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There are plenty of resources on the NCNCA and USAC websites for beginners to familiarize themselves with, but as a 17-year veteran of bike racing I thought it might be useful to provide some starting points for our new, Category 5 racers. There's a lot for a newcomer to learn, and a good place to start on-line is Roger Marquis' website. Roger has been racing since the 70's, and he's written a bit on skills, nutrition, training, and other useful topics to consider. There are several terrific books available as well. A good starting point is Kendre and Rene Wenzel's book, Bike Racing 101, which introduces all the basics in a 232-page tome that George Hincapie says, "is the perfect book for anyone who's serious about getting into racing". What I really want to focus on here is simply surviving your first ten races. Beginning racers need to ignore actually racing and learn to ride together without killing each other. The USAC Elite Category 5 was created in 1994 to fill that need. As a category 5 racer, focusing on skills is all that matters. Save racing for your last few Cat 5 events before upgrading to a Category 4. You can actually place last in every Cat 5 race and still upgrade to Cat 4 simply by riding ten Cat 5 events. Placing well in a Cat 5 race might be fun, but it's totally besides the point. You're out there to become a good race citizen. Here's what you need to focus on. Note: this is an unfinished outline right now. Each deserves a little overview. * Hold Your Line (don't swerve, brake hard, or accelerate hard) * Riding Predictably Through the Corners (smooth arc) * Practice Easing Your Way Forward * Practice Letting Riders Pass You to Drop Back * NEVER Execute Erratic Changes (don't change speed or direction violently...attacking requires a bit of both, but it takes experience...hold back until you know there's an open lane) * Use Peripheral Vision (know where others are around you) * Avoid Half-Wheeling (never ride with your front wheel halfway alongside someone's rear wheel for any length of time...they can't see you and will eventually move sideways and take you out...shoulder-to-shoulder is better as you'll just bump each other around) * Avoid Over-reacting (hitting botz-dots, bumping shoulders with other riders, etc happens) * Practice Glancing Around (try this when riding by yourself, especially looking over either shoulder, then in the peloton) * Identify Bad Spots (tight corners, potholes, etc...make sure you're in a secure, stable position in those places) * Practice Riding at the Front, Middle, Back, and Sides of the pack * Read the Course (find where to move up, which side is safer, and which riders are dangerous). * Anticipate (see if you can guess what other riders are about to do) * Learn the Last Laps (moving up is difficult as everyone moves up in your previous move-up spots. Look for new opportunities, but don't force it as that causes crashes. It's a game of musical chairs for position, and if you've lost your position or never had it in the first place then, oh well, next time. That's bike racing.)
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