Is Cat B the same in real life? // My first road race (West Head)

[@darrintucker951]

Training is about expending energy, racing is about conserving energy. Good on you for getting out there and supporting local racing. Congrats

[@ModerateCyclist]

This is a good adage to live by. Thanks mate.

[@brendanmarshall5852]

Tough race that! 3 laps those punches catch up with everyone. Finished 2nd there once in my life, quite a few years ago now, always a very hard race. Got the legs, more race craft and you’ll be good for sure!

[@ModerateCyclist]

We are very lucky to have access to such an awesome route. Nice podium, I hope to get one, one day!

[@aymtb]

15:46 It natural to wonder what's happening behind I'd recommend against looking back unless you were clear of the group and in a breakaway/ solo. The race dynamic is constantly changing both behind and in front of you, you're better taking care of your front wheel.

[@ModerateCyclist]

I definitely know this one. The last thing you need is people rubber necking and veering into one another. I think it was mostly in the situations where I thought I was in a break, but I probably wasn't.

[@johngerschwitz7638]

I raced many years ago. Racing is much harder than training. At the start of each season it was pretty common for people to be sick during the first race. Racing forces you to improve pretty quickly.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Agreed. Fighting to hold a wheel somehow lets you go deeper than chasing a watt target.

[@Billcasiopost]

Hey mate, I was in that race with you. You certainly picked a tough one, I have done over 50 races at West Head between B Grade and A Masters and that was the fastest scratch race I've done there.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Well that is relieving to hear. Hopefully that means the next one will be easier 😜. How did you end up?

[@Billcasiopost]

@@ModerateCyclist Cleat popped out of pedal when trying to break away from the bunch on the final turnaround climb. Killed my (slim) chances

[@ModerateCyclist]

@Billcasiopost damn that is frustrating

[@kippen64]

That race looked full on. For someone new to racing, that was a great effort.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks mate. Yeah it was heavy. But I definitely made it hard for myself. Lots to learn for next time.

[@paulw677]

Thanks for making this video, I really enjoyed it. I'm not a racer, happy to train for months leading into a fondo but generally scared and probably not suited to racing given my power profile. I enjoyed watching you're experience and exurburance. It was brave to start in B grade, especially a MWCC race, they seem to be a grade higher than some others from my (possiby uninformed) perspective. Maybe you could give the HART friday night crit a crack. Good luck

[@ModerateCyclist]

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. I was also quite hesitant. I am not sure what I was worried it was going to be... but it was really just like a Fondo from a bunch perspective. I have HART on my list too.

[@howarddawson6572]

Great video ben. Really well put together and makes racing more accessible to more riders. Well done. Maybe see you at the wall this weekend. Cheers. Howard.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks Howard, I appreciate the feedback. That was my hope. It seems hard than it actually is, and like most things when you do it you realise you should have done it ages ago. I will unfortunately miss the wall this week, but I will be back next year to apply what I have learned.

[@CaptHigdawg]

Great stuff mate. Looked like fun. Understandable getting overexcited about riding out front.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Who doesn’t like riding fast 😜

[@marcbryant8482]

Really enjoyed your vid, thank you. Thought you did a great job with the honest Zwift v west head race analysis towards the end. Only suggestion from an older racer is choose a place on the course to drop back towards the back and survey the situation, assess the other riders, etc, and then return to your preferred spot. As you've said, choose wisely your time on the front rather than a default role if you have designs on a result. And keep racing, the more you do the more it makes sense and your plans become closer to reality ;-)

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks mate, this is good advice. Keen to keep racing and building my knowledge.

[@brentrussell7455]

Great camera placement and angles on the front and back of the bike.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks Brett. Footage came out alright for this one. Need to tune the camera setup to be more race streamlined and able to capture the full duration.

[@SoCalSurfer69]

I loved doing Crit races here in Southern California. Health has sidelined me but still miss racing.

[@ModerateCyclist]

That is a bummer. Do you manage to get some Zwift in?

[@SoCalSurfer69]

@ still ride just not at high levels.

[@pompeymonkey3271]

Well done for taking the plunge, and for finishing. DNFs are not uncommon in your first few races. To get results, do as little as possible for as long as possible. Save your afterburners for the end of the race when everyone else is feeling it... lol :)

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks mate. The last two laps were a struggle, but I refused to get dropped. Good advice. Definitely going to conserve more energy next time.

[@doctorscoot]

Top stuff! Looks brutal! I recently upgraded my auscycle membership to full race. Not sure if I’m gonna start with criterium or road tbh.

[@ModerateCyclist]

I am eager to give crit a try too. Although road felt like a gentler introduction.

[@petercummins1097]

Hot legs, cool heads win bike races. West Head is a tough races. The rollers are taxing and burning matches is something you need to do thoughtfully. The only time you want to be near the fromt is either if youre going to attack, it makes sense for YOU to respond to an attack or around the final set of cones in prep for the sprint.

