Good at Sprinting not much else...what racing
Discussion
Following an ease off due to family life next year I'd like to get into some amateur racing, the only trouble is I'm only really great at sprinting and going fast over short distances.
Time trials: No chance, I could do 25 mins for 10 miles, I'd get bored, I might improve wouldn't really enjoy it.
Endurance riding: I'm ok, can do it, nothing special though
Hill Climbs: Won one stage on my club one, but I'm only good on short brutal 18%+ ones, plus my climbing has peaked and plateaued
Circuit Racing: Tempted, probs my best bet going for CAt4s, If I could hold on till end might do OK
But, by far my best ability is quick acceleration and short sprints 100m-1/2 a mile, I can beat everyone I know, plus I feel I have a lot more to give if I targeted my training and I really enjoy it!
..But are there any races that specialise in just sprinting , maybe track cycling, but I don't live near a track?
Any pointers, otherwise will train towards a Cat4 circuit race.
Time trials: No chance, I could do 25 mins for 10 miles, I'd get bored, I might improve wouldn't really enjoy it.
Endurance riding: I'm ok, can do it, nothing special though
Hill Climbs: Won one stage on my club one, but I'm only good on short brutal 18%+ ones, plus my climbing has peaked and plateaued
Circuit Racing: Tempted, probs my best bet going for CAt4s, If I could hold on till end might do OK
But, by far my best ability is quick acceleration and short sprints 100m-1/2 a mile, I can beat everyone I know, plus I feel I have a lot more to give if I targeted my training and I really enjoy it!
..But are there any races that specialise in just sprinting , maybe track cycling, but I don't live near a track?
Any pointers, otherwise will train towards a Cat4 circuit race.
Apart from Crits which are the obvious:
Grass Track (also popular in Highland games & Cumbria):
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/track/article/20...
or
4X: http://www.british4x.com/
or
Cycle Speedway: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclespeedway (Elbows-out full-contact fun - it's great!)
Grass Track (also popular in Highland games & Cumbria):
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/track/article/20...
or
4X: http://www.british4x.com/
or
Cycle Speedway: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclespeedway (Elbows-out full-contact fun - it's great!)
BMX is a great shout if there are no velodromes nearby as its an often overlooked discpline but guarantees close racing and the initial outlay to get sorted witha bike and kit is relatively cheap but track cycling is hugely addictive and so much fun (and its always warm and dry!), whereabouts are you?
I, like you, am a specimen built for sprinting but unfortunately unless you have a team to protect you until the end like Cav, then I'm afraid you'll just have to battle it out with everyone else! 
In all honesty, TT's are probably the best route where you can just turn yourself inside out for 10 miles.
Circuits and crits can be great for the sprinter ... BUT, you still have to possess the heart and lungs (and guile) to hold onto until the end so you're in a position to sprint. These types of races tend to be on short circuits with lots of tight bends and corners leading to more accelerations and therefore greater levels of fatigue. They're really all-out sprints that last run 30 - 45 mins and believe me, after 20 - 25 laps, they hurt.
Having had my first season of racing and being the 'sprinter' type, I have to say that the circuits and crits has been ok but no where as fun as road racing. Even as a sprinter, if you can get in a break you, then there's the possibility of getting a result from the sprint a the end.
In all honesty, TT's are probably the best route where you can just turn yourself inside out for 10 miles.
Circuits and crits can be great for the sprinter ... BUT, you still have to possess the heart and lungs (and guile) to hold onto until the end so you're in a position to sprint. These types of races tend to be on short circuits with lots of tight bends and corners leading to more accelerations and therefore greater levels of fatigue. They're really all-out sprints that last run 30 - 45 mins and believe me, after 20 - 25 laps, they hurt.
Having had my first season of racing and being the 'sprinter' type, I have to say that the circuits and crits has been ok but no where as fun as road racing. Even as a sprinter, if you can get in a break you, then there's the possibility of getting a result from the sprint a the end.
JEA1K said:
Circuits and crits can be great for the sprinter ... BUT, you still have to possess the heart and lungs (and guile) to hold onto until the end so you're in a position to sprint. These types of races tend to be on short circuits with lots of tight bends and corners leading to more accelerations and therefore greater levels of fatigue. They're really all-out sprints that last run 30 - 45 mins and believe me, after 20 - 25 laps, they hurt.
Yip - they hurt ALOT! hehe!JEA1K said:
I, like you, am a specimen built for sprinting but unfortunately unless you have a team to protect you until the end like Cav, then I'm afraid you'll just have to battle it out with everyone else!
In all honesty, TT's are probably the best route where you can just turn yourself inside out for 10 miles.
Circuits and crits can be great for the sprinter ... BUT, you still have to possess the heart and lungs (and guile) to hold onto until the end so you're in a position to sprint. These types of races tend to be on short circuits with lots of tight bends and corners leading to more accelerations and therefore greater levels of fatigue. They're really all-out sprints that last run 30 - 45 mins and believe me, after 20 - 25 laps, they hurt.
Having had my first season of racing and being the 'sprinter' type, I have to say that the circuits and crits has been ok but no where as fun as road racing. Even as a sprinter, if you can get in a break you, then there's the possibility of getting a result from the sprint a the end.
Pretty much this in my experience. In all honesty, TT's are probably the best route where you can just turn yourself inside out for 10 miles.
