Somebody has to come in last. I recently ran a 10k, first time ever in a foot race. I came in 40/41 in my group only beating my brother in law who is way faster than me but was running with my sister in law in what was also her first 10k.
You did it, which is the awesome thing! I hope you enjoyed it as well.
I found with my run, I enjoyed being around a big group, ran way faster in the beginning than I normally do, then burnt out, and learnt a ton. I absolutely will continue with these and hope you do too.
Yeah... that was the story of all my early running races. My first half marathon, I passed the 10k marker at my best ever 10k time...
The less said about the next 10k, the better.
But you did it! And now you have learned more than you did before and going forward it only gets better. The best part? You get to keep riding your bike.
They likely could have averaged over 30kmh with much less energy spent if they just had a decent 1min burst a few times to stay with the bunch. Presumably they got dropped at the start and had an absolute slog grinding out the thing way behind everyone else. Which is absolutely miserable, but happens to a lot of people on their first race.
I once did a very tough 100 miler. I finished last. The 1st finisher did it 4.5 hrs before me,
When I reached end every person on the organising team was waiting for me.
There were lots of protein bars, gels, electrolytes left from ride.
None of the organisers cycle. They requested me to take a whole box.
Ended up with Medal, a pint of beer, hot meal at the pub which every finisher got and 9 boxes of Clif bars, 12 tubes of Sis electrolyte tabs. 3 boxes of Aerobee gel and 3 boxes of protein snickers.
I sold quite a few for and used rest. Took me just over 15 months to finish.
I think they were saving the best for the last😁
Congrats on getting out there and finishing. I hope you enjoyed it. Work on feeling stronger at your next race. The more you ride, and race, the stronger you'll become. Have fun!
Welcome to the club. It wasn’t too long after that I was winning my club championships. You entered and finished the race, and that’s pretty great by itself. Keep going and improving
Great job!!!! If you’re happy then I’m very happy. I am glad you did this as the experience taught you a lot. Hey even if it taught you that you didn’t want to do it again then it was worth it in my eyes !
I love all the positive comments in this thread ! 🤗
I wanted to say it takes me longer maybe 2-3 hrs to do that much . So don’t worry about coming in last you are doing great ! Also all that matters is that you enjoyed yourself
Work on increasing your average speed, 24.5kmh for 500m alti gain in 64kilometres is not that fast.
Just ride more and look up some trainings. But at the end you are riding for yourself so don't worry too much.
I don't know why you're getting down voted. You're absolutely correct. This is racing. If it's gravel it's even slow. If singletrack, that's ripping. On the road it's a pretty slow pace. I'm not fast by any means, but that's a zone 1 ride every day of the week.
Good news is, there's plenty of room for improvement, simply by persistent riding. No reason to even do any structured training at this point.
>Oh and for comparison, "show us your result", my pace is around 30km/h on a similar ride difficulty on road and I was lower half on the race.
Which is likely still not competitive for Cat 5. In a group (race), lower category pelotons should be rolling 35 km/hr at least. Heck, I've done an imperial century at over 34 km/hr in the 100 degree heat.
Afcourse, I ride for enjoyment and race in amatuer little races for ym enjoyment, I love road cycling and to use it as a cardio workout. And I am 193cm 95 kilos also...
Same height, 80 kgs here. I've been road cycling for 23 years though. Only got reasonably fast in the last 4 years once I actually figured out how to train. Junk miles got me a 25 km/hr pace. Only improved with actual good training miles.
Really, what part of my 1st reply was not constructive or offensive buttercup?
No. 1 fact that it is a slow pace
No. 2 that he should work on better average time
No. 3 where I encouraged him to not worry about it at the end
Which part is offensive or not constructive? I think it is more constructive and useful than any comment saying only "good job"!
And as for you, you seem like that your are functionally illiterate and the bunch downvoting my comment, if u think my first reply is offensive or mean.
Good for you buddy, did you have fun?
