Should I take up road racing?

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I am 16 and have had my road bike for a while now, but only ever use it for rowing training. On an average day I seem to average around 24-26mph without working to hard for a couple of hours, this tends to be far faster than anyone else I cycle with. Just wondering whether this kinda of speed is good enough to think about racing? I was also a national level swimmer in the past and have done x-country at a county level so think traiathalon is a definite posibilty although I have no idea where to start. Any ideas would be great.

Find a local club or state sporting institute and ask for 'next steps'.

I have the same question as well. I am 14 and it gets boring riding by yourself for training rides. We sound very similar though, I also ran x-country, ski x-country, and couple of years back I was a state lvl swimmer. My 2 cents...find a local club and get involved w/ them... that is what i am planning on doing but havent found the guts yet. I am sure we could hold are own but its that whole respect, and age difference thing that gets to me.:cool:

And by the way...if you average bloody 24-26 mph quit everything you are doing and go for the pros!!! lol! are you sure your spedometer is calibrated right? Because groups, on good days can average MABYE 23-24mph on extreme ocassions.

Yeah... about the 24-26 mph... you're either lying, have a faulty computer, or are a freakishly strong cyclist.

Yeah... about the 24-26 mph... you're either lying, have a faulty computer, or are a freakishly strong cyclist.
I am not lying and everthing is calibrated right, i do tend to ride alot faster than every1 I have ever riden with, thats why i was wondering whether to take up road racing.

I am not lying and everthing is calibrated right, i do tend to ride alot faster than every1 I have ever riden with, thats why i was wondering whether to take up road racing.The more pertinent question probably is: are you just estimating your average from occasional looks at the speedometer or are you taking the actual computer-calculated average speed for your rides? There's usually a huge difference between how fast you think you've covered a distance, and how fast you've actually covered it.

In any case, taking up road racing is a good idea at any speed, as long you think you'd enjoy it and are adept at pack-riding.

The more pertinent question probably is: are you just estimating your average from occasional looks at the speedometer or are you taking the actual computer-calculated average speed for your rides? There's usually a huge difference between how fast you think you've covered a distance, and how fast you've actually covered it.

In any case, taking up road racing is a good idea at any speed, as long you think you'd enjoy it and are adept at pack-riding.
it is actual averages(calculated), i should be reasonably quick as i am an national level rower who trains 11 times a week! all i was wondering is wheter i am going reasonably quick or very very quick and should take up racing.

Sounds like you are more than quick enough to compete with some of the faster guys around here already if you are really going that fast. That's on your own and including in stoping for lights and stop signs, etc? Even if its without any stops 24-26 is pretty respectable for riding on your own (no drafting) and would put you pretty high up in any TT standings around here. I have a team mate who was a rower and she is very strong.

Of course unless its a TT there is more to racing than just going fast..... There are lots of other things, like tactics and how to ride in a group that you'll need to know about. Find yourself a club or a team to ride with, get some experiece with group rides and give racing a try. You'll probably like it and it sounds like you could do very well.

I'm sorry, there is absolutely no way you can average 24-26mph solo. Unless that is....................................you're DOPING!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

I'm sorry, there is absolutely no way you can average 24-26mph solo. Unless that is....................................you're DOPING!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:


Why not? There are people who TT around here faster than that. For a 10 mile TT there was more than one person who did over 27 mph and believe me these are local guys who are not doping

it is actual averages(calculated), i should be reasonably quick as i am an national level rower who trains 11 times a week! all i was wondering is wheter i am going reasonably quick or very very quick and should take up racing.
are you riding downhill or with a strong wind behind you? is your computer reading kilometers per hour and you think it's mph?

I ride in Euro Cat 1 and the race average is 40-45 kph (25-28 mph). There is no way anybody in the world outside of the pro tour is riding that kind of speed alone, especially in training.

Also the top professional riders in the world expect to average 40 - 50 kph (25 - 31 mph) in a one hour TT.

If what you say is correct - you would not come last in a Pro Tour TT.

Why not? There are people who TT around here faster than that. For a 10 mile TT there was more than one person who did over 27 mph and believe me these are local guys who are not dopingThat's a 10 mile TT, we're talking about, "24-26 mph without working too hard for a couple hours". This is either a lie or a gross overestimation.

That's a 10 mile TT, we're talking about, "24-26 mph without working too hard for a couple hours". This is either a lie or a gross overestimation.
I am not making any of the averages up and its definitly MPH, i ride quicker than any one I have ever ridden with, thats why i wanted to know whether or not I should take up road racing. It sounds like I definitly should with the kind of response this topic has got about the speeds I ride at.

That's a 10 mile TT, we're talking about, "24-26 mph without working too hard for a couple hours". This is either a lie or a gross overestimation.

OK - how about a 40K? Most of the non-masters men finished the state TT here in just under 1 hour which means that they averaged more than 25 mph for nearly an hour - many of them were doing upwards of 27 mph. I'm just saying if the kid is really strong its not totally unreasonable. No most people won't start out this way, but we don't know the conditions, they could be quite ideal, maybe "hours" is a bit of an exaggeration, but an hour sure why not - 2 hours maybe. From his background it sounds like he probably already has a well developed cardiovascular system. Give him a break. Lots of factors could be coming together to give him a mile or two more than he thinks he's got, but likely he is really quite fast and he should try racing. He'll find out if he's fast if he tries.

