How To Survive Your First Bike Race!

[@JektorII]

OMG! FINALLY A RACE VIDEO!! Remember when cornering: smooth is fast. Now the only thing missing is a race PREP video and an advanced race video that goes into further details.

[@kevin._.farren]

I went into my first races with the intent to learn and not concerned with what place I finished. The learning curve is steep, the pain is real and the excitement is intoxicating. One race and you’ll be addicted!

[@1269Dondude]

I am doing my first race tomorrow, the timing is perfect 👍

[@crbondur]

Love this! One of the biggest tips is the BE PATIENT! It's hard to do, especially when you're feeling that nervous energy toward the beginning of the race. Another thing to remember is ABP. Always Be Pedaling. Even if you're soft-pedaling, it helps with balance and you can maintain your momentum better.

[@jasonlenthe8902]

The clip at 2:06 of Connor taking the lead on the beach with the oversized wheels is one of my favorite GCN clips ever.

[@brittwoodruff9369]

I’ve used cycling (specifically mountain biking) for the last three years to gain back my life. Have lost 240 lbs from 440 to 200 lbs in that time. I was challenged in the fall to join a friend on a road race. In the spirit of my health was so bad that I missed out on tons of living Ive entered 2. This summer I’ll be participating in the C4 Grand fondo and the Whistler grand fondo. Am in the process of building a 2017 Cannondale Synapse to do those on. I’ve been watching literally hours of your videos to do everything from learn the nutrition to maintaining my steed. This video feels as though it has changed my thinking from I just want to finish these races to I feel like I could push for a better position than I expected. I would love it if there was a chance to meet any of your team at either or both of those races. The first is in Southern Alberta Canada on July 29 and the other is Sept 9 in Vancouver BC Canada. That would be amazing but if it can’t happen then I’ll just look forward to the next run of videos.. ride on.

[@Ian_Laing]

I’ve been racing mountain bikes for a few years and I want to get into road races and am so excited

[@brittwoodruff9369]

@@Ian_Laing I rode a ton of mountain bikes but the last couple of years have been about road riding for me. I’ve now done 2 gran fondos and a forte fondo of distances 140 km, 152 km and 163 km and reaching a top road speed of 106 km/h. Doesn’t have to be in the dirt to be a rush.

[@Anze_adventures]

If its your first race, you will get dropped anyway 😄

[@gcn]

Hahahaha it's a right of passage! Hopefully with these tips you should be able to hold on 😂

[@Deepak19944]

Where's Ollie when we really need him?

[@tomhenry3062]

Just happened to me last Saturday 😂

[@pompeymonkey3271]

This is true. Unless you are Sean Kelly! lol

[@Anze_adventures]

@@tomhenry3062 unfortunately that is the part of the game 😂 still love it 🤷‍♂️

[@brabrabarabra5027]

2:59 best timed shot since James Burke's famous one of the Titan IIIE rocket back in 1978.

[@nicklass7075]

I'll have my first race this year so this was super helpful to get me prepared a bit more

[@gcn]

Great stuff! Good luck 🙌 What sort of race are you taking on?

[@nicklass7075]

@@gcn Thanks! It's a one-day 300km road/gravel race. It's called RedBull Tour of Vikings. I would have wanted to start out with something easier but we don't have much to choose from here in Saaremaa, Estonia :D

[@markx5]

@@nicklass7075 yea just something gentle to start off with 🤯😂 good luck 👍

[@billkallas1762]

In your first race, just try to finish with the field. Don't attack. Don't follow attacks, and don't stick your nose out in the wind. This is the time of year to start racing. Don't wait until later in the year when everyone else is in top condition.

[@gcn]

Good points! What if they've got good legs and want to attack? 💨

[@billkallas1762]

@@gcn 99% of first time racers might think that they have, but will discover that they don't, and will soon be dropped, and pulled from their first race. Quite a few riders do not have the ego to take that slap, and will soon decide to quit. I've seen so many people that can't take being embarrassed like that. I was lucky in that I have no ego.

[@FluffyMeowington]

Hank is such a madman, seeing him next to the gentle giant that is Connor really emphasises that.

[@Bazza1968]

Loch Ness Etape in 3 weeks...a mere 105 km.... tortoise and the hare stuff I reckon especially with the Glen Doe hill about half way!!!

[@pompeymonkey3271]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but an "Etape", although challenging, is nowhere near as fast and hard as a real road-race. But still enormous fun! :)

[@steveyankou4144]

Props to the motorbike driver for making it between the cones.

[@daryltill70]

Also, races tend to go all out from the whistle, if you can hang on for the first few miles it will settle down Train for the start

[@billkallas1762]

Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. You have to be warmed up properly, in case they do.

[@gcn]

Hold on tight 🤝

[@SteveSinclair1]

Got ETAPE Loch Ness in 2 weeks. Not strictly a race but close enough! These are good tips for a novice like me

[@thebooksupplier]

My first duathlon is in a couple of weeks. It’s not draft legal, so I don’t have to worry about riding in bunches, but I am very excited.