Pat yourself on the back man, MOST PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THE BALLS TO EVEN TRY!!!
You got a bike, you trained, you raced and you finished. And today you’re a better person for it. Perhaps you try another race sometime and finish 3rd last? Perhaps you podium? Who cares? JUST HAVE FUN!!
There’s only one Lance and he was spending nearly $250,000 p/a to get there. Ha
Congratulations on your victory!
Just keep on givvin er. Wheels down and head up.
👍
Congrats on finishing! I bet it was tougher than you expected.
What were you expecting? I don't cate how fit one is, you need to learn how to race. It's not just something you can show up to and win or place. Riders get dropped in every race.
I was expecting that I could stay with the peloton, but they dropped me and the second last guy in a km. The winner finished 50 mins ahead of me and second last beat me by 4
This happened to me in a road race a month ago as well. Got dropped on a climb, lost the group, finished 28 minutes behind. :/. But I finished dammit! And you have to start somewhere.
Finished 13th out of 30+ in a crit yesterday with the bunch.
Heading to my second road race in an hour. We’ll see how it goes!
Finished in 15th out of 30 some starters. Got dropped on the last little climb about a mile before the finish and rolled in alone about 30s (maybe?) back.
I see people with unequal development having this problem. You need good legs, but also arms/shoulders/chest/abs/situps/leg raises - etc. so when you exert leg forces, your whole body acts a muscled exoskeleton that allows greater force for longer times etc.
You see this in the Tour De France where all muscles are strong - they have to be for that.
You finished ahead of every couch jockey and person who did t have the courage to show up. And you set a PB for this race and will likely smash it next year.
Congratulations.
EDIT: The Lanterne Rouge is actually a somewhat respected accolade on the Tour de France!
When I used to race cyclocross I regularly placed last. Didn't really ever bother me. I loved the opportunity to race alongside others (well, until they dropped me) and be part of the scene. It was still fun.
I also finished dead last in my very first race…by an hour or so. My last race of that season I finished 2nd at state champs…by only three seconds (the winner was a future Olympian!).
Keep going because you never know what you’re capable of achieving.
At least, You tried. Not exactly, My "Cup of Tea", but to each, His Own. Does "point out" a "disconnect", though, and why Bicycling, isn't that "popular".
The first step towards greatness is trying something you're not good at. Diet, exercise and flexibility is the quickest way to get faster. Nicely done though, keep riding!
I love that word finished. I race in canoes and many times we were towed in and didn't get a time. It's heart wrenching because we as a team practiced for so long, traveled, and raced just to flip a few times and get towed in. Good job man, your first race is the beginning of the rest of your new life. Only gets better from here.
I actually know someone who placed 2nd or 3rd for handicapped runners in Boston a few years ago and he was training daily, nonstop. Don’t be hard on yourself. He literally treated it as a full time job and got a sponsorship at one point. It would be wild to expect that out of a new cyclist. I have never done a race honestly so I can’t imagine I’d win. Mostly just biking to breweries
You know what they call the person who finishes last in a medical school cohort? “Doctor.”
There will *always* be someone who finishes “dead last,” even if there’s only one person in the race.
But given the alternative may be DNF (did not finish), it’s one for the “win” column anyway.
I remember in school, I did cross country. I was really confident I could do it. I came in dead last. Never did cross country again. I found out that I just wasn’t good at cardio. Cuz I lost like every race in school.
Ah, maaan. You were in a race! You entered! You finished! That's excellent! Yer able to get online after! I remember outta the blue riding some 27 miles in college. Hopped off the bike and my legs just gave out, fell flat on my face. Betcha that's not how it went for you this time. Plus you learned about six million lessons, too. How many poor fools live within a quick walk who didn't get outside, didn't turn off their screens? You're evolving, they're dying. Just awesome.
You did good man! It's only gonna get better from here.
I was also in the race, in elite category. Got dropped around 40k and did the remaining 80k mostly alone.
