# Training for a 28mile race.



## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

I am going to sign up and do a 28mile race on April 2nd, so i have about 5 months to get ready for it.

I am currently working on a base training program from training peaks, should I push this out until im a little closer to the race and just ride normal for the next few months?

Any input would be great.


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## pedalbiker (Nov 23, 2014)

Find a group and join in. If you're hanging okay in that group after a few weeks or couple of months, try to find a faster one. Group rides, _especially_ with better riders, are probably the single most important thing you can do to prepare for a race. 

Every ride you do is going to be building up a "base". None of that will likely help you do much in a race at this point (takes a bit longer than 5 months to build proper race fitness). Learning how to ride effectively and efficiently in a group, however, will pay much, much bigger dividends, and allow you to possibly survive efforts that would otherwise leave you reeling on the side of the road.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

pedalbiker said:


> Find a group and join in. If you're hanging okay in that group after a few weeks or couple of months, try to find a faster one. Group rides, _especially_ with better riders, are probably the single most important thing you can do to prepare for a race.
> 
> Every ride you do is going to be building up a "base". None of that will likely help you do much in a race at this point (takes a bit longer than 5 months to build proper race fitness). Learning how to ride effectively and efficiently in a group, however, will pay much, much bigger dividends, and allow you to possibly survive efforts that would otherwise leave you reeling on the side of the road.


Yeah, i didnt plan on the 5 months of "training" putting me at the front. Haha. But more just trying to make the best of the situation and build on it for next time. Thanks for the advice!


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## pedalbiker (Nov 23, 2014)

NickGroves said:


> Yeah, i didnt plan on the 5 months of "training" putting me at the front. Haha. But more just trying to make the best of the situation and build on it for next time. Thanks for the advice!


I wouldn't limit yourself. If you want to get in there and help "make the race" and see where the chips fall at the end, definitely set that as a goal. One of the hard parts of racing is just the inexperience of really digging in and holding on and _knowing _that everyone else is also hurting and it will ease up at some point. It's usually the surges that catch people most off guard, especially at the start of a race. It's just going to go so hard and people will wonder how on earth they can hold on for the full distance... but it will ease up. It's just a matter of hiding in the pack/draft as much as possible until it eases up and then recovering. 

Being efficient in the pack, moving up out of the wind, taking corners, etc., are so much more important than fitness on its own. I've seen elite triathletes awesome mountain bikers get blown out the back of cat 3/4 fields just because they couldn't handle that pack dynamic and were wasting efforts at all the wrong times. If it were simply a time trial, they'd probably blow the doors off most the field. 

Every ride and every race are learning situations. They're not all going to well, and in fact may go terribly initially and at random times in the future, but hopefully there's something to be gained from it all. It's just a matter of accepting it and searching it out. Everyone gets dropped and everyone has bad days. It's getting back out there the next day and applying whatever lessons you've learned that separate the successful from the unsuccessful. 

And it's about having fun. Because racing can be totally intoxicating. It can be agonizingly cruel, too, but those cruel episodes make the good stuff that much more euphoric.


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## ParadigmDawg (Aug 2, 2012)

I am kind of curious about a 28 mile race and 5 months not being enough to prepare.

I am not a racer and have no interest in it and I have always been a mountain biker, who rides road with his wife, as she kind of hung up her MTB the last 2 years and just wants to ride road.. 

We do a lot of large charity rides and we can hang pretty good in those for what they are. If I am training for a specific event, I would think 5 months would be plenty of time.

All that being said, I have never done a structured road training program until now and we are just doing a 20 week winter base and strength program from TP. I would think that neither my wife or I would have trouble preparing for a 28 mile race, outside of race "techniques", in a 5 month period. You could pretty much go all out on a ride of this distance and getting in the ride group would be of most benefit. 

Is the OP a new rider?

I am sorry if this sounds disrespectful, that is not my intent, I am just curious.

We both have always been competitive athletes and have ridden bikes forever but mainly MTBs so maybe that could make a difference in how I am looking at this. I was also a CAT 2 on MTB in my younger years but now I am old and likely drink way to many IPAs


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## pedalbiker (Nov 23, 2014)

ParadigmDawg said:


> I am kind of curious about a 28 mile race and 5 months not being enough to prepare.
> 
> I am not a racer and have no interest in it and I have always been a mountain biker, who rides road with his wife, as she kind of hung up her MTB the last 2 years and just wants to ride road..
> 
> *We do a lot of large charity rides and we can hang pretty good in those for what they are.* If I am training for a specific event, I would think 5 months would be plenty of time.