[@ModerateCyclist]

This is a big part of race craft I am working on (both indoors and out), knowing when I should respond to an attack, or when I should let others, or trust that the bunch will bring it back.

[@Faustoverdenova]

Wow !! Cheap to line up in AZ . .. Its like $90 here in the US plus the 130 US Cycling .

[@ModerateCyclist]

$90 seems quite pricey. Is that all races or just larger scale ones? This race is a local monthly club race, larger events cost $200+, and AusCycling is like $300 (when your 4 week free trial expires).

[@TheCyclingMinister]

LOVE THE FOOTAGE AND THE METRIC OVERLAY. what softwear did you use for the overlay?

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks mate. Software is “Telemetry Overlay”, they have a free trial you can play with.

[@razorree]

what was your NP power? comparing to NP from Zwift ?

[@ModerateCyclist]

298 NP for this race. 306 for something similar on Zwift (shorter and less elevation but smaller bunch). But 356 NP for the first lap 😜

[@benfinesilver2250]

Congrats! Bizarrely my first ever race after training myself to be fitter on Zwift once I had it.. was 38th of 200 in a Domestic Pro race as an invite 😊

[@ModerateCyclist]

Awesome result. There is no disputing the fitness gains you can make on Zwift. How did you find the bike handling side of things?

[@benfinesilver2250]

@ The handling part is OK, but some of the guys you race against have a different mindset about doing anything to win. It’s their life dream. They’re mostly 18-25 year olds and I’m old enough to be their father 🙈The only outdoor races I’ve done have been at that level; and in the last one I got shunted from behind and flipped. I damaged a nerve in my elbow and ironically could only ride on Zwift for a while. It could have been a lot worse. The person who hit me lost teeth. Having seen quite a number of collisions and had near misses in a few races… it’s just not worth it. Young guys will take any kind of risk to win and it’s bloody dangerous!

[@ModerateCyclist]

Risk tolerance definitely changes as you get older. I see myself in Master sooner rather than later.

[@DoneAndDustedCycling]

Spicy. How’s Joseph ripping the legs off everyone on the wall 🤣

[@ModerateCyclist]

He was strong all day. Beast on that climb on all laps.

[@occyman]

FYI …WMCC races are not OPEN grading. Open grading is NSW State grading which is higher than what you rode which is a local club grade. And Zwift racing has nothing in common with real racing.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks for the clarification. I was just quoting what it said on Buncheur. What type of events use proper Open grading?

[@occyman]

@ gday Open events are state ie..NSW cycling or national events. So the grading is much harder. Think races such as Keegan Downes, Coota, Mudgee used to be an open but now it’s a bloody fondo. Good on you for having a go though…well done, most Zwift riders don’t.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Ok mates sense. I will keep an eye out. Thanks mate.

[@werdsmyth]

In terms of pure wattage output, a Zwift race is much harder. But that's because you're pedalling all the time. By far the most important task in a real life race is to expend the absolute minimum amount of effort for the maximum amount of time. You'll need to save those matches for surges, breaks and finish line sprints, so the rest of the time should be spent surfing wheels and staying out of the wind.

[@ModerateCyclist]

💯! I need to re-calibrate my bunch dynamics for IRL.

[@barryboardman5770]

Haha. Always let the newbie take the wind. Over exuberance is a killer. As others have mentioned jump into C grade for a bit and get the feel for race craft and being able to feel competitive. Well done otherwise.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks mate. I definitely felt like the newbie in the wind.

[@barryboardman5770]

@ we’ve all been there! Coming up your way over Christmas break. Should line up a group ride!

[@Ghost12561]

Yeah, your first 10km was a domestique work for others but great situation awareness, ideally in this kind of race, if you can maintain being 6-10th rider all the way would be perfect, never go to the front unless you are in a break away group.

[@ModerateCyclist]

If only I was with a team for this one. I think that is good advice, 6-10 seems about right.

[@JulAlxAU]

How far away do you find the indoor FTP from the outdoor one?

[@ModerateCyclist]

My power is very similar indoors and out. 20m was 302 for this race, vs. 296 for something recent and similar on Zwift. I think if your numbers differ too wildly it’s one of two things. Either your not working hard enough outside, or your trainer is not calibrated correctly.

[@JulAlxAU]

@ Now that I think about it, I believe the former is true. I find myself not working that hard particularly when I ride solo. But with a fast bunch, I always ride at the right intensity. Thanks man.

[@ModerateCyclist]

It is very easy to ride at a casual pace when riding solo. I noticed that about myself recently and have been making a point to replicate the constant power sensation from Zwift when I am riding on the road. It really improves your numbers.

[@JulAlxAU]

@@ModerateCyclist I thought about this a bit more in my ride today. I believe there are two areas of struggle for me: 1) I am quite capable of producing and sustaining good power at elevated levels but can’t produce and maintain the same power on the flat or in descends. 2) I have not trained my neuromuscular capacity; thus, I do not have much explosive power to close the gaps. As such, I need to incorporate a lot of muscular low-rpm endurance and sweet spots, as well as sprints, to improve these areas.

