Went to my first Bike Race (Ocala Florida) photos

[turtletocheetah]

Went to my first bike race. Ocala Almost Stage Race.

It was very exciting and truly nice to see the amazing athletes and machines in full force. The time trials were my favorite event. The speed these guys were coming in at the finish line were impressive to say the least. This course TT event was 5 miles long with a lot of very big hills.(the most hilly area I have ever seen in Florida, reminded me more of the Carolina's than the flats we are used to seeing here.) We got to see one of the cyclist break the course record on this day, with a time of 8 minutes and 40s seconds. Don't remember the exact number, but he had an average speed of 32 mph in some steep hills too! He was riding a Shiv. It was fun and I'm definantly going to many more races in the future, I'm hooked.

 

[AyeYo]

Originally Posted by turtletocheetah

It was very exciting and truly nice to see the amazing athletes and machines in full force.
The time trials were my favorite event.
The speed these guys were coming in at the finish line were impressive to say the least. This course TT event was 5 miles long with a lot of very big hills.(the most hilly area I have ever seen in Florida, reminded me more of the Carolina's than the flats we are used to seeing here.)
We got to see one of the cyclist break the course record on this day, with a time of 8 minutes and 40s seconds. Don't remember the exact number, but he had an average speed of 32 mph in some steep hills too!
He was riding a Shiv.
It was fun and I'm definantly going to many more races in the future, I'm hooked.

Hills in FL... I lol'd.


Racing is definitely addictive once you've tried it. I get excited for the next race as soon as I finish the last one and every race I go to spectate at I wish I had entered in.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Cool! Glad you enjoyed it. Check out some local criteriums...They're everywhere down there.

 

[turtletocheetah]

Hey AyeYo I can see where you would LOL'd But seriously, it was a pretty hilly course, not as hilly or comparable to mountains of some places, but for Florida, they were big hills. Here is a photo of one of the hills, you can see it in the background, might have to enlarge it to see it properly. But they were not the norm in Florida:/

Hey CampyBob Actually I was trying to make it for the Crits they had early in the morning before the Time Trials, but Ocala is a few hours away and the kids wanted to stop at Downtown Disney to watch Maleficent I'm the only "hardcore cyclist" in the family LOL But I have already a few Criteriums in the calendar for next month, along with more Time Trials ( I love these) and a Cyclocross Race in South Florida that looks to be fun to watch live Soon I will be in the mix competing myself, but I need to train a little longer. Been cycling for maybe a month or so. My legs are getting there though. I'm now hitting 20-22 mph on these horrible MTB gears and huge fat 32mm tires. So I'm sure with the right gearing, better tires, and more training I will be able to hold my own. Till then, I will be only a spectator and just enjoy the show

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by t2c:
"Here is a photo of one of the hills, you can see it in the background..."

Where? What 'hill'?

J/K! The guys in Colorado laugh at our little Ohio climbs, too.

Enough of those small hills will hurt the legs and lungs if taken at racing speeds. Don't worry about what you're currently riding. One of my training partners is killing me on his new cyclocross bike with 38 MM gravel grinder (Google that type of racing. Gravel road/dirt road racing is a growing discipline in my area of the country.) tires and lower gearing. The motor matters above all else.

TT's are a good event to get your feet wet. Most TT's offer a division with only standard type bikes so you don't have to run out and buy a tri-specific or TT rig unless you want to get serious about going all in for the event.

Crits are probably the most dangerous and exciting events to be caught up in the middle of. They require nerves of steel, top fitness and the mentality of a street fighter. Never my cup of tea, but they dominate the American racing calendar in general and Florida is host to a large number of roundy-rounds. Things happen VERY quickly in the space of a city block or two and you best have had a couple of strong coffees before throwing a leg over and lining up.

Try to get yourself in a couple of circuit races or road races if you can. Not quite as frantic as downtown crits or industrial park crash fests, they still offer a chance to push your fitness level, expose yourself to some thrills and danger and learn the ropes by sitting back and paying close attention to others.

 

[turtletocheetah]

Hey CampyBob I hear ya, the motor is what counts in the end I'm actually going to see a Cyclocross race next month. These things look crazy with their Types of bikes. They look like road bikes, but the tires and brakes are a little different. They must be super light too since they have to carry them in some parts of the course. And yes, as a spectator, I'm watching and learning

 

[AyeYo]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Try to get yourself in a couple of circuit races or road races if you can. Not quite as frantic as downtown crits or industrial park crash fests, they still offer a chance to push your fitness level, expose yourself to some thrills and danger and learn the ropes by sitting back and paying close attention to others.

This cannot be overstated. If you want to get into that type of racing, do it on a beater bike. Unless you're one of those lucky folk with a money tree, leave the carbon bike and $3000 wheelset at home.


Also, definitely go watch a CX race. If they're anything like the CX races around here, even your kids will enjoy it. Lots of crowd involvement and heckling. Lots of beer drinking. The last one I went to there was a guy that put a $10 bill on a long stick and was dangling it over the riders going up a 22+% hill in the woods. A couple people went down trying to grab it, lots more almost went down, then this little girl (had to be 10-12 at most) riding an F24X came to a dead stop in the middle of the hill, grabbed it without unclipping, and then kept right on going. The crowd almost exploded. I saw her in the parking lot later running up to her parents saying, "Look! Someone gave me money!"

 

[turtletocheetah]

LOL that's priceless, would have loved to have seen that Yeah I'm hoping the kids would love the CX racing. I have thought of giving something like that a go, but the whole running around and crashing into a huge pile of mud sounds too hardcore to me. On the other hand, I would rather crash into a pile of dirt or mud vs hitting the pavement on a roadbike Those bikes do seem like a nessesity to be extra light too, considering the carrying part of the whole thing.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Cyclocross races may or may not be family friendly.

While I've never seen butt naked or fornication, the language may be somewhat colorful and the beer can make inhibitions...er...well, you know. Our CX events are pretty tame, considering the young crowd. Like AyeYo said, the crowd tends to be vocal and very involved in their spectating...and that makes it fun for racers, organizers and the party people in the crowd.

Hmmm? I wonder how well Belgian beer sells in Florida?

 

[turtletocheetah]

Well, although I like my share of fun, I'm not much of a party animal If the crowd seems too much for me and my kids eyes, a hasteful retreat would be in order LOL Especially if there is Any butt nakedness or fornication going around!!! We have handled a Monster Truck show, and that was deafening but fun, I'm sure CX can't be that bad. Maybe