Right. But charity rides are not races and road races are 100% different than mtn. bike 

Maybe the op will be riding off the front with 5 months of specific training. There are always outliers. But that would be an outlier, for sure. Many people ride months and even years and still get destroyed in their first few races simply because a race is unlike any other ride that you do. When it's hard, it's really hard and people don't sit up and wait for you at the tops of hills. 

In regards to fitness, it can get pretty specific unless you're just head and shoulders above everyone else. Maybe you're strong enough to survive the surges and be in there at the end (no small feat), but to get a result, you then have to go harder (and probably longer) in the last couple of minutes than you have all race. And you have to do that while holding a position and negotiating turns and other riders. It can be a potent combination when you're actually going for a result. 

And to reiterate, it's not always because they don't have the fitness to hang, it's about not knowing how to effectively and efficiently use the fitness they do have. It's a big learning curve. You go 30 seconds too early at the end of the race and that can be the difference between a top 3 and a top 30. And that's just something you have to experience and learn. We all do it. Makes for fun stories in the parking lot.


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

ParadigmDawg said:


> I am kind of curious about a 28 mile race and 5 months not being enough to prepare.
> 
> I am not a racer and have no interest in it and I have always been a mountain biker, who rides road with his wife, as she kind of hung up her MTB the last 2 years and just wants to ride road..
> 
> ...


Nope. Not if that event is a road race. The only real way to be ready is to do some road racing. It is such a different beast than any other type of riding. Group rides will certainly help, but since they tend to lack the "dog eat dog" element, you still won't be fully prepared.

That's not to say that the OP can't be ready for a 28 mile fast ride in five months. But if he is like most in their first few races, it'll be a huge slap in the face and he'll be riding much of that 28 miles alone and many minutes behind the winner. 

To be fully prepared, you need to have excellent pack skills, be very assertive, have above average fitness and the ability to withstand severe pain for much longer than you would prefer. Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to find these conditions anywhere but in a race.


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

NickGroves said:


> I am going to sign up and do a 28mile race on April 2nd, so i have about 5 months to get ready for it.
> 
> I am currently working on a base training program from training peaks, should I push this out until im a little closer to the race and just ride normal for the next few months?
> 
> Any input would be great.


I will second the advice of pedalbiker. Pack riding skills and surges are probably what get most in their first few races. What is your riding history? How many years, how many hours per week currently? Any previous racing?


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

It really depends where you are now. For example, I know for me and a lot of guys on this forum who ride hard all summer the best thing to do right now for a race in April would probably be to stop cycling for a few weeks if not longer to re-charge. From the tone of your comments I'm guessing that's not the case with you but we don't know.
If you're completely starting from scratch I'd suggest targeting another race later in the year unless you're just a natural. There's no shame in getting smoked but you want to start the right way too and cramming a years worth of training into a few months will backfire in the long term.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

Well, ive only been cycling for about 3 months (road bike for about 1 month) i am working towards loosing some weight (currenty 220ish depending on the day). While im still new to the whole thing, i feel like im capable of pushing myself and holding a higher heart rate for long periods of time. Here are a couple of my pack rides. Not a ton of climbing, but i am trying to add more into my roding. (Pretty flat in my area.)


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

28 miles is a long way to ride on your own..... Why 28 miles? Why not a shorter race?
If this is a real race... Reality check... your going to get smoked. They are going to warm up @ 20mph.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

duriel said:


> 28 miles is a long way to ride on your own..... Why 28 miles? Why not a shorter race?
> If this is a real race... Reality check... your going to get smoked. They are going to warm up @ 20mph.


I guess there always has to be that one negative Nancy.. i must have missed in my post where i said i was expecting to be up front banging it out for the win. Im a realistic person and understand what will probably happen. Will i give it hell? Hell yeah! Fastest guy finished the 28 miles in 1:15 (overall and not sure about classes).

The race is ether 28 miles, or 70 miles... so i guess the 28 miles will do.


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

duriel said:


> 28 miles is a long way to ride on your own..... Why 28 miles? Why not a shorter race?
> If this is a real race... Reality check... *your going to get smoked.* They are going to warm up @ 20mph.


I don't know about that. I won my first ever race and if I remember correctly I'd never done 33 miles at 21.2 prior to the race like this guy. Granted it's pretty hilly where I ride so it's hard to compare but.....


