Stage Races: What was your first race?

Are you talking about cycling stage races?

I've done a few. Tour of Willamette, Twin Rivers Cycling Classic, Enumclaw Stage Race... Northwest area races done over long weekends, not 3-week tours like the Grand Tours of Europe (I was never a pro).

It's not that any of the races are particularly suited to beginners -- they're gonna tax your recovery ability regardless. But when you race these things, you do so within your USAC category, so you're in there with racers of like ability/experience.

I haven't done a "stage" race, meaning a race consisting of more than one race, but have done more than a few time trials and road races.

Time trials are simple and are very much like the bike leg of a triathlon...except you go harder.  Overall strategy on pacing evenly is the same though.

Road races are completely different to triathlon riding.  It involves much more strategy and decision making.  It's not so much about pacing as it is trying to break the will of your competitors.  Nobody cares about your overall time...it's all about winning, or at least finishing in the lead pack. 

I still remember my first road race where we were climbing the first major hill and I told myself to back off because the pack was going too hard and weren't pacing properly for the distance of the event.  LOL...dumbest move ever.  Luckily I had a sidewall blowout right after I got dropped so I could drop out right there instead of riding the next 50 miles by myself.