Myself like many others have a tendency to leap before we look when it comes to things we are passionate about. As my young daughter contemplates joining her Dad’s Road Racing team as the youngest junior I now have to budget more time and money some how. So this has lead me to think about this topic and get it down in writing to see if our desired road racing goals are financially feasible and time friendly.

So here are the items I know that must be covered in a season of Road Racing. I do not cover the costs of entry into racing in the below, such as bike(s), spare wheels, helmet….

Membership: Team/Club membership, Team Uniform, USA Cycling Road Racing License…

Bike Maintenance: Tires, Chain, Cassette, Shifter/Brake cables and cable housing, Bar Tape, Chain Lube, Cleaning Supplies, Tuning…

Bike Upgrades: Wheels, Drive Train, Telemetry/Power Meter, Cockpit, Frame, Fork…

Athlete Maintenance: Regular visits to Doctor, Coaching Services, supplements, training, travel, nutrition, gym membership, training equipment…

Race Day: Event fee(s), travel, lodging, meals…

The Unexpected: Injury Rehab, Bike Replacement, Equipment Replacement…

The list above represents costs I have incurred over the last 3 seasons as a beginning Road Racer. I am sure that I am missing items and some are optional. The further you climb in the cycling ranks some costs will increase and some will decrease.

I have teammates that not only race the local Road Race calendar but also cover the CX calendar. Other teammates are developing specializations such as Time Trialing which means specialized equipment.

I do not cover the actual cost’s on the above items for one very simple reason. Your mileage may vary. The amount of racing, training and traveling changes from year to year so I do not want to scare away possible new racers from the sport because we need new racers every year.

In a later post I will cover the time that should be considered when participating in this sport. Until then remember this “The best upgrade you can make is the one you make to yourself.”

Have a safe ride.

If you have been riding on the open roads for 6 months or longer I am sure you have had an unfavorable encounter with a motorist. I hope you have come out the other side with zero injuries.

To many times I see beginners and us old timmers riding close to the center of the road or ridding the shoulder. Both are problematic but maybe necessary from time to time, but not every ride.

Motorists, myself included, want to see cyclists who are confident and aware of what is going on around them. Motorists also dont want cyclists hogging the road.

I do agree that we will never make all motorists happy with our precence on the road but we can be safe and courteous in an effort to win over a few crtics.

Here are a few tips:
Ride to the right and give yourself 2′ of space from the solid white line. Doing so will give motorists ample space to pass you. For some reason if I ride the shoulder/white line many motorists think this is an invitation to pass me with only inches to spare.

Another reason for riding to the right is to dodge motorists with less that stellar driving abilities. As motorists come over hills on back roads they may cross the cener line and the same holds true for blind corners.

Be in the now and listen. Its easy to drift off into our own thoughts while out on a long solo ride. We should be keeping our ears open. I live in a rural area so everytime I here a Diesel Truck my next thought is does it have a trailer too.

Finally keep it friendly out there. My team has orders that if they are riding together or on their own they are expected to give a friendly wave to passing motorists. This has done wonders in my own community. We more oftten than not get a smile and wave back.

Be safe out there and enjoy the ride.