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

Ok. You may be able to hang with them. Is this the state champ race? Who is in the race? Tell us about the course, where are the hills, what is the elev change. 

I would do a high speed tempo with a lot of sprints one day a week, maybe 20 miles or so. Then the rest just do Z2 for some really long rides, as much as you can.


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

NickGroves said:


> Well, ive only been cycling for about 3 months (road bike for about 1 month) i am working towards loosing some weight (currenty 220ish depending on the day). While im still new to the whole thing, i feel like im capable of pushing myself and holding a higher heart rate for long periods of time. Here are a couple of my pack rides. Not a ton of climbing, but i am trying to add more into my roding. (Pretty flat in my area.)
> 
> View attachment 310006
> 
> ...


Since you have only been riding for a short period, there are other things to consider. The number of hours required to be a successful racer are pretty high, and racer types tend to be highly motivated. This is a recipe for overtraining and burnout. If you "target" this race (and presumably others next spring) and start a structured workout schedule, you may find that your body is not prepared for the workload. But, being a new and highly motivated rider, it is actually very easy to ignore your body and push through until you reach an overtrained state (been there myself). And the overtrained state is closer than most think for newer riders.

I'm not suggesting that you don't race (in fact I think you should, it's tons of fun), but maybe don't start w too much structure at this point. I'm a firm believer that new riders should just ride and ignore their HR monitors and power meters for 6-12 months. New riders make huge improvements in the first year just by riding around consistently and the chances of burnout with this approach are much less.

The other thing to consider are you pack riding skills. At only six months of riding, which is where you will be at race time, some are ok in a pack, but many are not. Talk to the more experienced riders on your group rides (especially those who race a lot) for tips and feedback. They'll let you know where you stand at this point. You won't be very popular at the race if your skills aren't up to snuff or you cause a crash.

Having said all that, go out and race, be open to learning and have fun. The chips will fall where they fall.

Cheers
Joe


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

NickGroves said:


> I guess there always has to be that one negative Nancy.. i must have missed in my post where i said i was expecting to be up front banging it out for the win. Im a realistic person and understand what will probably happen. Will i give it hell? Hell yeah! Fastest guy finished the 28 miles in 1:15 (overall and not sure about classes).
> 
> The race is ether 28 miles, or 70 miles... so i guess the 28 miles will do.


That doesn't sound like a "*race*", more like a "*ride*". Is this the event? El Tour de Mesa. The fastest 28 mile finisher averaged 22.5 mph (which is kind of slow for an actual race). But the last few riders did 9 mph. You'll be able to find some riders that are riding at your pace, either fast or slow. It should be fun. Then, next year, try the longer distance event rides.

You'll probably find that the 28 miles goes by faster than you expect. It's partly due to the motivation to keep up with the others, and partly the conversation with the others.

*Group Rides*
I really like group rides for my weekly riding. A group that's just a little too fast for me is great motivation. On the other hand, I don't like to be "that guy" that the group needs to wait for. Start with an easy paced group, and see how you do there. Then move up to faster groups later. 

I want to be able to keep up, so it's good motivation to ride regularly every week. On my own, I tend to put off a ride until later or skip them.

You can get comfortable riding with other riders, which will help on these big event rides. 

*Racing*
Races attract strong riders that do serious training. From a "new to racing" thread on another forum:

1. Find some group rides, fast group rides. Sit in the back.
2. Don't get discouraged if/when you get dropped from those group rides.
3. Go back the following week and do the fast group ride again.
4. If you're dropped a 2nd time, repeat steps 2 & 3
5. Once you're comfortable with the group and pace (and vice versa), take some pulls.
6. Once you're comfortable taking pulls, try some attacks (if it's that kind of group ride).
7. Once you're comfortable with steps 5 & 6, it's time to enter a race.
8. At your first race, repeat steps 1-6, but substitute 'race' for 'group ride'.​


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## ParadigmDawg (Aug 2, 2012)

Yep, I didn't realize we were talking about 5 months for an inexperienced racer/rider.

I agree, do the race but use it as a motivator to train hard and reach your own goals. Don't burn yourself out with overtraining. This is supposed to be fun(I keep telling myself that a lot lately...lol)


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

The tour de Mesa is a ride, not a race. A race is much faster and far more intense.

Since you're a beginner you don't need to do structured training. Anything you do on the bike will result in an improvement. Save the structured training for later when just riding around isn't enough. Doing it as a beginner is a good way to make yourself hate cycling.

Go out and have fun on the bike. All you need for the ride is to be comfortable riding the distance. Being comfortable riding among other cyclists and in pace lines would be a bonus.