[@wardclmn]

Happy this vid came out 1week after i did my first race 😂

[@gcn]

Now you know for your next race! How did that first race go?

[@g.west2372]

😂 Me too.... Attacked in the first round right before the start of the hill... Got a gap in the flat and was dropped on the hill imidiately😅

[@skfl7014]

Mine is coming in exactly a week

[@stevek8829]

It's easy for me to survive, as a spectator.

[@gcn]

Hahahaha not if you get too close to the riders? 👀

[@leathemthej2721]

Connor's bike is sharp. Nice colours

[@fixedfietsfables]

this statement is as bold as his colour choice. 😅

[@N5Gabe]

Finallllly!!! Connor's pinky/rainbow/allcolour Orbea is back! To me this is the most desirable bike. Full stop. :D Great content, great chemistry between those two, as always :) Thank you!

[@cschmitz]

Great tips! I've got my first velodrome race coming up in May. I'll keep all of these tips in mind (aside from the braking one ;) )

[@elementric1]

Make sure to look out for cones and potholes

[@gcn]

Hahahah just insert... KEEP PEDALLING!!

[@paytonswanson8987]

L'Etape in San Antonio Texas will be my first race.

[@perpetualgrin5804]

I had a race once in 1996, as i wasn't registered i had to hang back. Avg 40kph for 1 hour, my best effort. Never raced but trained like a professional in my youth😅.

[@svenvelgersdijk72]

Sup guys!! You have any tips for starting to race at 13 years old? Love the vids btw

[@martinthomas5194]

Another great vid guys 👍

[@mo-215]

Great vid!!!! Most of your stuff is for REAL CYCLISTS...of which I am not. Love your channel , great video

[@mjokffsgfjs]

The rare time where this venue they are filming at, is bright and sunny.

[@emmanueladuloju5998]

My son recently entered my first called the Children marathon and he enjoys it

[@mikeainsworth4504]

Could you do a video on how you can start racing. From the perspective of a MAMIL who came to the sport late in life, it all looks rather confusing with different categories etc. I have even been told that there is now chance unless you started in youth racing! I don’t find the British Cycling website that much help, it may assume that everyone knows the basics. So could GCN help?

[@DaxPlusPlus]

Everyone in the UK starts in Cat 4 (the lowest\beginners category) so you can race regardless of you age. If you want to do well then that's a different story 😃

[@gcn]

Great idea mike! It can be a very confusing system 😵‍💫

[@SteveT__001]

How old are you? If you are over 40 you could join BMCR and race with Masters for some high quality road racing.

[@mikeainsworth4504]

@@SteveT__001 I’m 58 but a pretty mediocre cyclist so racing probably isn’t for me - that said, I am doing my first TT at a club event next week. However, I would like to understand the process so I could at least point people in the right direction if they express an interest on a club ride.

[@aarondcmedia9585]

Keep up the good work guys!

[@gcn]

Always 🙌

[@lightningll2991]

Best tips are as follows if it's a crit race: Don't chase any early brakes, Don't be the first too chase a break later in the race follow someone else if you can. Best advice is don't worry about winning, pay attention to your bike handling skills and watch out for the lack of skills in the rest of the bunch, In a crit your going to be over lapping wheels in the bunch all the time keep rotating through the bunch otherwise you'll find yourself at the back getting spit out because of the speed changes through the corners. riding in a bunch at race speeds is so much different than riding in a group ride so your two main goals are to stay upright and finish with the bunch it doesn't matter what place there's plenty of time to work all that out later. Be safe and mostly HAVE FUN with it.

[@yahiagamin]

In my first race the best advice that someone would have given me is to be careful when taking a corner I was in a team of 2 for some reason and when we were talking the first corner one of the riders crashed into my teammate and about half the riders fell including me and my handle bar and fork got bent (because they're made of iron) and my teammate's bike broke down so I had to complete the race on my own It was really hard going alone but I finished 23rd with the first group it was kinda depressing cuz I could have done better if it wasn't for my bent handle bar

[@hasanmunifi9049]

I love this channel ❤ from Gaza Palestine 🇵🇸

[@McBofh]

The frames where you were going between the cone obstacles were awesome - how fast were you riding at that point?

[@cb6866]

Thanks Conor and James/Hank....where is El Alto ...and the song ?? And...what was Conor doing passing on the grass , face in full grimace ? He is so funny ...."Awkward turtle " aside .

[@Najeeg7]

Currently training for my first century. Hotter than Hell in TX, will anyone here be there? Last year13,000 people showed up

[@NWGJulian]

finally a race video 👌🏻 i have my first race in june. 115km and 1800hm. somewhere in the austrian alps. i ride my bike since august 2022, so i am very new. but i miss some more informations. like, what and how much should i eat the day before? what and how much should i eat/drink while racing? how should i pace myself? starting slow and get faster or should i try keep up with the group at all costs? and most importantly: is sex allowed the evening before? 😂 my hockey trainer kept telling us to not have sex the day before a match 😬 oh yeah, my target is just to … well, survive. 115km and 1800hm is not nothing for a beginner like me.

