14 year old son wants to start racing
Discussion
My eldest son, 14 now, 15 in July, wants to start racing. He went with a good friend of mine to watch him race last night in the TLI Cycling, Ciclos Uno North Weald Handicap Sereis first round held at North Weald near Epping. My son got talking to one of the stewards who suggested he start racing.
He's been coming out with me on short rides, 22-25 mile but he can comfortably average a genuine 18.8 - 19.1 mph over that distance, this has been measured using Garmin Edge 500's.
Anyway I'm not sure he's ready to start racing as so far this year he's ridden twice but genuinely averaged the times above over 22-25 miles. The overall ascents & descents on our rides described above are around 400 metres each way, so fairly flat terrain. The North Weald track is fairly flat and on the flat on the ride we did on Monday night over 5 miles he averaged 21.7 mph.
He has got a long way to go in terms of stamina as after 25 miles he's fading but that will come with more time in the saddle.
The bike he's been riding is my winter bike, 2009 Wilier La Triestina, aluminium triangle, carbon forks, carbon seat stays, and using a cheapish wheel set with Conti Gatorskins. He's going to use this bike this year and see how he gets on, but if he shines I may have to get him a race bike at some time as he is also 6'1" weighs 63 kgs and is bordering an XL size bike due to his height and leg measurements.
I'd appreciate any thoughts of the racers on here. I know you have to start somewhere but I do not want to scare him, if he's not quite redy.
Thanks,
Andy.
He's been coming out with me on short rides, 22-25 mile but he can comfortably average a genuine 18.8 - 19.1 mph over that distance, this has been measured using Garmin Edge 500's.
Anyway I'm not sure he's ready to start racing as so far this year he's ridden twice but genuinely averaged the times above over 22-25 miles. The overall ascents & descents on our rides described above are around 400 metres each way, so fairly flat terrain. The North Weald track is fairly flat and on the flat on the ride we did on Monday night over 5 miles he averaged 21.7 mph.
He has got a long way to go in terms of stamina as after 25 miles he's fading but that will come with more time in the saddle.
The bike he's been riding is my winter bike, 2009 Wilier La Triestina, aluminium triangle, carbon forks, carbon seat stays, and using a cheapish wheel set with Conti Gatorskins. He's going to use this bike this year and see how he gets on, but if he shines I may have to get him a race bike at some time as he is also 6'1" weighs 63 kgs and is bordering an XL size bike due to his height and leg measurements.
I'd appreciate any thoughts of the racers on here. I know you have to start somewhere but I do not want to scare him, if he's not quite redy.
Thanks,
Andy.
Edited by Andy OH on Wednesday 2nd May 09:40
my advice would be to join British Cycling, go to a few more races, join the local club and most importantly get him used to riding in groups, even if he drops off the back of club rides its the experience that matter and you are there to complete the ride with him. outright pace is good but he may suffer from not being tactically astute as other riders will have been competing for years. some expectation mgt is in order.
I dont have a BC handbook to hand (oh the irony!) but there are gearing restrictions for under 16s to stop youngsters pushing massive gears and developing an injury so he wil lneed to be training on a bike with suitable gearing. that in itself is no drama just make sure he is only using certain gears by adjusting the rear mech..
in short, join BC (he will need to get a licence anyway) and get him comfortable riding in groups. Try some 10m time trials as he can get a taste for cometition without the stres of other peopel around him.
best of luck, let us know how he gets on.
I dont have a BC handbook to hand (oh the irony!) but there are gearing restrictions for under 16s to stop youngsters pushing massive gears and developing an injury so he wil lneed to be training on a bike with suitable gearing. that in itself is no drama just make sure he is only using certain gears by adjusting the rear mech..
in short, join BC (he will need to get a licence anyway) and get him comfortable riding in groups. Try some 10m time trials as he can get a taste for cometition without the stres of other peopel around him.
best of luck, let us know how he gets on.
Pablo,
Thanks for your reply. The TLI steward said last night that for there particular races there is no restriction for gearing, that's one of the questions my son asked him as he was aware that there should be gearing restrictions for juniors. The TLI steward said he could have raced last night if he had his bike with him. The annual licence can be bought on the day for £5 (for a junior) and each race entry fee is only £5.