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## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

Ride lots.
Ride all sorts of terrain at all sorts of intensities. Do long rides. Do short rides. Do intervals. Ride easy. Lose weight. Eat well. 

Don't base your riding around this one event, because the chances of being discouraged are too great. A fast group, a flat tire, a bad day... it doesn't take much for everything to go south and for you to lose motivation for the future. Rather, use the event as a waypoint towards a bigger goal. Longer rides. Racing. A century. Healthier living. Whatever.

Enjoy riding the bike. Enjoy the hard efforts that make you want to puke, but take time to notice stuff when you're out there too.


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## ParadigmDawg (Aug 2, 2012)

ericm979 said:


> The tour de Mesa is a ride, not a race. A race is much faster and far more intense.
> .


Well then, the hardest part will be avoiding all the people who don't have a clue how to ride in a group.

Honestly large group rides are a blast as you usually have great traffic control and great rest stops. You can try to hammer with the Paceline which is similar to racing if the group is large enough. We will have 40-50 people start on the paceline and it gets pretty nasty. I would say our average event has ~3,000 riders in total and our Hotter n Hell has 15,000.

Or you can just do your own ride but maybe find a group just a little faster than you, ask if you can ride with them and you will likely meet new friends plus set a personal record for 28 miles.


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## doctormike (Oct 13, 2015)

I haven't seen the OP post what type of race he is planning on doing. He could be doing a CAT 5 USAC road race that is 25 mile but not a 73 mile option. That makes me think that it is more of a timed grand fondo type ride.

If it is a grand fondo type ride, then my advice would be to do a lot of group rides. Find people and expect to get dropped in the beginning. It will help you to learn how a group moves together and feel how a group can surge. Plan on hanging on as long as you can and always trying to catch up. Find a group with an out and back type route so that if you get dropped you can turn around earlier and then get back into the pack and push yourself again.

*If it is a USAC CAT 5 race then: *When I started racing I could average 22mph on a solo ride and got dropped from my first three races. The best thing that I did was started going to practice races during the week. You can push yourself hard, get dropped, catch back on, and talk to people. 

A few tips for a first race (once again if it is an actual race not a grand fondo): 1. Do not take a saddle bag. 2. Do not carry a frame pump, they can be dangerous to other rides it they come off during a race. 3. Don't expect people to share the workload of the group. If you go to the front, don't expect someone to come around and let you recover in the group. Expect someone to attack you if you sit in the wind to long. 4. Have lots of fun. You will have a big surge of adrenaline at the start but try to remain calm and sit in the group to get a feel for things. 6. Remember to drink while you are riding. The first few races when you are all excited and nervous you can forget to drink regularly. Find a place where it is safe to drink on the course (nice flat spot or long consistent grade) and take *at least* one drink every 10-15 minutes. Do not plan on drinking immediately after a turn or on a long hill because the pack will likely surge in those places and you will either get dropped holding your water bottle or have to ditch the water to sprint up and pay for not having water later.

Good luck at your event and remember to have fun.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

ericm979 said:


> The tour de Mesa is a ride, not a race. A race is much faster and far more intense.
> 
> Since you're a beginner you don't need to do structured training. Anything you do on the bike will result in an improvement. Save the structured training for later when just riding around isn't enough. Doing it as a beginner is a good way to make yourself hate cycling.
> 
> Go out and have fun on the bike. All you need for the ride is to be comfortable riding the distance. Being comfortable riding among other cyclists and in pace lines would be a bonus.


I was under the impression it was more of a race, like tour de scottsdale, but being my first time looking at it, i could have read it wrong. Do you live in the valley?


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

Thank you guys for your input. I will just ride and enjoy the bike and pick up on as many weekend group rides as i can!


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

NickGroves said:


> I was under the impression it was more of a race, like tour de scottsdale, but being my first time looking at it, i could have read it wrong. Do you live in the valley?


The Tour de Scottsdale is not a race, it is a ride.
The Tour of Colorado & Tour of CA is a race. BIG difference.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

duriel said:


> The Tour de Scottsdale is not a race, it is a ride.
> The Tour of Colorado & Tour of CA is a race. BIG difference.


Huh, then why the timing system if its not a race?


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

NickGroves said:


> Huh, then why the timing system if its not a race?


Bragging rights!
If your not in the lead group, you are out of the 'race'. From your OP it looks like you will not be in the lead group. Therefore who are you racing, some other back marker?

