WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The fit rider entering their first licensed race
You ride well solo but have never raced in a bunch and don't want the rookie errors to define your day.
The club rider stepping up from group rides to racing
You're comfortable in a chaingang but want to understand what changes when results are on the line.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
The biggest surprise for almost every first-time racer is how little their fitness is the problem. You've trained, you've got a respectable FTP, and you assume the engine is what gets tested. Then the flag drops and you discover the race is a constant series of surges, brakes, gaps and reshuffles — and you're spending twice the energy of the rider next to you just to hold your place. The fitness was never the limiter. The skills were.
Cory Williams has built a whole racing programme around teaching people exactly this, and his point is blunt: positioning and bunch craft are worth more than watts in any race shorter than a mountain stage. Brian Smith, who's seen it from the rider and directeur side, says the same thing in different words — your first race is a lesson, not a result. You're there to learn how a bunch breathes, where the danger is, and how to be near the front without panicking.
Here's the good news, and it's the same good news Anthony gives every nervous first-timer: this is the most fixable thing in cycling. You don't need a winter of training to fix it. You need a handful of fast group rides where you practise holding a wheel, cornering in close company, and surging out of a slow section without gapping yourself. Six weeks of that and your first race becomes something you race, not something you survive.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Cory WilliamsProfessional cyclist; founder of Legion Cycling Team
For a first-time racer, positioning and bunch skills matter more than raw fitness. The energy cost of being badly placed in a surging bunch is enormous, and most newcomers exhaust themselves fighting to stay in contact rather than racing. Learning to read and hold position is the first skill to build.
Hear it: Criterium Secrets: Get Ahead of 99% of Your Competition | Cory Williams - Brian SmithFormer British National Champion; sports director and commentator
A first race should be treated as a learning exercise, not a results day. The riders who develop fastest go in expecting to read the race, hold a wheel, and understand the rhythm of a bunch — and they build genuine racecraft from there rather than blowing themselves up chasing a placing.
Hear it: Brian Smith on Suffering, Coaching & Winning | Roadman Cycling Podcast
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Do the race-specific intervals twice a week
From 6–8 weeks out: 10–15 reps of 30–60 seconds at 130–150% FTP with 60–90 seconds easy between. This builds the ability to repeatedly surge and recover — the actual physiological demand of a bunch race, which is nothing like a steady solo ride.
Use fast group rides as skills sessions
Join a chaingang or fast club ride weekly and treat it as practice: hold a wheel a hand's width off the rider in front, corner in close company, and surge out of slow sections without leaving a gap. These are the skills a race tests constantly.
Recce the course and arrive early
Ride or study the circuit beforehand. Know where the corners, the drag uphill, the wind and the finish straight are. On the day, arrive early, warm up properly with a few openers, and line up near the front rather than drifting to the back.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEAssuming fitness is the limiter and skipping bunch-skills practice.
FIXSpend 6–8 weeks in fast group rides. Handling and positioning decide a first race far more than your FTP does.
MISTAKESitting at the back to feel safe.
FIXThe back does the most braking and the most sprinting — it's harder and more crash-prone. Start near the front and work to hold position there.
MISTAKEGoing to the front and driving the pace early to 'show form'.
FIXSitting on the front into the wind for no tactical reason wastes the energy you'll need later. Shelter in the bunch, conserve, and save your efforts for when they count.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How fit do I need to be for my first race?
What category should I start in?
What should I do the week before my first race?
How do I deal with first-race nerves?
Is it safe to race in a bunch as a beginner?
Should I race a criterium or a road race first?
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