Get yourself a pair of clip on aerobars, go find a local TT and give it a try. It sounds like you are probably strong and giving racing a try will let you know one way or the other. You don't really need any special training to try a time trial since you are riding basically on your own against the clock. Just remember you are not allowed to draft anyone and practice pacing yourself.

That's a 10 mile TT, we're talking about, "24-26 mph without working too hard for a couple hours". This is either a lie or a gross overestimation.

OK - how about a 40K? Most of the non-masters men finished the state TT here in just under 1 hour which means that they averaged more than 25 mph for nearly an hour - many of them were doing a little more than 27 mph. I'm just saying if the kid is really strong its not totally unreasonable. No most people won't start out this way, but we don't know the conditions, they could be quite ideal, maybe "hours" is a bit of an exaggeration, but an hour sure why not - 2 hours maybe - especially at the lower end of his speeds. From his background it sounds like he probably already has a well developed cardiovascular system. Give him a break. Lots of factors could be coming together to give him a mile or two more than he thinks he's got, but likely he is really quite fast and he should try racing. He'll find out if he's fast if he tries.

Get yourself a pair of clip on aerobars, go find a local TT and give it a try. It sounds like you are probably strong and giving racing a try will let you know one way or the other. You don't really need any special training to try a time trial since you are riding basically on your own against the clock. Just remember you are not allowed to draft anyone and practice pacing yourself.

OK - how about a 40K? Most of the non-masters men finished the state TT here in just under 1 hour which means that they averaged more than 25 mph for nearly an hour - many of them were doing a little more than 27 mph. I'm just saying if the kid is really strong its not totally unreasonable. No most people won't start out this way, but we don't know the conditions, they could be quite ideal, maybe "hours" is a bit of an exaggeration, but an hour sure why not - 2 hours maybe - especially at the lower end of his speeds. From his background it sounds like he probably already has a well developed cardiovascular system. Give him a break. Lots of factors could be coming together to give him a mile or two more than he thinks he's got, but likely he is really quite fast and he should try racing. He'll find out if he's fast if he tries.

Get yourself a pair of clip on aerobars, go find a local TT and give it a try. It sounds like you are probably strong and giving racing a try will let you know one way or the other. You don't really need any special training to try a time trial since you are riding basically on your own against the clock. Just remember you are not allowed to draft anyone and practice pacing yourself.
thanks for the advice, i will get out there and see how it goes

OK - how about a 40K? Most of the non-masters men finished the state TT here in just under 1 hour which means that they averaged more than 25 mph for nearly an hour - many of them were doing a little more than 27 mph. I'm just saying if the kid is really strong its not totally unreasonable. No most people won't start out this way, but we don't know the conditions, they could be quite ideal, maybe "hours" is a bit of an exaggeration, but an hour sure why not - 2 hours maybe - especially at the lower end of his speeds. From his background it sounds like he probably already has a well developed cardiovascular system. Give him a break. Lots of factors could be coming together to give him a mile or two more than he thinks he's got, but likely he is really quite fast and he should try racing. He'll find out if he's fast if he tries.

Get yourself a pair of clip on aerobars, go find a local TT and give it a try. It sounds like you are probably strong and giving racing a try will let you know one way or the other. You don't really need any special training to try a time trial since you are riding basically on your own against the clock. Just remember you are not allowed to draft anyone and practice pacing yourself.I'm not trying to burst this kid's bubble, but his claim is clearly a gross exaggeration. Guys averaging 25 mph for a 40K TT are at or near pro level, and this is undoubtedly with serious training and a balls-to-the-wall effort for the entire distance (plus aero bars, etc). This guy is claiming to due the same for hours on a training ride without it feeling too hard. Sorry, I don't buy it. This kid could be super strong, but his numbers don't add up.

Why not? There are people who TT around here faster than that. For a 10 mile TT there was more than one person who did over 27 mph and believe me these are local guys who are not doping
Like other people said....it's 10 miles! And the doping part was a joke. :eek:

Cycleforever, give us some more details on your rides.

i.e. are they hilly? how is the wind? how far do you go? and who do you ride with?

24-26 mph is what 40kn an hour, there are probably half a dozen guys in my local area who could average that over a 15-20km distance. And i live in a country mining town where rideing isn't anywhere near the number one sport

24-26 mph is what 40kn an hour, there are probably half a dozen guys in my local area who could average that over a 15-20km distance. And i live in a country mining town where rideing isn't anywhere near the number one sport
yep - many elite / Cat 1 / 2 riders can probably do that for 30 mins - 1 hr on an aero set up, going flat out.

I personally think a 16 yr old newcomer doing that for several hours "without too much effort" on a standard bike is pretty far fetched.

If you are around 70 kilos in bodyweight I gather you would need a FTP of about 320w - 340w ride a flat 40km TT in the hour mark (depending on wind).

I find it very hard to believe that there is anyone in the world aged 16, who has just taken up cycling who can do this (and some more) "without using too much effort".

I think he would easily win the Junior World Championships.....by about half an hour.