I keep track of all my rides and that includes the time.... does that mean they are races? No, but a method of comparing one's effort to... past efforts, others you know efforts, others in your age group, etc. But I wouldn't call them a race.

That being said I will be racing in the 'tour de tuscon', come on down for the 104 miles & we'll see. But I will never call it a 'race' for me, that is way out of my league.


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## doctormike (Oct 13, 2015)

Timing segments became really popular with the rise of strava. You get time segments in running events too. You can see how you do against friends or other people who do a similar type of riding.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

duriel said:


> Bragging rights!
> If your not in the lead group, you are out of the 'race'. From your OP it looks like you will not be in the lead group. Therefore who are you racing, some other back marker?
> 
> I keep track of all my rides and that includes the time.... does that mean they are races? No, but a method of comparing one's effort to... past efforts, others you know efforts, others in your age group, etc. But I wouldn't call them a race.
> ...


So because i dont finish in the lead group its not a race? Huh.... guess i better just stay home then.... i see your mentality... i guess you better stay home too then....

To me, going for 1st or 30th, its a race to beat the person in front of you or behind you.

And i to keep track of my rides and times.. its called progression....

And what exactly are you going to show me in tucson? That you're faster than me? Id sure hope so if ive only been riding for a short time. 

Take your negativity elsewhere.


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

I believe you are the one that is negative, and turning the tour of scottsdale into a 'race' for a casual rider is crazy.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

duriel said:


> I believe you are the one that is negative, and turning the tour of scottsdale into a 'race' for a casual rider is crazy.


Lol, how am i being negative? Im over here trying to push myself and do better, and all you can say is its not a race because i wont be finishing in the lead pack among other things. Like you're trying to discurage me from doing it before i even try it! Hahahaha. Yeah nice try...


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## doctormike (Oct 13, 2015)

NickGroves said:


> Lol, how am i being negative? Im over here trying to push myself and do better, and all you can say is its not a race because i wont be finishing in the lead pack among other things. Like you're trying to discurage me from doing it before i even try it! Hahahaha. Yeah nice try...


I don't think that anyone here is trying to discourage you from doing your race. I think that people are trying to help you understand the difference between a timed event and a race. 

A race requires a license and is a mass start event (except for time trials). I a race, riders are broken down into categories based on experience and age (Elite is 16 and over, Master's start at 30 and are also divided by category, junior is under 18). For men, categories on the road start at 5 and you move down with experience. For example you could race a CAT (category) 5 (beginner) race and maybe a 35+ 4/5 which requires you to be a category 4 or 5 and be at least 35 or older. 

Timed events can have a mass start but are generally will start when you cross the start line. They are broken down into age groups, gender, sometime location. It is your time to complete the course or climb, or a specific segment of the route. You can then compare your time to other people and some events will even have a prize for the top few finishers in each event.

They are both fun and I think you should experiment with different ones. I think it's great that you are doing this event. It's great motivation to keep training and I think you will have fun.

If you decide to look at "racing" you will need to get a race license through USA cycling. Timed events are generally more expensive but will include a "goodie bag" when you check in. A race is typically 30-45 dollars, you only get a number when you check in and you are not always allowed to finish (if you get too far back they will ask you to stop to avoid problems with other racers that may be behind you or in a criterium to ensure the field doesn't encounter you again).

I am guessing that you are in AZ so here is the link to the local racing association. ABRA


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

doctormike said:


> I don't think that anyone here is trying to discourage you from doing your race. I think that people are trying to help you understand the difference between a timed event and a race.
> 
> A race requires a license and is a mass start event (except for time trials). I a race, riders are broken down into categories based on experience and age (Elite is 16 and over, Master's start at 30 and are also divided by category, junior is under 18). For men, categories on the road start at 5 and you move down with experience. For example you could race a CAT (category) 5 (beginner) race and maybe a 35+ 4/5 which requires you to be a category 4 or 5 and be at least 35 or older.
> 
> ...


That simple explination cleared it up, thank you. I guess i will still plan on doing the "timed group ride" as a back marker.. haha


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## doctormike (Oct 13, 2015)

NickGroves said:


> That simple explination cleared it up, thank you. I guess i will still plan on doing the "timed group ride" as a back marker.. haha


Timed events are a lot of fun and a can be a lot safer than a race. Even though I primarily race, I have done some timed events to get cool medals, for training, and just to do a route that I would never select as a race (a lot of climbing or a distance that is long).

