[Closed] How confident were you all before your first race?

Not much, no expectations.

It's when you have some you'll get nerves...which can be turned into focus!

Pretty nervous on the day, just had no idea what to expect. You'll be fine.

I don't really remember it was so long ago - but even now I still get a little jittery before the start - which is a good thing!

Had my first mountain bike race this year. Went into it with an open mind without hight expectations. Although nervous I just had the attitude of you can only try your best.

If you have a okay/ good level of fitness you'll be fine and you might even surprise yourself.

Just enjoy it. Racing is ace! 😀

I was certain I was going to win.

I came 14th.

Out of 16.

But I was the oldest by some way in the senior category. If I'd been 3 months older I'd have been in the vets category and I'd have come 2nd.

it was nearly 30 years ago and i can remember it well, a crit in the rain. i was shitting myself:-) did ok though.
10 under the ben in a trio is great introduction. i reckon the only potentially scary bit would be the start of the first lap. its a good fun event just go as hard as you like.

Always found a practice lap helps.
The first race I did I was no nervous but as soon as we got going the competitive
Spirtr tool over and just got on with enjoying myself

It's just riding your bike.

Back in the day I used to race a lot, a real lot. For some reason I was just quite good a beating all my mates then as time went on I just got involved in a local cycle club and that was that. I trained like mad on my own, thought I was the "biz" then turned up in the FoD for an MTB race with M A S S I V E expectations. I wallowed somewhere around the middle of the bunch and just couldn't either break free or gain (any) many places at all.. All in the start I was told.. So next race I started to expect a better start and better placing, more training in between, race day and whumph, mid fleet again.

Disappointed wasn't quite the word I used in the car on the way home, I think I used the capital of Thailand IIRC,

Not one to give up I jumped on my road bike for my next attempt at racing, and to my and my GF at the times supprise I did rather well. That was that, roadie riding it was on the race front.

After that initial stint I used to get quite massive anxiety the day before races, real sweaty panic attacks, quiet, grumpy and displaced. Odd feelings considering these races were local things in the early days. Then I gradually turned semi pro but the nerves never went away, nope, I still got into a panic attack of some level or other.

Now, as time went on I gradually stopped roadie'ing and took up sailing, very competitive sailing, nerves, nope nothing, nadda, it was like I was expecting some sort of reaction but nope, nothing. I sailed then on for a great number of years and still do. Still no nerves.

I still get some form of attack even now when doing etaps and the like on the bike. I've no idea what it is about riding, but when in competition I just get those feelings all over again, to a lesser degree nowadays, but still.. they're there.

Mad init.

Despite having biked for nearly 10 years, this weekends Muckmedden will be my first event, I'm purposefully not referring to it as a race, As I won't be involved in a 'race'!

Canny wait.

I always get nervous before a race but as soon as it's started the race head appears and I'm like a different person, total focus and effort. Only done a handfull of mtb races - and too late in life to take it too seriously, but I still get stuck in.

Done loads of running races though, road, track, xc, trail, fell. Most nervous at track races as they were shorter and much more intense, probably got a bit too nervous in them.
Don't let a few nerves put you off, as soon as the gun goes the enjoyment starts.

Edit - just realsised I didn't answer the orig question. First race I did was a 1/2 marathon, pretty nervous and not that fit but still enjoyed it. (got round in under an hour and a half 1.26 I think)

It's just riding your bike

I've found it daunting especally Kielder 100 but more from a 'Why've I chosen to ride 100 miles on a singlespeed' point of view than because its a race.

Go out, do your best, enjoy yourself and remember that whatever place you come plenty of the DNFs will be because they ran out of steam/didn't train as hard as you/lost the battle pyschologically so you've beaten all of them straight away.

The main thing from my point of view is just finishing as during a 10 hour race you will have dark moments but if you finish you won't have to carry the shame like all of those I passed at HTN this year lurking in bushes near the 2 hour mark rather than go out for an extra lap.