[@ModerateCyclist]

To your first point. I was struggling here too. Structured training helps (either indoor or out) something that keeps you accountable for pushing harder than feels natural.

[@JonathanBays]

So different from zwift much more chess on wheels!

[@ModerateCyclist]

There is a fair amount of tactics on Zwift too. Especially in the team based competitions like ZRL.

[@glennicol1361]

I find racing outside is much harder than Zwift... I had a race on Sunday and for the first hour had an average heart rate of 174...

[@johngerschwitz7638]

I raced many years ago. I would frequently sit on about 190 if the heat was on.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Bike handled increases your effort significantly. Plus I am sure adrenaline plays a role. I had my second highest 90m HR in this one.

[@Philatlondon1]

Well done for jumping into a race, but it's hilarious watching all of your rooky mistakes. You need to ask yourself, why am I at the front? If you're not attacking, sit further back and hide (ride quiet). Let others do the work to close the gaps. Some other inexperienced rider will panic at some point, and then just use them to close the gaps. And on that climb before the turn you had the opportunity to use your 'sliding room' to have got up it with minimal watts. Good luck for your learning journey.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Thanks for the feedback Phil. Funniest part is I could see many of my mistakes happening in real-time 😜.

[@tagnatios]

You are obviously strong enough to, however if this was your first road race as you say it was then perhaps you should be in a lower grade . Only for the fact that this is where you learn race craft . I have seen this way to often when you can just select a grade to go in without necessarily having the skills to match. Not a criticism of yourself just the system and maybe our ego’s. Thanks for posting this up though, real life is way different to Zwift .

[@ModerateCyclist]

This is a good callout. I did have a chat with an experienced friend about which grade I should enter, and it was a difficult trade off between power and experience. Either way I definitely need some more races under my belt, and Zwift race craft counts for far less than I thought here.

[@tagnatios]

@@ModerateCyclist when I started racing it was mandatory I believe to start in D grade then get promoted up as you win or place , I definitely don’t see this happening anymore.

[@ModerateCyclist]

This would make a lot of sense. But I wonder if it is a numbers problem. It would be harder to fill the higher grades if you needed to graduate int them.

[@Oakpathetics]

I was thinking the same thing.. very surprised that someone could have their first race in B grade!! You obviously have the fitness and will no doubt win a B race soon enough 💪🏻

[@ModerateCyclist]

@@Oakpathetics I ride at a pretty high level on Zwift. Just missing that real life experience. It will come in time. Thanks for watching.

[@stianpollestad754]

To me it looked like you took way to much wind and responsibility the first 20 km

[@stianpollestad754]

ah, your conclusion as well 😉

[@ModerateCyclist]

Yeah man you are 100% right. Trying to be too much of a hero. Lesson learned for next time.

[@michaelbatterbee448]

I bet it’s nothing like 😂 riding indoors

[@ModerateCyclist]

There are more similarities than you think, but definitely very different.

[@michaelbatterbee448]

@ you can say that again I enjoy going out running I’ll happily run 45 miles for fun on a Sunday but you mention the word treadmill I’ll run in the other direction don’t know what is but they are the work of the devil 😂

[@ModerateCyclist]

Riding indoors requires the right stimulus. I enjoy structured training and racing indoors because it is engaging and intense enough that you don't have time to think.

[@EagleRC1923]

Sounds like you know exactly what you did wrong remember you can only race for so long so choose your moments to burn matches carefully as you only have so many

[@ModerateCyclist]

Very good way of looking at it. Thanks mate.

[@craigm5713]

Its harder than zwift

[@ModerateCyclist]

Big time 😜

[@jareou]

To the question, NO, really not even.

[@ModerateCyclist]

Haha, similar power profiles, and equally hard to get a break to stick 😜, otherwise you are totally right.

[@tweeling1977]

That's the reason Zwift is not real and you never learn to be a good skill rider, a good cyclist ride not only hard but also have a set of riding skills that he use in the race. You can't learn that in a virtual world, beside in Zwift you can downhill with your eyes close that's not so good idea in the real world 😅😅😅😅

[@ModerateCyclist]

I think there are definitely so racing elements you can learn on Zwift. But the technical side of bike handling is definitely not one of them 😜

[@tweeling1977]

@ModerateCyclist cyclocross is a very good training and exercise it gives definitely extra skills and power for the road cycling competition.

[@MR-wh5wp]

What do you enjoy more? Racing indoors or outdoors? I definitely prefer indoors because there's nothing much to be worried about 🫶

[@ModerateCyclist]

I think there are pros and cons for both. Indoor is very convenient, accessible and safe. There is something visceral about outdoor racing, and maybe a greater sense of achievement. I find it best not to think too much about the increased danger 😜