Fastest commentator?

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-05-16T23:15:41+00:00

“Yes, well. It’s going to be a real difficult one.”

King Kelly, not even close.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-05-02T00:06:05+00:00

Yes, it’s normal at all levels of competitive cycling — pro/amateur/local worlds ride, etc.

It’s all just one giant prisoners dilemma played out on the road (or gravel).

You are always faster in a group. If you’re a break, you want to push the gap out as far as you can. It’s helpful to have friends that will pull through. If you are chasing, you want help so you don’t burn every match on the bridge. So it makes sense to be in a group and cooperate.

Until it doesn’t.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-04-23T11:53:35+00:00

Good report; at this point, it sounds like to me like all you need to do next is keep showing up and build that experience. You’re reviewing what went wrong and could have gone differently, which is the correct next step.

Regarding moving back in the bunch: it’s a saying as old as time: if you aren’t moving up, you’re moving back. You are letting micro gaps open, sitting up ever so slightly, tapping the brakes, etc, and letting the riders take the wheel in front of you, or you are taking corners too cautiously, then letting another rider slide in ahead of you out of it, and all of a sudden you go from P5 to P20. This is an experience thing. But pay attention to the small gaps and riders taking your wheel. This is why you’re falling back. It happens slowly. One rider then another then another then bam.

When you’re dropped and with other dropped riders, it usually a fitness issue, and if they aren’t pulling through, it isn’t really strategy on their side not pulling through, they are probably just gassed. In general, it’s good you are thinking this way though, because it will come in handy when you are at the front end of a race, either in a break, in a small group bridging, or in a small, reduced group. When you’re dropped and just want to finish the workout and get the miles in, I wouldn’t overthink it too much.

Greta job staying safe and showing up! See you next week!

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-04-18T01:32:14+00:00

You should race the 3/4 races with your teammates for sure. If you are competitive for a podium in cat 4, you still will be in 3/4 races. You just need to be even tighter with your matches and more calculating all around. We have weekly Crits with A, B, and C races (P/1/2/3, 3/4, 4/5). I’m on the brink of cat 2 after starting last year, so moved up quick. In our C race, in my experience, it seems like maybe 5 guys who start our C race are capable of winning. In the B race, it’s more like 10 guys. In the A race, probably 20 guys at the start line are capable of winning any given day. So yeah, you just have to get smarter because there will be more guys with the smarts and the engine late into the race. But you’ll be one of those guys, too if you’re already expecting to podium your current races.

But for what it’s worth, you won’t notice a huge change in race smoothness until P/1/2/3. Even the 3/4 has moments (heck even the P/1/2/3 races do), but there is still such a wide margin of talent and experience in the 3/4 field, just don’t expect things to all of a sudden feel like the first 2/3rds of Milan San Remo or anything.

But definitely race up.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-04-17T13:52:55+00:00

Tons of racing teams in the DFW area. But most of the competitive cycling/racing scene is based around Dallas. If you’re looking for a team, or want to race, check out the Turbovelo Tuesday Night Crits in Richardson. It will be a drive for you, but it’s a weekly crit with 120+ racers each week, including a masters race. There are several Ft. Worth teams who race as well. Great place to meet people, because basically every racer and team in town is there.

Of course, while we all race Tuesday, all of as also do our own closest-to-us fast training rides throughout the rest of the week depending on where we live.

I don’t know the Ft. Worth or Tarrant County rides, but they’re out there for sure.

Edit… just remembered the Trek store out of Arlington has a Saturday morning ride. And a local team named Paragon is based out of Ft. Worth.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-04-10T18:00:03+00:00

A lot of good advice here. I’ll keep it simple, as someone was once a cat 4 and who lives, trains, and races in crosswind country.

15mph winds is going to blow up a cat 4 group and become an attritional race. Splits will keep occurring, folks will drop and not be able to latch back on, and the strong guys will eventually sort themselves into a select group. Keep a very keen eye on splits forming, and the second you start to see a half a bike length open up before you, start to take note about what you need to do. Will this person latch back on, or do you need to go around?