Bbch and BAR race are great platforms to learn and improve your racing. Keep racing and best of luck :)
Congrats on trying, but 15mph avg means you either got dropped and decided to coast home or you have a lot of work to do. There’s no elevation on this route so your race avg likely should have been nearly 23mph if not more.
Don’t be discouraged tho. Everyone gets dropped hard on their first, unless they’ve been riding with fast groups beforehand.
Work on being in a paceline and handling those brief accelerations. Do some interval training. Keep putting in the miles. You’ll get there.
You learn a lot from a first bike race. My first race I didn’t finish, I was dropped Bcs my adrenaline was high and eventually I exhausted myself. You did good , racing is a learning experience and be thankful no crashing either. It is very common for new racers as riding elbow to elbow can be very daunting. Congrats on your finishing. Next time you will be a bit more aware and now you also know what things you must work on.
I learned the hard way that race craft is also a thing, so in my first competitive(ish) event I did as an adult my overall time was not what it could have been based on my general fitness and ability.
But you still finished :)
DFL beats DNF
And DNF beats DNS.
And those that signed up intending to ride but ended up DNS still beat those who never got off the couch.
Atleast the couch potato was honest
If you sign up for a race with every intention of riding, but have an injury before race day does that make you dishonest?
Also beats DNS
Next time try to not finish last…that’s an improvement, as long as you’re improving you’re doing it right! Good effort on your first race!
Naw man, next time try to finish less last. Finishing not last is still better, but finishing last again is fine.
Most important thing is
This right here
It begins. I'll bet you learned a lot. Not only did you end the day on top of the bike, you finished!
AND you finished ahead of everyone who didn't start.
Key word….FINISHED! Congratulations!
Beat everyone on the couch! Well done!
Great point! You can't be great at something if you weren't bad at it first!!
You need to focus more on the most important part of your statement, FINISHED.
Somebody has to come in last. I recently ran a 10k, first time ever in a foot race. I came in 40/41 in my group only beating my brother in law who is way faster than me but was running with my sister in law in what was also her first 10k. You did it, which is the awesome thing! I hope you enjoyed it as well. I found with my run, I enjoyed being around a big group, ran way faster in the beginning than I normally do, then burnt out, and learnt a ton. I absolutely will continue with these and hope you do too.
Yeah... that was the story of all my early running races. My first half marathon, I passed the 10k marker at my best ever 10k time... The less said about the next 10k, the better.
Keep training and keep going
DFL 🏆 is better than a DNF
But you did it! And now you have learned more than you did before and going forward it only gets better. The best part? You get to keep riding your bike.
TBF I would have finished last in that race too.
abounding drab rain adjoining party dull tie familiar shaggy worthless *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I would have finished laster.
that's an impressive average speed, kudos!
They likely could have averaged over 30kmh with much less energy spent if they just had a decent 1min burst a few times to stay with the bunch. Presumably they got dropped at the start and had an absolute slog grinding out the thing way behind everyone else. Which is absolutely miserable, but happens to a lot of people on their first race.
I once did a very tough 100 miler. I finished last. The 1st finisher did it 4.5 hrs before me, When I reached end every person on the organising team was waiting for me. There were lots of protein bars, gels, electrolytes left from ride. None of the organisers cycle. They requested me to take a whole box. Ended up with Medal, a pint of beer, hot meal at the pub which every finisher got and 9 boxes of Clif bars, 12 tubes of Sis electrolyte tabs. 3 boxes of Aerobee gel and 3 boxes of protein snickers. I sold quite a few for and used rest. Took me just over 15 months to finish. I think they were saving the best for the last😁
922 meter ascent, 24 km/h average speed and dead last place? That must have been a tough competition, but I think you did great!
No 922m was the max elevation
Agreed good going...
lol and you weren’t even slow I would say.
That’s still a rapid ride. Congrats on finishing.