Weather pending I'm going to get him to come on the club ride this sunday and see how he gets on, if he gets dropped a few times then we'll turn back and head home at a steady pace.
He's keen to do it next Tuesday and he know's he'll probably get spat out the back but it's the experience of that close racing that he won't get anywhere else. We'll see how he gets on.
Thanks for your reply. The TLI steward said last night that for there particular races there is no restriction for gearing, that's one of the questions my son asked him as he was aware that there should be gearing restrictions for juniors. The TLI steward said he could have raced last night if he had his bike with him. The annual licence can be bought on the day for £5 (for a junior) and each race entry fee is only £5.
Weather pending I'm going to get him to come on the club ride this sunday and see how he gets on, if he gets dropped a few times then we'll turn back and head home at a steady pace.
He's keen to do it next Tuesday and he know's he'll probably get spat out the back but it's the experience of that close racing that he won't get anywhere else. We'll see how he gets on.
Inkyfingers said:
If you go on the British Cycling website you can search for nearby cycling clubs, find one which is a "Go-Ride" club as these offer specific races and training for youngsters where he can learn racecraft and test himself against his peers in a well organised environment.
Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I know we have the Welwyn Wheelers (Welwyn Garden City) about 25 miles away and they have produced some very good riders.Most important to get him used to using restricted gears, at that age it's a case of developing a good style and pedalling action, not just putting it in 53 x 11 or whatever to average 25mph.
So, stay away from time trialling, get some track work planned for and start him developing basic skills as others have said, riding in a group, learning how to ride on a wheel safely, cornering technics etc, probably more important than building up stamina, that will come quickly with the group / club riding. But most of all make it FUN !
Good luck
So, stay away from time trialling, get some track work planned for and start him developing basic skills as others have said, riding in a group, learning how to ride on a wheel safely, cornering technics etc, probably more important than building up stamina, that will come quickly with the group / club riding. But most of all make it FUN !
Good luck
Hard to tell really, he's only going to know where he is at after actually racing.
FWIW two people I ride with sometimes at my club, one is 14 or 15 and is capable of keeping up on the 80 mile training rides we do (obviously with JNR gears he spins out at times, and isn't as strong in the climbs, but he's certainly able to ride with us).
And another who is 16 has raced with me a few times, has finished in the bunch most times in the crits we've done which are an hour or so at 25/26mph.
Also worth bearing in mind that if he is indeed that size an height and not an exageration then he's likley to have his type of cycling chosen for him as he's certainly going to get a bit bigger yet!
FWIW two people I ride with sometimes at my club, one is 14 or 15 and is capable of keeping up on the 80 mile training rides we do (obviously with JNR gears he spins out at times, and isn't as strong in the climbs, but he's certainly able to ride with us).
And another who is 16 has raced with me a few times, has finished in the bunch most times in the crits we've done which are an hour or so at 25/26mph.
Also worth bearing in mind that if he is indeed that size an height and not an exageration then he's likley to have his type of cycling chosen for him as he's certainly going to get a bit bigger yet!
Edited by okgo on Wednesday 2nd May 12:51
Well, we went on the club run yesterday and decided to ride with the slower group, I did this intentionally to get him used to riding in a group and to get a distance in his legs. We did 56 miles at an average of 16.0 mph as per Garmin 500 and he was in with the group on the way out (23 miles) and led all the way back (33 miles). He got moaned at by one of the senior club members for taking off up the hills, but he thought they would follow him instead of grinding up the hills. Anyway the club captain suggested putting him in the faster group next weekend which we may do and see how he gets on.
jaedba2604 said:
why's that? not disagreeing with you, i just think that tt are a good introduction to competitive cycling. a shorter, 10 mile, would allow a beginner to get used to many aspects in an environment that allows easy self appraisal.
Firstly because currently there are no gear restrictions. Secondly, riding a '10' would lead to riding a '25' etc. Riding alone is not exactly important at that age, Loads of other 'skills' to be learnt, I would suggest riding cyclo cross and track would be far more beneficial, riding time trials, whilst not totally unimportant can begin much later in the development.