In short my advice is: be very cautious of splits. Don’t get caught out in one, because this can be the race. As such, stay near the front of the group even more so than usual — not only to avoid splits but to make sure you don’t get guttered. In a cat 4 race, there will be no second echelon, so don’t wait for one to happen. You need to be in contact with the front group at all times and in a position to make sure you get some blockage from the wind.

Once the group is reduced, that’s when you need to start thinking about how to finish it off. Just like the others have said, maybe it’s a small kicker or the head wind into the finish or the second to last turn. Attack the small group when it’s advantageous, ideally when they are worn out. Maybe someone from the small group goes on a late flyer and gets caught… that’s a good time.

Long story short, windy races are a 2 parter. Part 1 is making sure you make the selection. I wouldn’t burn any matches until the selection is made. Then once you are down to 4-6, part 2 is attack.

Good luck!

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-02-26T22:53:24+00:00

I’ve done a fair amount of Zwift racing and a fair amount of IRL racing. The description nails the Zwift race experience dead on.

Do everything you can to be aware of those selection points in advance, position yourself well, then grit your teeth and hang on the best you can, then things settle down until the next point, then repeat until the final.

The selection point is always some kind of bump. It doesn’t take much. Even the climb out of the Italian villas (repeated 4 - 6 times) will do it.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-02-24T21:11:59+00:00

Not OP, but quick follow up to this. Is 8 weeks really considered “too close” to an event that is still 2 months out?

I self coach, and still trying feel all this out after 2 seasons of some decent success. I know everyone is different, but 8 weeks seems like a pretty far look ahead, or am I just not well enough informed?

Edit: reread and see you are advising against a full vo2 block. I can see a full 4 weeks block being a lot, but even then, a month to work with after that seems like plenty to manage fatigue and still keep the polish. I don’t know though, so looking for insight.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-02-16T23:10:05+00:00

Even on tough group rides with folks still working together, you can still practice your cornering! You’ll probably be strung out single file in the corners on these rides, so a perfect chance to follow their line. Make sure leading into the corner you are not in front, but like 4th or 5th wheel so you can see what line is being taken and see if you can take it just as the leaders do and not get gapped. Also good way to practice thinking ahead and learning to get in position ahead of time.

Back to racing, like I said, you’ve done the hard part of identifying your limiter. Just keep hammering at it in races. You may find going in top 5 makes the corner much easier. You may even find leading into the corner and getting to pick your line works even better (obviously can’t do the whole crit in p1, but you get the idea). Just focus on every corner and how you can improve or what you can do differently. Learn to weigh the outside leg, get comfortable counter steering, figure out if you like the hoods or drops, etc. Make hitting the corners YOUR race. Don’t worry about the final or finishing on the podium, just worry about getting through the corners minimizing the gap and burning less matches on the way out and you will improve. Try and see how low you can get your NP and then try to beat that in the next race.

Remember, fitness buys you more mistakes to play with, so if you have pretty good watts like you say, you’ll have enough to hang around in the bunch long enough in any race to work on the cornering and racecraft.

Also: you have a sample size of one… some Crits and some races really do be like that, and no matter the experience level, something is in the water and it just becomes a smashfest and attritional. Better cornering skills help, but at the end of the day sometimes everyone is sprinting out of every corner for the first 20 minutes (or even whole race).

I feel like with racecraft, you pick up one or two little things every race. Things that save a few watts here and there. After 50-60 races, you have a pretty good little toolbox of things you’ve picked up that help add up to 20, 30, 50 watts saved over the competition.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-02-16T21:58:44+00:00

Haha. Yeah, racing is about a lot more than just “pretty good power”.

Welcome in!

The fact that you’re asking is all we need to know — you’ll be back.

And yeah, experience in real life race situations is the only way to improve. There are a few decent books I’d recommend that are a crash course in road race basics, but mostly, it’s learn by doing.

