Mountain Biking to Road Racing

Strumpetto

I've been reading around about newbies getting into road racing, but I still have questions.

Okay, so I was just about to buy a new mountain bike. However, I mostly ride on the road, and a road bike would allow me to ride further, too. Mountain bike races are extremely fun, but I'm looking for something different. As a result, I've been looking into good road bikes and I've found one that I'd like to buy. Still, some questions.

I know I'd have to start riding 5, but if you're good enough, how many races/places does it take to move up? Typical question, I know.

I am more concerned, however, about pack riding, in that I don't think I would be too fond of it. My mountain bike race strategy has been to go balls out from the start and keep the lead. It's been sucessful. However, this is obviously suicide in road racing. I read that most cat 5 races end in field sprints, but why? No one is strong enough to make a move? No one can keep a lead? Also, at which point/mile in a race is it wise to make a move? Simply put, I'm worried about being the over-aggressive idiot/newbie who makes an ass out of himself. Any basic advice or words of wisdom? Thanks!

Pegleg

First off welcome to the road!

to move from cat 5 to cat 4 you must complete 10 mass start races(road or crit) TT do not count for this

pack riding can be tricky..make sure to practice holding your line..it gets more comfortable the more times your in a pack..group rides are good for training this.

your "balls to the wall" technique could work..I have seen it happen in races..but your conditioning would have to be far greater than anyone else in the race, which,no offense, is doubtful. It is much easier to keep a high pace with multiple riders together..rotating between pulling and drafting between the riders..it conserves energy and is faster.

IMH, the best place to be is the front half of the pack...look for someone who seems strong and grab there wheel.

the earliest I'd attack would be 5 laps to go(crit) or 4-5 k(road)..later would be better if possible..the point being you want to be as strong as possible the last few hundred yards

hope this helps ya a little

-Peg

Strumpetto

Thanks for responding to both my posts , Peg!

The info helped a lot, thanks. My problem is this: I can only afford one new bike. I very much enjoy mountain bike racing, as the enviroment is very friendly, and I love being out in the woods and tackling tricky terrain.Also, you don't need a license and you can move yourself up to a higher level voluntarily without having to qualify. (for local races, anyway) However, I think I would also enjoy being a roadie, too, for the speed and strategy involved. So I basically must choose between road racing and mountain bike racing. To be honest, road racing seems fairly intimidating. The people seem far more serious than mounntain bike racers. In any event, I think it mostly comes down to race availability. There are mountain bike races every weekend in my state, which is awesome. However, is road racing the same?Are there a lot of racing options in every state? Thanks!