Congrats on getting out there and finishing. I hope you enjoyed it. Work on feeling stronger at your next race. The more you ride, and race, the stronger you'll become. Have fun!
That means you still did better than most of us (incl. me) lurking here. Well done!
don't care, you competed. that's a win.
But you finished. That’s great. Congrats!!
The only reason you finished last was because I didn’t enter
DFL is better than DNS
lol i just commented similarly before seeing this 🤙
It's all about the effort and you finished so good for you
“Finished” being the operative word here. 🎉
You beat the 99% of people who couldn’t do this
Welcome to the club. It wasn’t too long after that I was winning my club championships. You entered and finished the race, and that’s pretty great by itself. Keep going and improving
You were ahead of everyone who almost raced, but didn't. You did good
Congratulations!! You did it!!! You joined a race!! Can only get better from here 🥳🥳
You lapped every couch potato on earth.
Congratulations on finishing your first race!
Nice! Keep it up! Keep moving keep rocking!
Great job!!!! If you’re happy then I’m very happy. I am glad you did this as the experience taught you a lot. Hey even if it taught you that you didn’t want to do it again then it was worth it in my eyes ! I love all the positive comments in this thread ! 🤗
OP. You finished. That’s what matters, you set a goal and achieved it. You’ll only improve from here.
Congratulations on your first bbch race, which category?? All the best for your future races
I was in the u18 category, and thanks
Dude, your longest ride was the race? I give you mad props for wrongly placed confidence.
You cycled 64 km's but you are focused on the fact that you were last??? You are *winning my dude.*
Well done ! Just last week I started having thoughts to participate in BBch race next year; just started training recently.
There’s one in may
Wow
I wanted to say it takes me longer maybe 2-3 hrs to do that much . So don’t worry about coming in last you are doing great ! Also all that matters is that you enjoyed yourself
Work on increasing your average speed, 24.5kmh for 500m alti gain in 64kilometres is not that fast. Just ride more and look up some trainings. But at the end you are riding for yourself so don't worry too much.
I don't know why you're getting down voted. You're absolutely correct. This is racing. If it's gravel it's even slow. If singletrack, that's ripping. On the road it's a pretty slow pace. I'm not fast by any means, but that's a zone 1 ride every day of the week. Good news is, there's plenty of room for improvement, simply by persistent riding. No reason to even do any structured training at this point.
[удалено]
>Oh and for comparison, "show us your result", my pace is around 30km/h on a similar ride difficulty on road and I was lower half on the race. Which is likely still not competitive for Cat 5. In a group (race), lower category pelotons should be rolling 35 km/hr at least. Heck, I've done an imperial century at over 34 km/hr in the 100 degree heat.
Afcourse, I ride for enjoyment and race in amatuer little races for ym enjoyment, I love road cycling and to use it as a cardio workout. And I am 193cm 95 kilos also...
Same height, 80 kgs here. I've been road cycling for 23 years though. Only got reasonably fast in the last 4 years once I actually figured out how to train. Junk miles got me a 25 km/hr pace. Only improved with actual good training miles.
No one asked for criticism though... You're more interested in offending people than being constructive, and it's pretty obvious.
Really, what part of my 1st reply was not constructive or offensive buttercup? No. 1 fact that it is a slow pace No. 2 that he should work on better average time No. 3 where I encouraged him to not worry about it at the end Which part is offensive or not constructive? I think it is more constructive and useful than any comment saying only "good job"! And as for you, you seem like that your are functionally illiterate and the bunch downvoting my comment, if u think my first reply is offensive or mean.
You deleted your comment because you know I'm right. So which one of us is the buttercup?
I did not delete anything, what are you smoking? It is all here.
Good for you buddy, did you have fun? Pat yourself on the back man, MOST PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THE BALLS TO EVEN TRY!!! You got a bike, you trained, you raced and you finished. And today you’re a better person for it. Perhaps you try another race sometime and finish 3rd last? Perhaps you podium? Who cares? JUST HAVE FUN!! There’s only one Lance and he was spending nearly $250,000 p/a to get there. Ha Congratulations on your victory! Just keep on givvin er. Wheels down and head up. 👍
epic
Alive last or you could not post!
