I want to get into road racing and have the opportunity to compete

OP here, also going to add that the race distance is pretty short by my standards. I haven't done a ride that long on my Madone yet, but I've done much longer rides on my steel bikes (longest being over 300km). So the distance doesn't scare me, I just want to know if I'm fast enough.

>>961510
Are you fast enough? Yes. But do you know how not to crash?

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>>961509
>cat5
are you sure it's not an ADA conference?

>>961510
>So the distance doesn't scare me
It will scare you as soon as you start getting dropped

>>961509

Fuck, just go for it dude. What do you really have to loose? I'd do it just for shits and giggles myself.

You're thinking about it way too much. How you ride alone doesn't translate to how well you race with others.

There's only one way to find out! Good luck!

If you're afraid of going too slow or of losing, you shouldn't ever race to begin with.

If you can do this without being a road hazard, why not?

At the very least, you'll get to see how a bunch of people who are way faster than you ride.

its cat5.. all beginners. Most of the riders there dont know what they are doing as is. right? I'm not OP but I am also getting interested in racing lately. I used to race bmx when I was younger but back then we intentionally tried to wreck each other. I am actually a little scared to be in the pack with nowhere to go just trusting the other riders not to crash or lead me into a hazard.

>>961509
>I have never competed in a bike race, I have never even done a group ride.
Then stay home, or go just to watch. You need group riding skills, and you need a basic level of fitness in order to race effectively and SAFELY. You apparently have neither. Do some group rides for a few months until people feel you're safe and competent riding in a fast group. Then you may consider a race.

>>961597
>Most of the riders there dont know what they are doing as is. right?
Wrong. Anyone who is seriously considering racing this year has been doing some sort of actual training, hopefully structured, since September last year. You generally speaking don't just decide to jump into a road race without having at least been riding in groups. If you're not familiar with riding in tightly packed groups at high speeds, then you're not going to be safe and you'll probably cause a crash. If you haven't been training for months already, then you're going to get spit out the back of the peloton as soon as the first surge happens, and you won't be able to catch back on again.
>am actually a little scared to be in the pack with nowhere to go just trusting the other riders not to crash or lead me into a hazard.
Then you especially should not just try jumping into a road race, YOU will be the one causing the crash. Find local group rides, learn pack riding skills, get over your fears, and if you can't then you have no business racing.

you'll be good you probably won't even be the worst one there

>>961511
Yes.
>>961512
Are you implying that cat5 races are really easy/slow?
>>961597
>but back then we intentionally tried to wreck each other.
lol
>>961616
I don't have group riding skills but I have a lot of cycling experience and pretty good bike handling skills, and it's going to be a pretty small race (I think there were 15 people last year).
I do have at least a basic level of fitness. I do a lot of cycling and other physical activities.
>>961617
It seems to me that many/most group rides are more social events. What is the best way to find group rides where I can get experience riding the way I would in a race? In the fast paced group rides, do people ride in pacelines and such?
>>961572
>>961582
>>961628
I'll probably go for it. Thanks, anons!

>>961631
>cat 5 easy/slow
yes. it's the beginner category. Upgrades to cat 4 don't even require results, just 10 pack finishes.
>fast group rides
Yes. People will paceline, echelon, attack and surge. And they will hurt you deep deep down.

We can only say so much, OP. Go for it and don't kill anyone please.

>>961647
>Upgrades to cat 4 don't even require results, just 10 pack finishes.
Does that mean that even cat 4 races are pretty slow/casual?
>Yes. People will paceline, echelon, attack and surge. And they will hurt you deep deep down.
So this is true for most fast group rides? Sorry if it's a stupid question, but what is 'echelon'?
>We can only say so much, OP. Go for it and don't kill anyone please.
Thanks!

>>961597

>used to race bmx when I was younger but back then we intentionally tried to wreck each other

Not going to lie, I would totally participate in a race like that.

>>961509
I have to agree with the comments about needing pack riding skills. I'll bet many local racers have a regular Saturday morning training ride - a good place to learn and practice race skills.

You sound like you could be a strong rider and you have a very nice bike. Why don't you go out there, buy your racing license, get your number, try not to be a menace, and don't finish last.

I think every large racing club has some sort of skills development program. Ask about this after the race.

>>961662
>even cat 4 races are pretty slow/casual?

Dude, do you even know what a race is. Look up the definition of the word.

You should go for a casual group ride at least once before jumping into a race. Don't be that guy that lacks spatial awareness and makes everyone else crash because he thinks he's better than everyone

>>961662
>cat 4 races slow
Goodness no. No one knows how to work together so it's every man for himself and can be hectic.
>echelon
Essentially pacelining but the the line moves very fast (only short hard pulls at the front). Think of it as a rotating circle, people get to the front, pull through briefly, then pull off and it cycles through the whole group constantly.

>>962281
This. CAT 4/5 can be faster than CAT 3, because CAT 4/5s will often attack or pick up the pace for absolutely no reason from the very start

>>962292
Fuck. I'm good at group riding and, generally a strong pack rider; but I don't want to deal with that shit.

I'm another anon who's thinking about racing.

I think I'm over thinking it and just need to go for it by now, lord knows I've seemed to have thought about it more than everybody else doing it...

>>961509

If you have to ask, no. Faggot. Get at least couple dozed group rides under your belt.

I didn't do the race, I hadn't even considered it until the day before, wasn't sure if I was ready, was on a late schedule, was really tired day of race, etc. But it was only 20km from my house so I went there to see it. It was on rural roads, they weren't closed, there were non-racing cyclists and cars on the roads too. So I did one lap (racers were doing 2-3 depending on division). There was a peleton about 1km ahead of me and I was riding solo (not interfering with the race in any way) and was able to keep pace with them even though I had no one to draft and I wasn't even going that hard. Then on a stretch into a brutal headwind (lasted like 10km) I fucking dropped 4 of the racers, by the end of the ~10km headwind stretch they had to be a few km back, I couldn't even see them. And I was going fairly hard but not really struggling. And I didn't get passed by any racers on that stretch. Rode home into a hard headwind afterward. After seeing the race, riding a lap, seeing the racers' pace, etc, I know I could have kept up with the cat5 racers just fine, probably would have felt slow and really easy to me til the sprint at the end. But I didn't know that, I had no idea what to expect. Now I know what level cat5 racers are, I know I'm ready so I'll be doing my first race on July 16th I think.
I also did my first group ride today. The other riders thought I'd get dropped (they said they'd wait for me at turnaround point), and thought I would have a really hard time on the way back (way back was a headwind) but I had no trouble at all keeping with them (but some others got dropped) and they were really impressed. And I'm going to be riding with them once a week so I'll get group riding skills there.

Now I know more and I know I'm ready for a race so I'll be training for the July 16 race (if possible I'd like to race sooner but can't find any road races sooner than that).

Thanks everyone who gave advice.

>>962886
It really depends on the CAT5s but it sounds like you'll end up being fine with the way CAT5s ride there.