You'll be alright, good luck.

thanks folks.

My expectations are very low, I'm certainly not doing it to win, but having biked when younger I always regretted never having entered a race (well I did enter the Malvern Hills classic bt couldn't make the trip down) so its a itch needing scratched. Basically I'm looking to challenge myself a bit, but my concern is that 'especially if I enter a solo race, I'm going to roll in miles behind the field to find the medals already awarded and the marshalls packing up the course.

I might get on that strava thing to find out exactly how slow I am!

I'm going to roll in miles behind the field to find the medals already awarded and the marshalls packing up the course.

Been there, done that

Nobeerinthefridge - Member

Despite having biked for nearly 10 years, this weekends Muckmedden will be my first event, I'm purposefully not referring to it as a race, As I won't be involved in a 'race'!

You're not involved in the epic Trailscotland race to the bottom then? Lots of competition over who will be last, it got a bit serious for me.

Wasn't too bothered, but I was ill and bailed half way round. Hit The North was my second race, and it was flippin' brilliant, really chilled out, well organised and a superb course.

lol, No, I steered clear of that one, NW!.

It's good to be nervous, that's part of the fun.

Have a think about what you might achieve, that will give you a goal to aim for (not last, middle third, top half, that sort of thing), and then go for it.

It is a race after all, might as well give it your best shot.

Have fun,

APF

Done a few races - always in the bottom half, been lapped before I completed my first lap, don't really care

Practice lap ?? I wouldn't at 10 Under.

Always do a practice lap the day before at short XC races, but save your legs for the Endurance/Marathon stuff. Nothing on the course is that techy, and as long as you aren't doing the first lap you will get a good run at it.

The lap is usually about 10 miles long ! 9 of which are fireroad.

Just have fun and see how you go on the day. "The difference between the novice and pro is that the pro can teach the butterflies to fly in formation". IME the nervous energy usually converts into lots of positive energy once you are off.
Develop a pre race routine so you can be left in no doubt that you are fully prepared. Ensuring bike, kit, nutrition etc are all sorted well before the day will help.
I'm doing muckmedden too woo hooo 😀

I was a bit nervous but then I expected to win it and did so by a couple of minutes. Mind I was 14 and it wasn't cycling but still... 🙂

My wife is new to triathlon, her first race she was so worried about coming last. Someone told her that no matter where she comes she has beaten millions of folk that are sat at home doing nothing 😀

did my first race last night of this season (road) got over excited basically and blew it at the finish. was riding well too. swallowed up at the line.

basically the race itself was fine though. try to relax, it will probably be ok.

and if it isnt ok, it's all only temporary eh?

Don't put any pressure on yourself, it's your first race. Pre race nerves are normal, recognise them for what they are. Once riding the actual race it's inevitable that you'll start 'racing' someone else, maybe just maybe it will be for credible placing. Go and enjoy it! The feeling you get once in the race is unbeatable.

Got my first "sportif" this weekend, bricking it a little as I've not ridden that kind of distance before.....

Looking on the website you can see the other entrys and their anticipated average speed, I put 25-30kmph (27kmph average on endomondo) which is some way off the slowest entrants, so fingers crossed I won't be last!

Been there, done that

you're not alone.

'bricking it' about a sportive is really taking it a bit far.

you will really. really. really. be fine.

Confident...hmm, I was 14, and got it truely handed to me in an XC national round. I didn't see the leaders after the first corner.

First big road race..as junior. Open roads, with all the motorbikes...and the whole Glendene team on the start line (Alex Dowsett and co). Made it round that time though!

You'll be fine. Enjoy.

One bit of advice that was offered to me was to race at your own pace. It's very easy to get drawn into trying to stay with someone who is clearly faster than you. 10 hours is a long time in the saddle especially if you burn yourself out on the first few laps.