I started off riding just '10's and '25's and was quite good at it, managed to do a 59-05 at 14 yrs on 76" fixed, but when I started to ride the road more, I found I was lacking in all sorts of areas, sprinting, hill climbing, bike handling, riding on a wheel, all this had to be discovered and the way to do that was to not ride time trials. Plus, these days, if I had a son keen to ride time trials on UK roads it would be a major worry given the amount of deaths recently in TT's.
I'm not saying don't ride tt's ever, just saying that maybe leave them till he is 17 or 18, and even then make sure a top gear of say 52x14 is used. Just my opinion by the way ;-)
I will probably ramble a fair bit here but bear with me.
At 14 he is entering a window of opportunity for muscle development which needs to be controlled and mentored hence the restricted gears.
He can develop strength and muscle mass in better ways than a 10 and 25 mile time trials.
Also he is now also entering a cross roads in his development for motor skills both major and minor remember the saying you never forget to ride a bike, this is only true if you learnt before puberty.
Also when you are in a situation that puts you under pressure to perform you will revert to the technique what was FIRST taught to the person.
So as the previous posters have commented bike handling skills need to be developed these start as techniques within a task and then become skill full and embedded into the memory so become second nature.
The holding a wheel is a good example then rolling around a small group in a cross wind followed by doing this around a small [2 to 3 mile] square circuit as the group will roll around clockwise on one leg and anticlockwise the other this needs to become a skill not just a technique.
Riding in a local handicap league ride series would be a good development arena for him.
And good look.
At 14 he is entering a window of opportunity for muscle development which needs to be controlled and mentored hence the restricted gears.
He can develop strength and muscle mass in better ways than a 10 and 25 mile time trials.
Also he is now also entering a cross roads in his development for motor skills both major and minor remember the saying you never forget to ride a bike, this is only true if you learnt before puberty.
Also when you are in a situation that puts you under pressure to perform you will revert to the technique what was FIRST taught to the person.
So as the previous posters have commented bike handling skills need to be developed these start as techniques within a task and then become skill full and embedded into the memory so become second nature.
The holding a wheel is a good example then rolling around a small group in a cross wind followed by doing this around a small [2 to 3 mile] square circuit as the group will roll around clockwise on one leg and anticlockwise the other this needs to become a skill not just a technique.
Riding in a local handicap league ride series would be a good development arena for him.
And good look.
Whilst I agree with most of what racer bob says I think that timetrialling is an important facet for someone to have if they want to be competitive at road racing. Just keep him away from the silly dragstrip courses and get him onto some sporting/hilly circuits. That way he can learn about the art of climbing, descending and general bike handling skills.
mcelliott said:
Whilst I agree with most of what racer bob says I think that timetrialling is an important facet for someone to have if they want to be competitive at road racing. Just keep him away from the silly dragstrip courses and get him onto some sporting/hilly circuits. That way he can learn about the art of climbing, descending and general bike handling skills.
this was my thought. i wasn't suggesting 5 miles up and down a dual carriageway with aero bars..jaedba2604 said:
this was my thought. i wasn't suggesting 5 miles up and down a dual carriageway with aero bars..
That's fair enough if the lad really wants to do them (tt's)but it's a very 'British' thing and really doesn't mean very much at that age. It's always the emphasis on 'times / PB's' and not about position/placing.I can only repeat that if I had my time again I wouldn't have bothered with TT's at that age, just stuck to track / cyclo cross and circuit races, but each to their own.
it's interesting that the French system doesn't cater for tt's at all until riders reach the Junior catagory. Same with the Dutch and Belgians.
i started racing when i was 15, and i was forced to choose the two most accessible series to me, thursday night time trials and friday night mountain bike races, both in cambridgeshire.
i can't say as i'd have chosen a different approach as i did ok from this, it wasn't unknown for me to cycle 20 miles with a rucksack to compete in an mtb race and then home afterwards.
i guess if the lad's dad is keen to support him then other avenues are available. at that age i'd take what's available locally, any competition is good. if there is a mix available then perhaps other disciplines should take priority; you may well be right.
i can't say as i'd have chosen a different approach as i did ok from this, it wasn't unknown for me to cycle 20 miles with a rucksack to compete in an mtb race and then home afterwards.
i guess if the lad's dad is keen to support him then other avenues are available. at that age i'd take what's available locally, any competition is good. if there is a mix available then perhaps other disciplines should take priority; you may well be right.
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