Circuits and crits can be great for the sprinter ... BUT, you still have to possess the heart and lungs (and guile) to hold onto until the end so you're in a position to sprint. These types of races tend to be on short circuits with lots of tight bends and corners leading to more accelerations and therefore greater levels of fatigue. They're really all-out sprints that last run 30 - 45 mins and believe me, after 20 - 25 laps, they hurt.
Having had my first season of racing and being the 'sprinter' type, I have to say that the circuits and crits has been ok but no where as fun as road racing. Even as a sprinter, if you can get in a break you, then there's the possibility of getting a result from the sprint a the end.
This has been my first year racing, (blog detailing it - https://thomaswhatley.wordpress.com/)
I've only really just worked out that I have a half decent sprint and yet to really put myself in a position to use a full on 30s max effort in anger. Most of which has just been poor positioning on my behalf.
As JEA1K has pretty much said, crits would ideally suit, but unless you've got a decent amount of power and endurance that you can keep up with the pace for an hour you're going to be useless in the sprint if it comes to that. If its a tight circuit as well, you'll be pretty much sprinting out of hairpins every lap, which obviously takes its toll. Crits are usually an hour, so NP for the hour will pretty much be FTP.
Road races are more fun imho, more of a chance to take stock of tactics etc, but if you haven't got the endurance you're possibly going to miss out on breaks and be left sprinting for the lower positions.
I wish I had a track near here, would love to do some Kilo racing, at school 400m running was my thing and it translates well, not the most explosive but able to sustain it for a good long effort. I love playing silly sprints when out on club nights, just hammering it for the sake of it.
whatleytom said:
JEA1K said:
I, like you, am a specimen built for sprinting but unfortunately unless you have a team to protect you until the end like Cav, then I'm afraid you'll just have to battle it out with everyone else!
In all honesty, TT's are probably the best route where you can just turn yourself inside out for 10 miles.
Circuits and crits can be great for the sprinter ... BUT, you still have to possess the heart and lungs (and guile) to hold onto until the end so you're in a position to sprint. These types of races tend to be on short circuits with lots of tight bends and corners leading to more accelerations and therefore greater levels of fatigue. They're really all-out sprints that last run 30 - 45 mins and believe me, after 20 - 25 laps, they hurt.
Having had my first season of racing and being the 'sprinter' type, I have to say that the circuits and crits has been ok but no where as fun as road racing. Even as a sprinter, if you can get in a break you, then there's the possibility of getting a result from the sprint a the end.
Pretty much this in my experience. In all honesty, TT's are probably the best route where you can just turn yourself inside out for 10 miles.
Circuits and crits can be great for the sprinter ... BUT, you still have to possess the heart and lungs (and guile) to hold onto until the end so you're in a position to sprint. These types of races tend to be on short circuits with lots of tight bends and corners leading to more accelerations and therefore greater levels of fatigue. They're really all-out sprints that last run 30 - 45 mins and believe me, after 20 - 25 laps, they hurt.
Having had my first season of racing and being the 'sprinter' type, I have to say that the circuits and crits has been ok but no where as fun as road racing. Even as a sprinter, if you can get in a break you, then there's the possibility of getting a result from the sprint a the end.
This has been my first year racing, (blog detailing it - https://thomaswhatley.wordpress.com/)
I've only really just worked out that I have a half decent sprint and yet to really put myself in a position to use a full on 30s max effort in anger. Most of which has just been poor positioning on my behalf.
As JEA1K has pretty much said, crits would ideally suit, but unless you've got a decent amount of power and endurance that you can keep up with the pace for an hour you're going to be useless in the sprint if it comes to that. If its a tight circuit as well, you'll be pretty much sprinting out of hairpins every lap, which obviously takes its toll. Crits are usually an hour, so NP for the hour will pretty much be FTP.
Road races are more fun imho, more of a chance to take stock of tactics etc, but if you haven't got the endurance you're possibly going to miss out on breaks and be left sprinting for the lower positions.
Also, many people think they're good at something when they ride among other fun riders, often a different story when you get into a race and find actually quite a few people are strong.
But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
okgo said:
Also, many people think they're good at something when they ride among other fun riders, often a different story when you get into a race and find actually quite a few people are strong.
But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
This is a good point, I thought my sprint was pretty good, in actual fact it's my weakness!But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
The thing with BMX racing is that a lot of the speed comes from being able to pump the bike over jumps / rhythm sections and though berms. It is a very technical cycling discipline and simply being fast on a road-bike is not good enough. And picking up these skills in later life is hard - as you tend to fall off a lot when learning.
You see it a lot at 24hr mtb races where a roadie will spank the majority on the climb and then get tortured on the following DH. Rinse and repeat.
You see it a lot at 24hr mtb races where a roadie will spank the majority on the climb and then get tortured on the following DH. Rinse and repeat.
Ponk said:
okgo said:
Also, many people think they're good at something when they ride among other fun riders, often a different story when you get into a race and find actually quite a few people are strong.
But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
This is a good point, I thought my sprint was pretty good, in actual fact it's my weakness!But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
TwistingMyMelon said:
Ponk said:
okgo said:
Also, many people think they're good at something when they ride among other fun riders, often a different story when you get into a race and find actually quite a few people are strong.
But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
This is a good point, I thought my sprint was pretty good, in actual fact it's my weakness!But generally all of the above sounds about right, track might be more your thing, kilo is a 1 min effort, might be good for you. OR you could just enter hill climbs, the season is short - sept-oct but lots around and should suit your short effort capability, but probably not so much if you're heavy
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