long vs short distances

[biker22]

Hi all

I am new to road cycling and after a year of training would like to enter some road racing events.

After asking around it looks to me that the long/short distance is not like in running every distance is a discipline on its own, so you pick a distance you specialize in, but in cycling the short is for the not so serious or beginning riders and the long for the more serious riders, but others differ from this opinion and reckon the short distance is very competitive and a real race itself.

I train on my own 60-100km 3 times a week at an average of 28-30 and I would like to become a "serious" rider, I am 43 years old.

Should I enter short or long???

[Patchelicious]

Long! No question, your training, age and ambitions makes this a very easy conclusion to arrive at.

[EmptyB]

Hi all

I am new to road cycling and after a year of training would like to enter some road racing events.

After asking around it looks to me that the long/short distance is not like in running every distance is a discipline on its own, so you pick a distance you specialize in, but in cycling the short is for the not so serious or beginning riders and the long for the more serious riders, but others differ from this opinion and reckon the short distance is very competitive and a real race itself.

I train on my own 60-100km 3 times a week at an average of 28-30 and I would like to become a "serious" rider, I am 43 years old.

Should I enter short or long???

I think you'd find the short races are too short...

[Grease_Monkey]

After a while the 100km rides will seem short. It is just getting over that mental barier, and once you gave done that you won't be interested in the short ones again.

[Blokman]

Long.

[Thomo]

Given your current training levels and future ambitions, definitely long.

Remember also that some "long" events are only 70/80km anyway, where the short is only 30/40 and a complete waste of time.

The short routes are geared for family rides imo.

[Mountain_Goat]

I usually do the long routes (+-100km) and finish quite comfortably in the B/C bunches at PPA races. A few years ago I decided to do the Scenic South Funride which was only 40 odd kilometres and somehow I got dropped. Definitely think the pace is much harder in some shorter races. However, I would suggest the longer races, much more fun.

['Dale]

Yip

Long.

[wanderer]

Long, Long, Long, if you want to get serious, this is where you will meet and ride with the serious riders ones you have build-up a seeding to start in the fastest groups or even veterans if you want to become realy serious.

The shorts don't even give you a seeding! and is only for children, mothers and fathers just riding for fun, nothing wrong with but not for the serious riders.

[biker22]

Thanks guys.

It's going to be the long routes then.

[didi3]

Long for you most defenitaly.

The short routes are as mentioned in previous replies for beginner/fun riders, with a podium to stimulate the children to keep training and move on to the serious distance.

 

What pi..es me of though is the "grown-up" adults with 100k plus bikes keep on entering the short distance, taking a "very proud" podium time and again and so robbing the children of their well deserved podium positions.

[wanderer]

What pi..es me of though is the "grown-up" adults with 100k plus bikes keep on entering the short distance, taking a "very proud" podium time and again and so robbing the children of their well deserved podium positions.

I agree, I know of guys entering some long distance races to get their 94.7 seeding in order, once that's done they enter the shorts for the podiums!

I believe there should be a rule that keeps you from entering the short distance if your seeding is better than 25, or if you took out a racing license.

[Gringo111]

Depends on difficulty (elevation) vs. distance:

 

100km / 300m elevation

21km / 1000m elevation

 

 

 

Not sure what you training.......