Prep for Windsor Park

[Plawless]

So it looks like if people show up at 8am looking for a C race it will happen.

Some folks were talking about meeting at Fairfield Starbucks at 7:15 -doing a GENTLE warmup arriving at Windsor at 8:00.

I imagine that some people doing the A ride may skip the early warmup and show up at 8ish to watch though.

If you are new to racing you may also be new to warming up. May I suggest a few things?

1. DONT try to squeeze a month of training into your warmup. You cant "train" the morning of the race. You can either get your body ready to race or you can screw yourself up entirely - pick wisely.

2. A standard warmup might look sort of like this
a. 20' easy spinning with HR under 70%
b. 2 x 1' threshold with 5' easy spinning between
c. 3 x 15" all out sprints with 1'45" between sprints
d. 5' fast pedal (pedal fast NOT hard)
e. 5' easy spin

Finish your warmup 10-15' before the start time, have a good drink, maybe hoover down a gel then hit the little boys/girls room and get lined up.

The start is often the fastest / hardest part of the race as everyone is anxious and excited so prepare yourself to go hard right out of the gate and if you get dropped stick it out. After a few laps things settle down so you can still get back in.

During the race think about:

1. being smooth on the bike.
2. Have relaxed hands on your bars.
3. Be conscious about being relaxed.
4. choose safe lines through the corners. DONT try to pass in corners.

And most of all HAVE A BLAST!

See everyone tomorrow either at 7:15 or 8:00

[Lister Farrar]

So it looks like if people show up at 8am looking for a C race it will happen.

Some folks were talking about meeting at Fairfield Starbucks at 7:15 -doing a GENTLE warmup arriving at Windsor at 8:00.

I imagine that some people doing the A ride may skip the early warmup and show up at 8ish to watch though.

If you are new to racing you may also be new to warming up. May I suggest a few things?

1. DONT try to squeeze a month of training into your warmup. You cant "train" the morning of the race. You can either get your body ready to race or you can screw yourself up entirely - pick wisely.

2. A standard warmup might look sort of like this
a. 20' easy spinning with HR under 70%
b. 2 x 1' threshold with 5' easy spinning between
c. 3 x 15" all out sprints with 1'45" between sprints
d. 5' fast pedal (pedal fast NOT hard)
e. 5' easy spin

Finish your warmup 10-15' before the start time, have a good drink, maybe hoover down a gel then hit the little boys/girls room and get lined up.

The start is often the fastest / hardest part of the race as everyone is anxious and excited so prepare yourself to go hard right out of the gate and if you get dropped stick it out. After a few laps things settle down so you can still get back in.

During the race think about:

1. being smooth on the bike.
2. Have relaxed hands on your bars.
3. Be conscious about being relaxed.
4. choose safe lines through the corners. DONT try to pass in corners.

And most of all HAVE A BLAST!

See everyone tomorrow either at 7:15 or 8:00

+1

Only thing I can think of to add is to develop a mental routine that works for you. Imagine yourself flowing the corners, seeing the holes opening before others do, catching
the fast wheels as they go by, stuff like that. Elite athletes use imagery from inside , ie. their own perpecitve, not from outside.

[EricS]

Thanks Peter and Lister,

I am planning on taking part in the C race as I have never been in a race before (on the road). Do you know how much the reg. fee is? Also, is the start time right at 8? Should we get there early?

Thanks for your help,

Eric

[Brian Elworthy]

I'll be racing C tomorrow what do you mean by fee?

[Greg Miller]

It is a $10 min donation for cops for cancer.

[Rolf]

I have never been in a race before (on the road).

Eric

Does that make you a mountain biker or a trackie? From what I've seen, you've got some very fast legs!

[EricS]

Thanks, I try to keep up with my son on the dirt. See you in the morning.