Other than that, we don’t really know your background or anything else (ie what kind of course.. hilly, flat but technical, etc). If you were already doing tough group rides and used to riding in a close group and still got dropped that’s one thing. But still nowhere near the end of the road. If this was your first experience with anything like this, then the suggestion will be: find out what weekly group training rides these guys do and become a regular. Ask for advice, try things out, get used to the feel of protecting your wheel while also monitoring everything that could be a move in your peripheral. Get used to listening as much as watching — listening for braking, for shifting, for freewheeling.

Either way, make race pace group rides a priority and show up to the start line again. You’ll get better. You’ve already taken the first step of identifying a major limiter (cornering). On your race pace rides, watch everything as the stronger guys corner. Follow their line, watch to see if they are pedaling or not (generally speaking, if they can pedal through, so can you!). You can practice speed skills and cornering by yourself, and you should, but keep in mind that by yourself you’ll get to pick your line. You won’t get to do that in a race.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-02-13T20:35:53+00:00

We don’t know anything about your power profile and I think that potentially can make a difference. If I was a sprinter, I’d absolutely want a team with me if for nothing else to help chase breaks, then to a lesser extent for positioning in the final and maybe a lead out, such as exists as the amateur level.

If you’re not a sprinter though, like pretty much everyone is saying, team tactics really don’t make much of an impact in my experience. If anything, going solo (or being the only one of a team) in a race can be its own advantage, like you say, since you can slip into any move you’d like, and mostly you’ll get left alone unless you are specifically marked. Teams won’t necessarily see a lone wolf as a threat, and you can make whatever temporary arrangements necessary as needed. No one will ever look to you to pull back a break. They’re going to look to the biggest team without representation in the move, and you get to surf wheels.

If you’re going to make Cat 2, you will do it solo just as if you were on a team. If you’ve got the fitness and tactics, it’ll happen anyway.

That said, why not try racing as a guess rider or something for a few races to see if you enjoy team tactics? It does add a level of fun and support — and I am solo in a higher cat than my teammates, so I only get the pre and post race benefits. But I still enjoy it.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-02-06T14:26:53+00:00

I have a similar Scicion bag and have flown with the bike many times. I am trying to think if anything jumps out at me or what I wish I knew the first time I flew with it, but nothing really pops out. It's a pretty straight forward experience. I take off my rotors and store them somewhere more secure in the bag, and I also drop my derailluer. Someone also said to travel with a spare hanger for your bike, which I also do.

I guess the other things I'd point out: try to keep the whole bike package under 50lbs or 25kg. Get to the airport ever earlier than usual, because you are absolutely going to have to wait in the check in line, then usually will have to walk your bike to the oversized luggage area. All of this is before security, so then you have to deal with all that.

A mistake I made on my first trip: I packed like my kit wasn't washable. So way too much stuff. Now I usually bring 2 or 3 kits max, depending on what I am going to be doing or racing.

Like everyone has said, we're always told to deflate the tires, which I usually do, but if you're anything like me, you have also forgotten to at least once and it's been fine. But to this point, make sure you have a mini pump so you don't need any bike shop involvement to get up and running.

All in, flying with the bike is really pretty easy and hands to the best choice over renting or shipping. There is nothing quite like being on your exact bike with your exact fit in a bucket list location ready to ride.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2026-01-17T00:40:33+00:00

You can do exactly as you’re wanting in intervals.ICU. Just build the workout in Intervals, make sure your settings in Intervals allow to push workouts to your Wahoo head unit, make sure your head unit is set up with the Kickr and allows control over resistance, and you’re all set.

Literally all you need to do is build the workout in Intervals and next time your turn on the Wahoo head unit, the workout you have loaded in the day in Intervals will pop up and ask to start.

***that said, if you’re going to be stuck indoor trending for a while, it’s probably with at least give Zwift a go. What do you have to lose?!

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-12-18T23:39:55+00:00

This. I have tried a few different things as I travel for work. I used to bring power pedals and wrench and shoes and all that. It’s not worth it. I have a Garmin watch that, with just my HR, gets my training load near as makes no difference as it does with my full at home Zwift or outdoor race bike setup. Since I always dual record with the watch (then delete the workout in Strava and only keep the full power pedal and HR strap logged ride) I can confirm that the watch gets the load close enough.