If you are close to Tuscon, and you are interested in checking out crit racing you should look into this IC3 Tucson Race Team: Criterium Training Series

They basically teach you how to ride in a crit and how to handle riding in a fast group with lots of cornering. Just know that in crit racing you are going to crash at some point. In road racing you will crash less but it will happen. Time events generally don't have crashes but anytime you are on a bike you could crash. 

Just so you have a reference: I do about 15 crits per year and crash on average 2 times (although I do race multiple fields at each event). I do about 3 road races a year and crash maybe once every ten races. I do about 3 timed events a year and have not crashed there. I do 3-4 time trials a year and have crashed once. I have done 3 team time trials and crashed in two of them.


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

doctormike said:


> Timed events are a lot of fun and a can be a lot safer than a race. Even though I primarily race, I have done some timed events to get cool medals, for training, and just to do a route that I would never select as a race (a lot of climbing or a distance that is long).
> 
> If you are close to Tuscon, and you are interested in checking out crit racing you should look into this IC3 Tucson Race Team: Criterium Training Series
> 
> ...


I will look into that, im a little over an hour away from tucson.


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## pedalbiker (Nov 23, 2014)

doctormike said:


> A race requires a license and is a mass start event (except for time trials). I a race, riders are broken down into categories based on experience and age (Elite is 16 and over, Master's start at 30 and are also divided by category, junior is under 18). For men, categories on the road start at 5 and you move down with experience. For example you could race a CAT (category) 5 (beginner) race and maybe a 35+ 4/5 which requires you to be a category 4 or 5 and be at least 35 or older.


Elite is Cat 1.

Juniors is 12-18. 

U23 is 19-22. 

Masters is 35+ in my state and Nationals, I believe. 

Other categories are just those categories.


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## pedalbiker (Nov 23, 2014)

doctormike said:


> Just so you have a reference: I do about 15 crits per year and crash on average 2 times (although I do race multiple fields at each event). I do about 3 road races a year and crash maybe once every ten races.


That's a ridiculous amount of crashes. Holy crap.


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## lacofdfireman (May 2, 2010)

pedalbiker said:


> That's a ridiculous amount of crashes. Holy crap.


I was thinking the same thing. I'm a USACycling Official and have worked many events. Especially Crits and I saw maybe 3 crashes this year out of maybe 50 or more races. If I crashed that much maybe I'd decide to look for something safer. Like swimming. Haha. But then again maybe it's because I'm slooooow.


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

pedalbiker said:


> That's a ridiculous amount of crashes. Holy crap.





lacofdfireman said:


> I was thinking the same thing. I'm a USACycling Official and have worked many events. Especially Crits and I saw maybe 3 crashes this year out of maybe 50 or more races. If I crashed that much maybe I'd decide to look for something safer. Like swimming. Haha. But then again maybe it's because I'm slooooow.


Agreed. If I saw the good doctor's name on a start list, I would sit that race out


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

NickGroves said:


> Lol, how am i being negative? Im over here trying to push myself and do better, and all you can say is its not a race because i wont be finishing in the lead pack among other things. Like you're trying to discurage me from doing it before i even try it! Hahahaha. Yeah nice try...


this is a stupid conversation, and its not your fault. Here's the deal, it's a "race" if there are points awarded and upgrade potential to be had. If not, its a group ride/charity ride/tour ride/gran fondo/whatever ride. A race involves categories and numbers and points and categories. do you have to buy a license or just an entry fee? if there's a license, its a race. If not, its for fun. 
If this is a race, and its 28 miles, it should be over pretty quick. My first race was 20 miles as a Cat. 5 and I barely remember it, but I do remember placing 8th. If its a race, just ride your ass off and make damn sure you have experience riding in a fast group for lengths of time. No one wants shaky, nervous riders who have never done 30mph while drafting, while riding 12" apart at 30mph. No one. Its dangerous for you, its dangerous to them (and its fairly irresponsible to put others at risk due to your lack of inexperience). If its a race, you may get shelled, and you may do just fine, that all depends on your training and your saddle time. the best thing you can do is ride, ride hard, and get into close pack riding situations with local training rides. the rest is trial and error....


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## NickGroves (Sep 21, 2015)

Thank you guys for all of your input, after reading threw everyones responses, im going to just ride, ride, and ride some more and not worry about it. Participate in the event and use the big group atmosphere as a learning experience. Im enjoying riding my bike, and quite honestly.. i want to keep it that way!


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

You got it!

I did the TdeTuscon Race..... got my dream.... platnum!


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