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@Power13 Thank you! I love the 90+% number because it does help put things in perspective after feeling like I got stomped.

@RobertSims Same! The plan is to race again on Saturday.

@Jhardisk Were you at RATL? I might have seen that race if you’re talking about the one after mine…second of the day. Three guys got out in front and their team showed the chase pack down. Super fun to watch. Good luck this Sat if you’ll be there!

@Alaric83 Man, it’s going to be a hard habit to brake. Get it, to brake? Anyway, the next day I did a 51 mile recovery ride and spent most of the time in the drops. That is probably more than I do in a season. My neck thing was bugging me by the end but its a start. It’s going to take me a while to get used to sitting in the drops.

@Dr_Alex_Harrison Thank you for the advice! I especially like the idea of sitting in the pack vs holding a wheel. Even after one race I can tell that’s the ticket. The first lap I was right in it and the pace did not feel difficult. However, I was anxious but that’s because I’m not used to riding in a pack, especially at those speeds. There is a trust issue. It rests not just with trusting the other riders but myself. That’s why everyone is right about getting out there more often. On the day I heard a couple stories of guys who had my exp but raced a LOT and were in the top 10 or so.

@mwglow15 When you’re not in the drops are you usually in the pack?

@KorbenDallas All great points. In many cases you’re probably talking about someone who is a bit farther along than I am but one thing that absolutely applies to me is the geek out factor. Don’t tell anyone, but I didn’t clean the bike before the first crit but I plan on it this time.

@STP Yeah, I have to say that my original topic about power is out the window. After a single race I can’t imagine giving a hoot about it next time. The laps thing is a great idea! They did have an electronic lap counter up so that helped. Actually, at first it annoyed me. After falling off the pack the next couple laps hurt and seeing 8 and 7 to go made me want to hop of and eat candy.

@PusherMan Excellent advice. You can never be nice enough. A friend came to watch. I also bumped into a woman who runs a team that I used to ride with. They cheered me on and processed the race with me afterword. There were some other guys that I ride with there; some I battle over KOMs with, but I kept a low profile because I felt like a fish out of water. Also had to leave early. I hope to stick around and talk more next time.

Everyone, thanks again for supporting an old guy who’s trying to get in on the action. It’s much appreciated.

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:facepunch:

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@FattyLumpkin I raced the 4/5 with you, most likely. It was really twitchy to start - a lot of nervous braking and strange lines being taken.

I’m not going to do the 2+ hour drive up this weekend, as 4:30am is way too early for a Saturday morning crit I don’t particularly enjoy. Sticking to Sunday crit in Cincy this weekend. Which would totally be worth a trip for you, as it’s a much different course, and I daresay, a much smoother race.

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That’s a lot of time in the drops. Doing some sweet spot or O/U workout’s in the drops would be a bit more specific in terms of duration and (sometimes) power. Though if you get comfortable enough in them to just spend all your time there, that’s fine, too.

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@Jhardisk Nervous braking. Yup, that was me :blush: Yikes, I don’t blame you. Too early! What crit are you doing? I was going to do the RATL again this weekend but might check out other options after that. Unfortunately, I got boosted earlier this week and am still feeling under the weather. We’ll see how I’m feeling tomorrow…

@Alaric83 Good ideas. Probably a better way to go than just hanging out down there like I did :laughing:

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@FattyLumpkin Come down and check out Kings Crit in Mason. The course is a “hot dog” with two straights, and two u-turns. Drastically different than RATL. And 4/5 starts at 9 instead of 8! It’s a 16-lap, very fast and flowy sprint race, with a sprint every 4 laps.

Kings Crit Online Registration (bikereg.com)

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Kings requires way more braking than RATL due to those 180s. If you’re not in the top few spots you’ll be crawling and have to snap hard to catch back onto the group.

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@FattyLumpkin Come down and check out Kings Crit in Mason. The course is a “hot dog” with two straights, and two u-turns. Drastically different than RATL. And 4/5 starts at 9 instead of 8! It’s a 16-lap, very fast and flowy sprint race, with a sprint every 4 laps.

Kings Crit Online Registration (bikereg.com)

Thanks! I probably can’t make it on the 6th but will look for other King crits or make the trip next year. I’ve gotta skip RATL tomorrow. Got the booster early this week and still feeling fatigued. Not worth it for me to try that type of effort if I’m not ready. Will do the 4th/final one in the series.

@JT_34 Would be a good experience for me but good to know. What I need to do is find a nice, smooth race with wide turns!

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Newmark at the end of May is about as wide open as possible. No need to touch brakes on that course unless someone in front is grabbing them or crashing.

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