I have approached all my races (like 3-4 of them) with the aim of not coming last. I've succeeded in that even though in my last race I was passed like I was standing still by a 12-year old girl going up a climb. She even had time to tell me I could get up the hill if I wanted to 😳

Can't remember it was 38 years ago, now it's no bother.

Don't get worried about the 10, though it's a big old challenge it's not a race....you don't have to be as fast as the fastest man there.

Edit; or the faster than a 12 year old girl 😉

1st proper race I was dead confident. Thought I'd do really well, but didn't. It was a marathon event and I made it home about half way throught the field, exhausted.

Even with races now I get nervous/ excited. CX racing was new for me this year and the anticipation on the start line and the sprint to the first corner was all nerves. Took me a few races to get it figured and get a decent placing on the first lap.

For what you are doing it just go and ride sensibly but hard* and enjoy. See what happens and go from there. If you are new then the first 5 races you'll be learning loads anyway and experience helps a lot IME.

If you have 3hours of riding, save the fast stuff for the last 1hour or 30 minutes, don't go flat out at the start.

Not very, and with good reason. I entered the sport category at the Cheddar Challenge and got my ass handed to me pretty quickly. Only managed 3 laps before they abandoned the race and I nearly died. I slept for 18 hours after that. Never entered a race again, realised I'm just not that bothered about being competitive.

though it's a big old challenge it's not a race.

Sorry that sounds bad. I just meant it doesn't matter if your not on the heels of the fastest rider, and you'll all be so strung out that no one will know if your first or last.

It's not worth getting nervous before any race unless you really, honestly believe you have a good shot at winning it, once you remove some of that false "performance anxiety" pressure, you can think more about riding your own race... As it's your first race don't expect any sort of position and you'll probably manage to suprise yourself, you've got no prior performance benchmark so just finishing is a performance improvement...

I'd say apply the following simple and not so competitive "objectives":

1- first and formost aim to enjoy it; take it too seriously and the fun is just going to be sucked out of it and potentially put you off racing...

2- Secondary objective should be to just try your hardest to do as well as you can (you're bound to look at the results table after and try to gauge how you did) you'll be far more annoyed at your final placing if you know you could have tried harder...

3- Learn anything you can from the day, watch other competitors, talk to them find out anything that might help you improve your "Race craft" looking at lines, choosing when and where to push and where to back off and save your legs, pacing yourself, tweaks to the bike setup, basically anything that could help you with any future events yo take part in...

Best of Luck and have a good Race...

Did my first race last year (10 Under the Ben). Thought I was really fit on a bike until the first fire road climb....I finally accepted I would never make the pro tour 😥

Give it a go, you'll have a blast 😉

My first race I wasn't sure what to expect from memory. I thought I was reasonably quick, like most, it turns out I wasn't, at all.

Looking back, I was pretty rubbish & was amazed how much quicker the top riders were.

Never got nervous though, still don't now. I've competed at a way higher level in a different sport so learnt to deal with that side of things, but I can't get even close to being in that mindset for riding my bike which I associate with being fun first & foremost.

My first race was nearly 20 years ago, fun class I think, I wasn't sure how I'd do so I started in the middle of the pack because I didn't want to get in people's way off the start line. I was quite pleased when I started overtaking people.

Very confident, we'd even packed our lunch to have a stop half-way 🙄

On a 3 lap Gorrick...

I still get nervous twenty years on.

I'm going to roll in miles behind the field to find the medals already awarded and the marshalls packing up the course.

Been there, done that

Me too! As I recall, I quite enjoyed that race as I was determined to finish the distance and get one over on the mate who persuaded me to enter the expert class and then DNF'd

My first race was Cheddar Challenge 20 yrs ago. I was nervous as hell, but started enjoying myself after the first climb when I realised I was in good company and battling hard for 97th place.

I still get nervous, but these days it's more in anticipation of a good ride (+ swim + run these days). If I finish I'm happy, If I get in the top half I'm very happy.