Getting Started in Bicycle Racing... Again!

The starting line...

We had an hour and a half drive to get to the race on Saturday morning. We got up early, and I made David one of my most famous and healthy smoothies along with a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on an English muffin. We hurried around gathering belongings and ate in the van on the way.

When we first pulled into the parking lot, David immediately approached another rider for information on where the registration area was located. That rider actually gave him direction to the starting point of the race.

It was extremely cold! Even with the wind whipping, David was starting to gear up into his cycling clothes outside of the van! Then I noticed there was a table set up far across the other end of the lot. Wondering who else in their right minds would be sitting at a table set up outdoors on such a day, we realized that it was likely that the registration spot was right there! It was a good thing we didn't head right over to where that other rider suggested because we would have wasted valuable time.

This was a criterium training race. It was the first of this year's Plainville Spring Cycling Series held at the Farmington Valley Corporate Park. Basically the course consists of forty half mile loops -- twenty miles total.

Although David has racing experience, it was many years ago. This was a good race for David to ease into now, to familiarize himself with the feeling of pushing himself to the max and riding super close!

David comes into the finish!

At the starting point, David tossed his extra pair of gloves over to me. It's not always easy to know how to dress with the changeable weather conditions we've had lately.

He stuck with the pack for a few loops, but then he fell behind. With training races such as this, lapped riders don't get pulled. As the race progressed, David once again found himself within the pack, and for a few laps he was again able to hang on. Although he was eventually lapped again, I'm proud of him for sticking through to the finish.

The plan is to continue these weekly training races so that David can work to improve his skills and overall fitness level. This commitment assures that he will take advantage of every opportunity to work on his skills throughout the week -- with early morning or after work rides or spin classes, attacking challenging climbs, and monitoring his heart rate to ensure optimum performance.

We'll be there again next week!

Good articles to check out!
How to Race a Criterium
10 Tips for Beginning Road Racers