ARRGGGHH - after reading a lot of advice about how I should just forget racing my first year on the bike and instead focus on getting miles under me, I'm cracking from the pressure of reading race recaps on various forums, especially from riders making their race debuts. I figure there's always going to be a 'first time', and I'd like to get my feet wet, just so a) I have a better idea of what racing is all about, and b) exactly where I stand - or perhaps more accurately, how far back I stand - in terms of being competitive. I've been doing some group rides at increasing speeds, but as someone noted, all the practice in the world never really prepares you for a real race.
So, anyway, I want to get my feet wet. I don't want to race against a bunch of sandbagging cat fives. I also want a course that's relatively safe, since (I assume) that other riders will also be newbies like me.
Can anyone recommend a good 'newbie' race in the NY/NJ/PA area? Preferably sometime in late May or June, anywhere in the Atlantic area would be fine. I've been looking at some races on racelistings.com; this one seemed interesting because it has a 'beginners' group separate from the cat fives - even if the beginners race is really really short - only 16 miles. If the race is going to be that short I'd love to be able to do a second race the next day in the same area.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
-S