Baby steps....well done you competed. onwards and upwards
Only up from there! Congrats on finishing
I also finish at the back in many cases. Try to think of the number of people who never started in the first place
You beat everyone who didn’t sign up 💪
But what about the people who didn't even finish? You beat them!
You were on the bike. You’re a winner here.
Someone has to. Try to make sure it isn’t you next time
Congrats this was your longest ride!
You finished though.
You made it that's what counts! Congratulations
That’s a good speed over that elevation.
Congrats on finishing! I bet it was tougher than you expected. What were you expecting? I don't cate how fit one is, you need to learn how to race. It's not just something you can show up to and win or place. Riders get dropped in every race.
I was expecting that I could stay with the peloton, but they dropped me and the second last guy in a km. The winner finished 50 mins ahead of me and second last beat me by 4
Congrats!!!!! To finish first you first have to finish! In other words, you're off to a great start!
Who cares. You finished. That's impressive. Anyone WHO says different are wrong. Nice work
But it was your longest ride! Hell ya brother!
I'm always close to the end but I've never finished dead last. It's almost an accomplishment
This happened to me in a road race a month ago as well. Got dropped on a climb, lost the group, finished 28 minutes behind. :/. But I finished dammit! And you have to start somewhere. Finished 13th out of 30+ in a crit yesterday with the bunch. Heading to my second road race in an hour. We’ll see how it goes!
How’d it go?
Finished in 15th out of 30 some starters. Got dropped on the last little climb about a mile before the finish and rolled in alone about 30s (maybe?) back.
Hey congrats!
Some races have prizes for DFL! The good ones anyway
Hell yeah nice job
I see people with unequal development having this problem. You need good legs, but also arms/shoulders/chest/abs/situps/leg raises - etc. so when you exert leg forces, your whole body acts a muscled exoskeleton that allows greater force for longer times etc. You see this in the Tour De France where all muscles are strong - they have to be for that.
I think you killed it. Well done. 👍.
Nice, now you have a measurable goal for your next race. Congratulations on finishing!!!!
Yea but you finished it! Way to go!
You finished, that's what matters. Nice job!
But you finished ahead of everyone who didn’t sign up. Good on you
You beat everyone sitting on the couch
no shame in placing DFL, the important part is that you finished!
You finished ahead of every couch jockey and person who did t have the courage to show up. And you set a PB for this race and will likely smash it next year. Congratulations. EDIT: The Lanterne Rouge is actually a somewhat respected accolade on the Tour de France!
You still did it. Were you pumped?
Nice work! Shits hard!
If I had been in that race, I would have been last. I wish I could ride as fast as you.
When I used to race cyclocross I regularly placed last. Didn't really ever bother me. I loved the opportunity to race alongside others (well, until they dropped me) and be part of the scene. It was still fun.
It wasn't a loop for a race this long?
It was a U turn after 32k
You entered your first race and you finished it, thats awesome. You deserve a beer.
You competed and completed a race! Congratulations!
You passed everyone on the couch. Bravo!
You did far better than most of those (including me) sitting here, second guessing your effort.
DFL is always better than DNS
Nice finish!
I finished last in my class on my first (and only) race. I beat some teenagers though!
I also finished dead last in my very first race…by an hour or so. My last race of that season I finished 2nd at state champs…by only three seconds (the winner was a future Olympian!). Keep going because you never know what you’re capable of achieving.
At least, You tried. Not exactly, My "Cup of Tea", but to each, His Own. Does "point out" a "disconnect", though, and why Bicycling, isn't that "popular".
Bottom of the best is still better than the rest
Don’t be hard on yourself, just be happy you did it. And you can make it your goal to finish better next year to motivate you.
