My First Bike Race: Rookie Nerves, a Chaotic Start Line, and an Unexpected Overtake

Introduction

The day I signed up, I scrolled through the event page three times to confirm I had clicked “Group C”—the slowest amateur group, not elite, not Group A, but Group C. Even so, I still couldn’t sleep well the night before.

It was a road cycling race held in Hsinchu, with a route going from Neiwan to Hexing Station and back, totaling about 45 kilometers. The target finish time for Group C was around 1 hour 20–30 minutes. For many people, it might just be a relaxed weekend ride. For me, it was my first race, completely uncharted territory.

That Feeling at the Start Line

At 5:30 AM on race day, I finished a bowl of instant noodles in my hotel room and checked my gear list six times: Is my helmet buckled? Where is my race number pinned? Are my energy gels in my jersey pocket?

When we gathered at the start line, there were about 60 people in Group C. I looked around: some were wearing clearly professional team jerseys, some had carbon fiber wheels that made my aluminum rims feel even more ordinary, and a few were already warming up and chatting naturally, clearly not first-timers.

I stood in the middle-back, my heart rate at 95bpm—before anything had even started, just standing there was 25 beats higher than my usual resting heart rate.

The referee’s gun went off, and the race began.

The Early Section: A Completely Out-of-Control Pace

After the start, the group’s speed exceeded my expectations. It surged to 42 km/h right off the line, and I was completely carried along, with no ability to control my pace. My heart rate shot straight past 170bpm—a number that in my usual training corresponds to a 5-minute sprint effort, but the race had only been going for 3 minutes.

I tried to move toward the edge of the group to benefit from the draft and reduce my effort, but the group was shifting positions quickly, and with a moment of hesitation, I got pushed to the back. By the time I reacted, the group had already opened a 30-meter gap.

The moment I got dropped from the group, I had a split-second urge to stop, thinking, “Forget it, just finishing is enough.” But then I thought: “I’m already here, might as well go as fast as I can.”

The Middle Section: The Lonely Lesson of Riding Solo

From 15 kilometers to 35 kilometers, I rode completely alone. With no group to hide behind, I took all the wind myself, and my speed was about 5–6 km/h slower than when I was with the group.

But something strange happened—after losing the group, I actually started to really “ride.”

Because there was no one to follow, no external rhythm to latch onto, I began to focus entirely on my own output: pedaling cadence, breathing rate, line choice on the road. I started to feel which direction the wind was coming from, which corners I could enter early to shorten the distance, and when I should take a gel.

These are things you can’t feel in a group. Riding in a group is like running with a crowd; riding solo is truly having a conversation with the road.

The Final 10 Kilometers: An Unexpected Overtake

In the last 10 kilometers, I gradually caught up with several riders who had gone out too hard early on and faded in the latter part. With each person I passed, I felt an indescribable emotion—not pride, but a kind of surprise of “so I actually can.”

The last person I overtook was a middle-aged man on a carbon fiber bike. As I passed, he turned to look at me and gave a nod. I nodded back, then kept pedaling.

The moment I crossed the finish line, I cried. Not because of my placing, not because of my time, but because it was the first time I had truly and completely experienced the entire race from start to finish—fear, chaos, loneliness, focus, breakthrough—all compressed into that 1 hour and 28 minutes.

Practical Advice

• Choose a group with similar age and ability for your first race: Don’t challenge a group beyond your training intensity. First build race experience in a zone that’s comfortable but still has pressure.
• Pacing at the start matters more than being conservative afterward: The adrenaline of a mass start will easily push you past your power threshold. It’s recommended to deliberately keep your power low for the first 3 minutes after the start, then accelerate later.
• Riding solo can be just as good: Getting dropped from the group isn’t failure. In many mid-to-long distance races, the final result depends on individual pace management, not on group riding.
• Record all your feelings from your first race: Your first race is unique. It’s recommended to write down your feelings and data immediately afterward—it will be a valuable reference benchmark for future improvement.

Conclusion

My first race: 31st place in Group C, finish time of 1 hour 28 minutes.

That result isn’t worth mentioning on any leaderboard. But it was my own first time, and no one can take that away.

On the way home, exhausted and quiet in the car, only one thought occupied my mind: next time, I need to train my start.

Related Reading

• My First Road Bike Race: A Beginner’s Pre-Race Fear and Post-Finish Joy
• First Time Riding in the Main Peloton: The Shocking Education of a Road Race Debut
• My First Cycling Race: A Beginner’s Complete Preparation Checklist and Mental Preparation
• Imagine Being a Tour de Taiwan Racer: What Would Happen If You Got on the Course?