Late day races

hotsauce

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
Hi folks. Working off a 'cross hangover at my desk today and already starting to plan for next weekend's 'cross hangover.

The Cat 4 race at Marty's is a 2:30 PM start compared to all other races I've done that are 9:00 AM starts. It's great not to have to wake up at 5:30 AM but this is throwing me for a loop.

My normal preferred routine has been arrive 1.5 hours early, pre-ride 3+ laps with the last lap being at race pace then roll over to get my number 30 minutes before race start then go go go. This obviously isn't going to work at Marty's.

Link to BikeReg page for efficiency

What is the best way to approach arrival time, warm up laps, etc?
 
ive always got my number ASAP, last thing i want to worry about for sure.

show up as early as you can without causing a huge hassle and enjoy the day! heckle, pre-ride when you feel, there is no right or wrong answer.
 
hotsauce said:
Hi folks. Working off a 'cross hangover at my desk today and already starting to plan for next weekend's 'cross hangover.

The Cat 4 race at Marty's is a 2:30 PM start compared to all other races I've done that are 9:00 AM starts. It's great not to have to wake up at 5:30 AM but this is throwing me for a loop.

My normal preferred routine has been arrive 1.5 hours early, pre-ride 3+ laps with the last lap being at race pace then roll over to get my number 30 minutes before race start then go go go. This obviously isn't going to work at Marty's.

Link to BikeReg page for efficiency

What is the best way to approach arrival time, warm up laps, etc?
Click to expand...

There's a nice gap between the 10:30 race and 12:00 race while they do the kids race. that's a good time to get in a few laps. The start times seem to be spread out a little more here also.
 
When my races were in the afternoon, I liked to get there early to avoid any added stress. Know that doesn't always work for people. But look at the other race times and plan on getting out there in between races. While races are actually happening, pick up your number/pin it, watch races in areas you may have concerns/questions. Be sure to account for eating and drinking before your race.
 
My random bullets
  • Last real food 3h prior to post time.
  • If you have the time, arrive more than 1.5h early. 2h+ is a good rule.
  • Arrive ready to ride.
  • Plan your course inspection times based on other races and be ready to get on course as soon as they let you. If you find yourself tailgunning he lantern rouge, stop, and re-ride some sections rather than riding slowly around the course waiting for somebody to finish their race.
  • You may only get 1 lap in between races...2 if you are lucky. Memorize the course during that lap. Re-ride sections as necessary. Exit the course as soon as the officials say so.
  • When they clear you off the course, stay and watch the start to see where the trouble will be. If you have time, watch other racers ride the tricky sections too.
  • Quickly pin, take bike to pit (if applicable), then warmup on the road or trainer during the race before yours.
  • Don't try to pre-ride right before your race unless you have lots of time. Miss your call up and you just got passed by a bunch of people.
  • Rip a GU packet or two at whatever interval(s) is compatible with your stomach prior to the start. I choke down the last one 10-15m prior to my race.
 
Thanks for the logistics lesson all.

Delish said:
take bike to pit (if applicable), then warmup on the road or trainer during the race before yours.
Click to expand...

How do you guys do this without a Sprinter van? Getting my one bike, gear bag, cooler, and coffee in my VW Golf takes up nearly the entire car and is a chore to load. With ninja like packing abilities, I was able to fit The Squirrel and his gear too but no more. It helps that his gear is squirrel sized too.

Where do I post the hitch mount bike rack opinions thread?
 
Roof rack. At least four bikes possible.
Hitch mount... 3-4 meeebeee??

Jetta wagon here. Three bikes, 2 racers, two extra sets of wheels, one bag each, one plastic gear crate each. One bike stand. Wood have room for trainers too.
 
a long time ago, @mandi, @Robin and myself packed into my 2007 fit with three mountain bikes (two on the roof) and drove to tymor. you either need new packing skills or a cycling attachment device
 
When I went from a 2002 GTI to a 2015 Golf I lost a lot of trunk space, the floor in the trunk is higher and the back seats don't fold as flat. I used to be able to get two bikes in with just putting the small part of the back seat down, now I have to use the bigger side.

I sometimes envy the subarban livers on the forum. With street parking in Hoboken, roof racks will stick around for a week tops before someone pries them off with a screw driver and puts holes in the roof in the process. Plus living on a 4th floor walk-up makes lugging a trainer plus road wheel up and down the stairs the equivalent of riding a warm-up lap. Excuses, I know. Maybe I'll get a Feedback Omnium to go with my Feedback stand that I just treated myself to for my birthday.

In reality I'll just wing it the rest of this year then figure it out next summer. As an avid Lego builder in my childhood, I thought that I had good packing skills but apparently they need work too!
 
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