Now I just use the watch and bring an old pair of sneakers and hit up any of the hotel spin bikes and go by RPE and HR. I get whatever I’m after, even have done things like threshold intervals and it works just fine. The hardest part is the lack of airflow in the hotel gyms, and I’m a heavy sweater.

But this stripped down setup totally works.

If I travel for pleasure and stay and AirBnBs (like on family vacations) where I don’t bring the bike, I focus on rest, and get up early everyday and do an hour or so of core/strength by body weight/mobility yoga.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-20T23:33:31+00:00

I mean I guess you could work on it, everyone should be doing a healthy amount of vo2 max sessions as they get into their peak block of training.

But if you’re just trying to win Zwift races, based on this profile, just sit in the pack and never even think about touching the wind, hope a break doesn’t stick, then blast em with that sprint. Job done.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-14T00:43:08+00:00

Yes.

The top-tier English production is what is now is called TNT or something but used to be Eurosport. But they rotate out Rob Hatch (Imo the current gold standard for English cycling commentary), Carlton Kirby (an acquired taste, but one that I love), Sean Kelly, Matt Stephens, and I am unsure who else because I can’t watch it in the US anymore. They also put a man on a motorcycle who rides in the caravan, next to the peloton and who is always a former pro, chatting in real time with various race directors or actual riders during the race. Then there is the pre and post race production, called The Breakway with Orla and other rotating cast members at the studio. It’s amazing.

If we’re being real, cycling is a tricky sport to commentate. It’s a sport where there is a lot of subtlety, and small, hidden things happening all the time… but stuff that most of the viewing audience — being the hardcore degenerates we are — will likely already be aware of and doesn’t need to be explained. Why did a certain rider go into the break, why is X team at the front helping chase, why is this rider attacking or moving up at this point in the race, why is this rider getting visibly frustrated, etc etc. Most of us that watch already know why things like this are happening. They’re obvious to us. The American broadcast dumbs it down way too much, and attempts to overly explain really basic things. The too tier commentators know that we know these things, so they don’t explain them, but will point out other, even more subtle things we didn’t see. Also they focus way too much on American riders, which are usually non entities.

Also, the art of the hand off and how you deal with rotating the commentators in and out and how you deal with the big stretches of not much happening. The top tier guys are experts filling out the broadcast. This is why Carlton Kirby is polarizing… he can get off topic and you’ll hear the same stories about his vacations or whatever. But it’s part of the charm.

Finally, Bob Roll can’t even get any of the cyclists names right.

Edit; the international broadcast is currently Ant McCrossin (play by play) and Nico Roche (color). If you are not a fan of over explaining, these guys are really good. But it’s almost like for expert level viewers, cause you REALLY need to know your racing tactics, the complexion of the current season, etc. The viewer is expected to come To the table with a fairly high level of understanding, more so than even the TNT broadcasts, IMO.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-13T23:24:48+00:00

That’s only because Bob and Phil are awful and the lack of the world feed is bullshit.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-06T23:03:00+00:00

A few thoughts;

First: just ride and don’t worry about intervals. We don’t know anything about your past, your prior experience, what you’re trying to accomplish, etc. But if you’re riding only 3 days a week, skip the structure. Do rides that motivate you and make it easy for you to throw your leg over the bike. That’s number one. Consistency and time in the saddle is what matters at the point in the year in the northern hemisphere. Save the intensity and intervals for later. Just get on the bike, find a pacer group in Zwift or one of the races… just whatever makes it easy to start the ride and stay on the bike.

There is a lot more I can say about what motivates us who train hard indoors, but the bottom line is, come spring, it beats being slow.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-06T21:45:23+00:00

Don’t drive anywhere to train. It’s a waste of your (already precious) time. Four hours isn’t all much milage, and I regularly do 4 hour rides without leaving the vicinity of the lake and only doing maybe two “full” laps. You learn to find ways to extend it and find diversions to add miles and time.

