Track Racing, anyone else? and Vids

Yes, track racing is a blast! Unbelievably fun! I focused almost exclusively on track racing for the past 2-3 years, mostly sprinting. I backed off this year to play in other ways and to take a break from the traveling (track required a lot of traveling for me).

I really want to get into track racing or time trials maybe but i can't find any and literally everything to do with cycling races (other than watching and analyzing professional ones) is so confusing to me... like for triathlons you just sign up with your age group. i dont even know what thing to sign up in for bike races haha or how to find any around me...

I think you can find bike races for the Maryland area here:
http://www.mabra.org/

There should be plenty of TT's for you, not sure about track races. Start racing as a cat 5. If you destroy the cat 5's in the TT's, you can register (for TT's only) as whatever category you like. This was a new rule this year or last. You'll still officially be a cat 5 racer though.

I'd love to do some track racing, but the closest velodrome is something like 5+ hours away. I'm still planning on doing it, just not as often as I'd like.

I'm lucky with there being a local velodrome very close by. It's been here ever since we moved into the area in the mid 80's. Wished I'd picked up bike racing back then.

This season I have mostly been doing track focused bike workouts. It's really paid off. My average speed on all of outdoor rides I do has gone up quite a bit. I kinda miss doing endurance rides, I like 4+ hour bikes. But doing intervals for 1 to 2 hours and track racing once or twice a week results in less training time and faster bike times for me. I'm good with that trade off

I read your other post as well and it was so helpful. I'm actually very excited to buy a road bike and a usa cycling membership next year.

Kind of a random question but I'm sure that someone has some insight on it: how far of sprints should I be training for? From TDF to Cat5 races, how far from the line should i be comfortable with launching my full sprint?

how far? Depends... What I've noticed as you move up the CATs the sprints get faster and can start further back. Also team work can be a big part of a good sprint. If you have someone leading you out it can shorten your sprint distance.

There will be a few people that are just good sprinters, they might CAT up quickly and later in a season you'd not be racing with them anymore.

Simple sprint training on the road can be done by including a bunch of ~8 second sprints into your normal ride. Pick a lamp pick a tree pick what ever and sprint to it. If you can watch your time or use a trainer getting to 8 seconds can be done without picking something to sprint to.

CAT 4 and 5 seem to sprint from 200m out. CAT 3 and 1/2's start going 300 or further out.

If you don't have team mates leading you out, then you need to get scrappy and make your own way by not getting boxed in, not getting cut off in turns, following fast riders and using them to launch off, seeing the jumps about to happen and using them, boxing in faster sprinters, going with that guy who thinks he can sprint from 500m and launch off him at 250 as he flames out.

Without further training, you could do Time Trials. You could find them through the regional link listed above or maybe on bikereg.com

The other types of road racing are criteriums and road races, which are mass start races. For these, you'll want to get some preparation ahead of time. The best thing to do is to hook up with a local race club. Amateur cycling is a club sport so the whole grass roots of it are set up on a club system, where people learn and develop with the help of more experienced riders in the clubs. You may able to find some through your local bike shops. Also, USA Cycling lists clubs and contact information, so they can be a resource if you can't find anything word-of-mouth.

If you can find a club that will take you in and show you the ropes, that's the ideal entry in to the sport. If you can find race clinics, that is also helpful. However, if you have neither, at least get out on the local fast group rides and get comfortable being close to other riders at fast speeds before trying your legs out in a race situation.

I should preface this by saying I'm not a sprinter. My power is fine and my jump is good (much thanks to Kim the track racer), but my sprinter-balls are tiny. If there is bumping, swerving, or anything that looks marginally scary (e.g. a junior), I'll back off. Technical finish? I'm either in front or in back. No mixing for me.

I agree with what Magic is saying. Most sprints I've seen are surprisingly short - rarely more than 15 seconds, and usually 5-10. The next time you go to a race, count out the seconds from the last corner to the finish, the second-to-last corner, etc. Most people don't sprint until going through the final corner (hint hint...). If it's a long run-in, follow the wheels of the 'people who can't sprint' because they'll drag you in from as far as 1-2K from the finish. If you have a team, you can try to form a lead-out. It's harder than it looks - you still have the 'people who can't sprint' attacking, people swerving all over when they get tired and general fighting for wheels. If your lead-out isn't fast enough, you'll get swamped and boxed in.

Personally, I've been practicing my sprint up to 45 seconds. In a short square crit, this can be as far out as before corner two. What can be more important is your ability to sprint after going hard for several minutes. You're not usually going from power zone 2 to all-out. You're going from several minutes at zone 5 or 6 to all-out. This build-up destroys the motivation of other racers even if they have a good sprint. If after this you can attack from 30s out, a lot of people will watch you ride away. Now you're racing 5 people instead of 70.

So to answer the question, practice sprints of various times, from 5s up to 30s or even 45s. Learn which one you're best at and how far this gets you (100m? 300m?). Launch your sprint from there. Smile on the podium.

And I'm kidding about the 'junior' statement above

I raced at the Marymoor Grand Prix last weekend. I wrote a blog post of my last four race weekends at http://mightyriders.blogspot.ca/2013/07/a-busy-month-of-racing.html which includes the Marymoor Grand Prix. Anyway, there was a record setting 40 women in our field, including 2 Olympians. It was so much fun and some great racing.

The image below is the picture I am most proud of because it includes those two Olympians.

Edited by jeng 2013-07-25 2:33 PM






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marymoorgrandprix.jpg (88KB - 27 downloads)

Here is a video I took Weds before the GP, has Rushlee from NZ in it. Bunch of folks raced Weds night in Masters to get ready for the GP. I signed up for a couple of the GP events but ended up having other plans all weekend.

Video https://vimeo.com/70601257

Sweet. Thanks. Maybe I will see you there next year.

Jeng, great pic! So great that they had that big field of women at Marymore. I've never made it out to that one, I wish it weren't so far.

Yeah, great stuff everyone!

Joanne Kiesanowski was out racing with us last night. Seems to be a Kiwi Olympian connection to our local track.

http://vimeo.com/72110590

Kerinin racing from last night. This race and I have not come to terms yet. I managed 4th overall which is my best at it.

Thanks for posting the videos I've been interested in track racing since the Olympics of 1972. It looked like a blast then and still does. unfortunately
the closest velodrome to me now is either Portland 5hours or San Jose 7 hours. There was talk of building one here but it died out. I hope to get that fire going again.

Thanks! I tend to crank them out and use them to learn from. Some of the comments I put there are as much for me as they are to make the video a bit more interesting for others to watch. Last season I usually ran the camera under my saddle facing backwards so I could play back what was happening behind me. That helped a lot in learning how things set up coming into points laps. This is my third season on the track and I'm one good night away from upgrading to Cat2 where I'll need all of the help I can get Know what I'll be doing all winter.... squats, dead lifts, lunges, box jumps... all looking for a couple more MPH in the sprints to hang with the Cat1/2 racers next season.