Road Bike Racing Tips

If you have been pushing the pace on your road bike, the next logical step is to try your hand at entering a road bike race. Entering your first road race is incredibly exciting, but excitement can quickly become anxiety as the race approaches. In this post, we look at some of the things you can do to prepare for your first road bike race before the event and include some useful race day tips to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Before The Race

It’s a great idea to do some simple reconnaissance on the race course if you are local - this is easily done as the route is usually accessible to the public. If you are unable to head to the course, have a look on Google Maps at street view, and look on some online forums for information from people who have raced it previously.

It’s also a very good idea to get used to riding in a pack on the roads before a race. Riding with others gets you familiar with riding near other riders. This will also help you master the overtakes and how to also safely let another rider pass. Racing simulation with a riding group is a great way of training, adding in sprints & overtakes on certain sections.

Training hard is another incredibly important part of preparing for a cycle race; ultimately personal fitness and cycling fitness, will be the biggest contributor to your success and enjoyment of the race. As well as keeping themselves in good shape, racers should also work on & check their bike over, ensuring it is in good condition for a safe & successful race.

Road Bike Racing Terminology

Before competing, it’s also handy to learn some of the words & terms you can expect to hear throughout the day:

• Peloton: The main body of riders in a race.
• Breakaway: A smaller number of riders that break away from the Peloton.
• Chase Group: Riders attempting to catch the breakaway group.
• Prime: Not the end of the racer, but a sprint to the finish line on the prime lap, usually with a prize.

On Race Day

One of the most important things you can do on race day is to warm up properly. Many riders choose to cycle up and down a stretch of road, whilst others - especially those with help will ride on rollers. Warm-ups not only help optimum performance but also helps in preventing injury.

Pace yourself during the race, at the start of any race, riders set off with a massive amount of pace, and learn race conditions during your first few races to understand how much you can push, so early on. Also think about other riders moves, try and ride defensively and cautiously. Thinking ahead means that you are not always reacting last minute to riders around you. Pace yourself and stay safe in the early races.