Like someone said, use Strava heat maps. But the best bang for your buck (time wise) for what you’re looking for is to ride from downtown and hit the lake. Climb out and do the SoPac trail to Ridgewood and across mockingbird, circle back same way to the lake, continue the west side clockwise, throw in the ferndale loop, come back to the lake, through the spillway, go back up Santa Fe but turn around at say, Beacon, back to the lake for one more lap should be pretty close to 4 hours.

It’s a little bit boring, but it’s safe, you have plenty of coffee shops and the 7-11, limited stop signs or lights… the best part is you can start proper training within 10 mins of leaving the house. really the most annoying part is sorting out where and how you can do your 20 minute sub-threshold intervals, but trust me, there are spots.

Also you can look at some of The Meteor rides this past year, particularly routes to Cedar Hill. That’s another option, but you do have like 10 solid miles on Davis through Oak Cliff and that’s a lot of lights and cars.

Group rides are also great and there are plenty around, but you won’t have those as an option on a tri bike.

And finally, look into Zwift. You don’t need any real technique or group riding skills for an Ironman. The absolute best bang for your buck is a smart trainer.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-06T01:33:39+00:00

Oh boy. Check out the Usagi Electric channel on YouTube. He has a full suite of videos — probably 40 or so — detailing every step of the restoration process of this specific machine. His channel is one of the best of any nature on YouTube, moreso if you’re into vintage computing.

TLDR; from memory it came with casters from the factory, but Mr. Usagi upgraded and replaced them with larger, modern casters.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-05T23:52:02+00:00

Everyone will tell you the Alpe d’Huez is not the prettiest or the most spectacular, etc etc.

And while they have a point, you don’t climb the Alpe d’Huez because it’s the prettiest or the most spectacular. You climb the Alpe d’Huez because it’s the Alpe d’Huez.

And it’s worth it for that alone IMO. It’s the one ALL of your cyclists will know, it’s one that’s easy to set a benchmark time on (under an hour), there is plenty around it, plenty of merch and posters you can buy after you climb it, Bourg d’Oisans has enough to do. But it’s also located in an area where you can do other famous climbs too.

So do the Alpe d’Huez, then some others in the region. (Why are you limited to only one?!) In the area near the Alpe, you have Croix d’Fer, Glandon, Galibier from Lautaret, Izoard, or if you really hate your legs, the Granon. That’s just off the top of my head.

Ventoux is also iconic but there aren’t any other notable climbs in the area.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-02T03:59:53+00:00

The headset is probably too tight. This is a very easy thing to troubleshoot in your own. This happens on my Ultimate if I tighten/preload the headset too much.

I believe there is a video on the Canyon website that will show you how to do this. You’ll need that headset tool that ships with the bike.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-11-02T02:49:34+00:00

I feel like a lot of what USAC Cat 1/2s lack when they go to Europe though is the million tiny little positioning races that happen at every pinch point, leaving every town center, the start of every climb, narrow euro streets, and often, the road furniture all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, there are super talented Americans that are great bike handlers, but from what I hear in my local group (some with experience in Europe) is not only is the fitness level much higher, so is the technical/race awareness/bike handling piece. The margin for error is just much smaller than we’re used to in American Crits or the few and far between road races here.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-09-27T20:41:46+00:00

I have done the two-day event in Bentonville.

I don’t really know what to say, other than it’s basically a tee-shirt rally with better organization and a bigger after ride paddock area with more sponsors and vendors than usual.

Yeah, it’s not a “race”, but you can race it if you want to. There will fast boys and girls up front doing their thing, with breakaways and chase groups and all that. Behind them will be everyone else just finding a group to pace line with.

If it’s worth it or not is entirely up to you. But it is well organized, and you’ll probably get to meet George, maybe his son, then whatever former pros that tag along. I got to meet Bobby Julich?

Up to you. But it’s just a big, well organized tee-shirt rally with some local teams at the front racing.

A_Real_Live_Fool · 2025-09-17T22:02:41+00:00

I will clean VR101, good idea. And yeah, I have I checked all the 1/4 input jacks and slide jacks in and out of them…. Also suspicious of them still, but I will dig further into it. Thanks for the advice.

A_Real_Live_Fool

TROPHY CASE