14 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Racing

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[toddamelton]

Jeff, I like this type of format. Perhaps a video on how to work thru the inevitable challenges riders face.

[oliverbelvelin]

Hi Jeff! I would just like to thank you for everything you do for the cycling community. I think it’s amazing how you’re helping everyone to become a better cyclist 😊

[adamrstls]

This is great, Jeff - thank you! How about "10 things that make a great teammate". I'd love to hear your perspective from your years of experience

[mac]

Hey Jeff I have missed your fireside chats like this don't get me wrong I really do like the other videos you make are great however doing something like this video twice a month would be great.

[jgrefrath]

100% on point with your observations and I LOVE the format! This information cuts through the Internet sensationalism. IMO this content helps new aspiring riders come to grips with the fact that racing sucks, it's hard, but the actual racing part is unique and so awesome. At the end of the day, racers keep coming back for the challenge and fight of racing, not for gear, or watts, or wins. Sure, wins are a great motivator, but are rare or invisible for most. Keep this content coming!!!!

[jaxonrickel]

Wave to people, yes!! and always stop to help people! Thank you Jeff.
Ever since an octogenarian stopped to helped me fix a flat I ask everyone if they need anything. Had a disaster flat the other day and three guys gave me a patch and CO2 to fix it. Was 30 miles out. Saved my morning!

[MichaelIhde]

“The most important piece of gear I’ve ever bought is… this Scott” 😂

[LoganBeck]

Tip #2 "Prepare yourself for a lot of failures"... Yep, I'm doing great right off the bat!! 😂

[defiantparsnip]

I heartily recommend cyclocross to everyone who has the opportunity to do it. It picks up around the end of crit season, so you can carry some of your summer fitness into it. It's also great if you felt like you boned your A race, so you can use up some of that leftover fitness before you go into the winter doldrums of Zone 2. CX forces you to learn uncomfortable bike handling stuff while you're going cross-eyed on a 1-hour power session, and it really exposes where your power profile strengths and weaknesses are. It's also a fantastic opportunity to learn how to race with purpose. Why are you glued to that wheel? Why are you taking this line? Why are you letting that move go? Where are you going to make your move?

The bar to entry is super low. You don't need a CX bike, although it's nice. Run what ya brung and have a beer or two afterward. I love to ride two races, the category I'm in and the free-for-all open category, if I can.

[JanBernhart]

Nice! I've recently won my first crit after about 40 races. Enjoying the proces, learning from mistakes, perfecting the game plan, and sticking to it.

[Vitone]

Jeff, you’re a great racer and a great teacher as well. Thanks, I’ve learned a lot from your videos.

[Trimate]

The “problem” is about the gear thing. Todays really high qual stuff is a available for the public and this raise the level of amateur cycling, from training riders only to low level racers. Money talks and obviously its hard to accept if you cant have that hot sh*t that everybody else around you has. On one side it made cycling to even more competitive and interesting, on the other hand its sad that many people gets a Maap jersey before even able to ride without one hand on a road bike etc etc. great video jeff and thank you that sharing your experience with us!!

[Shykovart]

I'm not goin to racing stuff. I'm kinda old to start (35+) and I'm not fit (hope it's YET instead of ANYMORE ;) and it's war over here ;( But this recommendations was helpful. Thank you for sharing knowledge. Your videos become a part of my motivation to ride more and with more quality and sense. Thank you!

And yes this format is awesome!

[hlsk]

Another awesome video. Not sure about 1300w at 150 pounds (19.1 w/kg) being better than 1900w at 200 pounds (20.9) part, but the fact that I even checked the math is probably just cuz I’m taller & thus both on the heavy side and feeling defensive. 😬

[TheAndersreuter]

Love the format - so much info just given without walking around the cake pulling the time. I am normally an impacient viewer and skip when the talk gets long. Because people repeat themselves (GCN cough cough). I click on a video and expect the info farely imediatly without too much bullshitting.
And this was exactly that ! Thanks!

[jjjensen]

Tagerdem bandages is my tip if you plan on racing. Not that I crash much, it is nice to have for in case

[eikofujikawa]

I love watching your video, then
I started racing crits this year. So far, i got kicked myass a lot, but I love it! Hopefully, I will upgrade at the end of the season.
Keep making videos, please!

[thisandthatandotherthings]

Thanks Jeff. I would love to hear your thoughts on chainsets and (cassette) gear ratios, crank lengths. Are a lot of big watts coming from big front chain rings? If you are a low cadence cyclist should you opt for a bigger front chain ring since you cannot spin up the watts? Or should you stay with semi-compact to try and boost cadence / acceleration? How have your chainset setups changed over your years of racing?

[SR-fmft]

This is so on point! Wish I watched it 8 years ago when I got started. Anyone watching that is new to racing TAKE NOTES!

[stevenevangelista]

More of this type of videos Jeff! Being in depth with your tips really help us understand more as begginer cyclist that wants to race! Keep on going Jeff