[@doubleu1115]

Well I was about to watch my first cycling race 😂

[@feliciaelenum]

Is there a cycling equivalent to a 5k Fun Run? Something super casual and beginner-friendly as a sort of gateway race? I'd love to try a race, but they all seem so intimidating.

[@gcn]

They can be very intimidating 👀There are lots of sportives and group rides you could join. This will allow you to build the confidence to take on a race 🙌

[@dom4034]

I'd add, based on my own racing years...make sure your body is hydrated for a week before any race, no yellow pees at all. Also, for the love of god WEAR gloves. You'll still look 'cool' wearing your £1000 kit from head to toe...do you know what isn't cool? Wiping your arse when you have no skin on your fingers/palms.

[@billkallas1762]

If you lose skin on your hands, when you crash, you're doing something wrong. Rule #1 in crashing, is to never stick your hands out.

[@dom4034]

@@billkallas1762 Yeh, you are right you are doing something wrong. Not wearing gloves.

[@billkallas1762]

@@dom4034 People who are unable to learn to not stick their arms out, when they crash, don't race very long. I always wear gloves, but I've never damaged them when crashing. (and I've crashed a LOT, over the years)

[@TheRobertEk]

I am doing my first race in june. Its a 320km race. Vätternrundan in Sweden, Will GNC be be there to try it?

[@henryrichards1556]

In my first race I was riding in the peloton when a car nosed out into the right side of the group from a driveway. The whole peloton shifted and ended up knocking over a woman to my right who then fell and was horizontal in front of me in a flash. Not having a reaction good enough to bunny hop her and her bike I rode straight over her and ended up over the bars, onto the pavement and then hitting the curb and bouncing onto the sidewalk. I immediately stood up and then immediately lay back down again. I was lucky not to break anything and was back riding in a week or two.

[@henryrichards1556]

My advice (I think I have seen this on GCN in the past) is to position yourself on the inside of curves when in the peloton. Not sure what others think of that but I think there are ways to position yourself more safely in pelotons.

[@Gugner]

I race in Denmark. This time by not crashing as 2 times last year….

[@zukzworld]

I was dropped on my first race. I was good at the beginning, around the midpack half way and then by the time it was almost 10k remaining, wws completely exhausted and was dropped at the end. 😢

[@stilerone]

Mostly sensible advice. Although if you have fuelled adequately pre-race, there is no need to consume energy gels during a 1 hour race. Did Science in Sport's sponsorship of GCN play into this 'tip'?

[@saracen888]

Nonsense

[@nuggunu]

don't even think about attacking in your first race lmao XD the other tips are legit. I had to learn how to draft in my first race :D never even joined a group ride before and only have been on somebodys wheel once before :D also important is to stick to your pacing. I always see a lot of guys going too hard at the begining and blow up before even half of the race. Oh and please learn how to keep your line. don't ride midpack like you own the road and take others donw with you. pls don't be that guy

[@jahen65]

#askgcn Hi GCN I have a question about racing, in particular the last 10-15 km… Often when there is a solo break an a smaller group of 3-7 riders chasing it all goes quite well and the… all of a sudden the shading group slows down and just “rolling” along looking at each other not doing anything… I get part of the tactics in this slowing down… but often this results in outer riders catching the chasing group and just add to the group and potentially “steal” the 2. and 3. place… I just can’t get my head around this… Why are the riders doing this? Wouldn’t it be better/smarter to just keep up the pace and push fore the finish and a sprint?

[@yobro5591]

In my first and only race,someone crashed into me in a left turn and I broke my left collarbone and left leg😅

[@NightWolfBRA]

Hank could have warned to do not celebrate too early!

[@johnstrac]

Don't do too much, stay out of the wind and DO NOT (take it from me) put your hands up too early !

[@filippopogacar]

New 2023 GCN kits?

[@martinp4915]

Why do you guys always sit on the top tube before riding but you should not clamp your carbon bike in the stand there?

[@staypufft80]

Weight distribution. When you sit on it, the bike can take the load as nothing is having to flex. The clamp is a pinch point that will just crush the shell.

[@prithviraj2354]

Let sooo.... Racing

[@kaltonian]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWSbe6Nna6uAqtk this link is a good heads up for what it's like & what to look out for in a road race. thanks guys, some useful tips here,shame not everybody does the things you pointed out.

[@AlphaJuliet27]

Got a broken collarbone on my first race. Ended my dream of being a crit racer lol.

[@billkallas1762]

Why quit? Bones grow back. Crashing is just part of bike racing.

[@TamimLasker-fi5kb]

Boga