Exactly how do cyclists race? From all I\’ve ever found out about bicycle races, it\’s not all about speed. Common sense told me long ago that skill is even more important. You can have a casual cruising speed fit to put a top Tour de France sprinter\’s peak velocity to shame; but what happens if you don\’t have the skill to control and use that speed? Disaster, probably sooner rather than later.

Bicycle racing has been referred to as \”chess on wheels\”, so reading  all about bicycle racing tactics is, I\’m sure, a good place to begin. Watch bicycle races, either live or online/on TV; if possible, with a companion who can tell you what\’s going on, and why the riders do what they do.

But it\’s only the beginning, I\’ve no doubt. I could read an entire library full of books on bicycle racing, watch 100 races, and still be clueless if you thrust me into the peloton. After reading about how-to-race-bicycles umpteen times, and doing a few races, things I\’d read would probably start to come back to me as I was rolling along.

Before even signing up for that first race, I\’d want to pick the brains of experienced bicycle racers. And read a lot more, of course; to find out how cyclists race.