Things I learned from my first Cat 4 race

I did my first C4 this weekend, went in with low expectation and they were confirmed!

A very fast course around a tight park and ride with a sprint every 30 seconds and no time to recover. A decent bunch got away and then the rest of us were strung out in a line until we formed up into small, pointless, groups of 3, 4, 5 riders.

As it was a short course the commissiares were taking us out of the race once we were 3/4 of a lap down to avoid getting mixed up in the guys racing for places.

I've already learnt quite a bit but wish I'd read abudhabichris' post earlier as I was too tentative and picked poor wheels to follow.

It was, however, great fun and I will race again, but maybe not such a tight course.

Well done Dave, it's never fun being dropped, but good effort for sticking it out till the end.

Good on you Dave, from Audax to Crits is bit of a journey - most of us do it the other way around I don't think that anyone who has ever ridden a race has any idea how effing hard they are, and how specific in terms of demands on recovery and speed.

My last race was 25 years ago but I still remember everything you talk about, and the feeling. Wonderful/awful all at once.... one day soon enough you'll have a magic day and it will all seem worthwhile. In the meantime, back to the intervals for you!

Really want to get into racing next year, sounds fun! Thanks for this, nice reading an inside scoop and good effort!

Good piece, and nice to see people giving it a go. In the last few years I've gone through the Cat 4 thing to doing regular races against guys half my age, and even being thrown into a UCI 2.2 race so I share the pain, but it can be done.

The tough bit about Cat 4 racing is that everyone has 30 seconds of power, maybe twice.

So in most fields there are enough riders to chase down breaks - and they will - but not enough to make them stick. It's hard - you get in a break, only to find your companions shot their bolt just going off the front.

Dave mentioned position and it is impossible to overestimate how important this is. If I could pick one area where I think most people fail it's this.

First, it's not just about your position. It's about the person in front of you, and the riders next to you. You have to be watching them all. Does the guy in front look like he's going to lose the wheel? If so, can I get around him? If you hesitate because you need to mirror-signal-manouevre then you're finished.

Second, if you don't have the fitness and the power then you will find it hard to gain and keep position. That's how people lose wheels. Then you get more tired. It's a vicious circle. It's not about weight per se, but it is about strength and if you're overweight then you're probably not training to the level which will enable you to win those battles.

Third, treat every gap like it was yours. Lose the etiquette of the group ride. There's no "After you. No, after you." It's "Fuck you, and fuck you too." (Within the boundaries of safety of course). If you don't take the gap, someone else will and if you aren't moving up you're sliding back, like an orange pip being squeezed.

This is one of the reasons to respect people who win stage races, and until you've raced you can't really appreciate it fully. Any fool with good legs can cross the line first but to be switched on for every moment of every day over a week, or three weeks, is an incredible mental effort. Cadel Evans has it for example, as does Contador. Wiggins managed it once and couldn't bring himself to do it again. I'm not convinced Sky have it as a team and I don't think Sagan would ever be able to do it mentally, even if he transformed physically. Racing is as much in the head as in the legs.

Stick at it Dave. Cynical tip - after the end of the season it's easier to do a bit of pot-hunting and target races or series with smaller fields where you have more chance of picking up points to escape into Cat 3, never to return.

Sounds like my first race. Depends on the course but I can now stay in the bunch on some courses but still not at others.

Its addictive for sure!

This year was my first year racing at the grand old age of 41. I've raced mainly at Hog Hill and once at the new Olympic circuit in a mix of 4, 3/4 and LVRC (i.e. vet races) events. I usually finish mid bunch to top third and got a 6th place in the 4s only race I did. My advise would be don't worry too much about your weight - even at Hog Hill PWR isn't a huge factor. More important is your ability to resist and recover from the fatigue of hard efforts. Focusing on sprint-rest-sprint intervals will reap more rewards for the remainder of this season. Also, as you said positioning and momentum is everything in a crit. Being strong just means you don't have be so tactical in managing it. I found the first race is the hardest but soon you get used to the pace and will get quite comfortable keeping up with bunch.

Exactly what I discovered in my first on Tuesday night, given me some motivation to train properly though.
I was dead last, apart from a mate (first race as well) who got dropped out the back by lap 2 and threw the towel in come lap 10.
My aim for the first one of next season (or any late seasons I get on depending what comes up) is a finish in the bunch first.

One thing to note, the position in the photo is often considered dangerous by some leagues (notably Surrey League) and can lead to disqualification.

All of these topics are exactly what I go through as a fledgling Cat5 racer whenever I do a mixed 4/5 Crit. Heartrate, keeping out of the wind, all of it. Just means I need to train harder and push myself in training.