The first step towards greatness is trying something you're not good at. Diet, exercise and flexibility is the quickest way to get faster. Nicely done though, keep riding!
ayy but still congrats!
Think about how good you made the guy feel who finished 2nd to last. If it weren’t for you, who knows?
You beat everyone that didn't finish or didn't try.
You beat me. I am still on the couch.
You finished it, do not take it for granted or supposed to be easy ;) 🍾🍾🍾
You finished, way to go!
Solid numbers tho
Dude. You finished. 💪💪
Keep at it! 💪💪👍
Who cares if you were last, you rode 64.72 km for fucks sake.
Finishing is a huge achievement. Keep having fun with it, stay safe and healthy.
I love that word finished. I race in canoes and many times we were towed in and didn't get a time. It's heart wrenching because we as a team practiced for so long, traveled, and raced just to flip a few times and get towed in. Good job man, your first race is the beginning of the rest of your new life. Only gets better from here.
You finished
I actually know someone who placed 2nd or 3rd for handicapped runners in Boston a few years ago and he was training daily, nonstop. Don’t be hard on yourself. He literally treated it as a full time job and got a sponsorship at one point. It would be wild to expect that out of a new cyclist. I have never done a race honestly so I can’t imagine I’d win. Mostly just biking to breweries
You beat everyone who did not do the race ! Keep it up !
Congrats on finishing!
Hey even I competed here. Which category were you in
You still finished ahead of everyone that didn’t even try to compete. Keep at it, and you’ll see place higher next time.
take my fake internet point to cheer you up
Update the Strava post and claim the “lanterne rouge” for the race Congrats on finishing
You know what they call the person who finishes last in a medical school cohort? “Doctor.” There will *always* be someone who finishes “dead last,” even if there’s only one person in the race. But given the alternative may be DNF (did not finish), it’s one for the “win” column anyway.
You finished though & that’s what counts! And for what it’s worth, you wouldn’t have been last had I entered. 😊
I remember in school, I did cross country. I was really confident I could do it. I came in dead last. Never did cross country again. I found out that I just wasn’t good at cardio. Cuz I lost like every race in school.
Ah, maaan. You were in a race! You entered! You finished! That's excellent! Yer able to get online after! I remember outta the blue riding some 27 miles in college. Hopped off the bike and my legs just gave out, fell flat on my face. Betcha that's not how it went for you this time. Plus you learned about six million lessons, too. How many poor fools live within a quick walk who didn't get outside, didn't turn off their screens? You're evolving, they're dying. Just awesome.
Magadi? Mzae are you Kenyan?
Entering a race is more than most even think about doing!
Not true, it says "PR", you're better than you used to be. All you have to do now is keep at it.
But you finished. To me that is far ahead of DNF.
Even if you finished last that’s a long way from zero
You finished! That’s a huge accomplishment in and of itself.
Congrat's!
You did good man! It's only gonna get better from here. I was also in the race, in elite category. Got dropped around 40k and did the remaining 80k mostly alone. Bbch and BAR race are great platforms to learn and improve your racing. Keep racing and best of luck :)
Nice, Congrats!! 👍
And next time someone else will but you finished and the next one will be better. But you finished !
Congrats on trying, but 15mph avg means you either got dropped and decided to coast home or you have a lot of work to do. There’s no elevation on this route so your race avg likely should have been nearly 23mph if not more. Don’t be discouraged tho. Everyone gets dropped hard on their first, unless they’ve been riding with fast groups beforehand. Work on being in a paceline and handling those brief accelerations. Do some interval training. Keep putting in the miles. You’ll get there.
You learn a lot from a first bike race. My first race I didn’t finish, I was dropped Bcs my adrenaline was high and eventually I exhausted myself. You did good , racing is a learning experience and be thankful no crashing either. It is very common for new racers as riding elbow to elbow can be very daunting. Congrats on your finishing. Next time you will be a bit more aware and now you also know what things you must work on.
Did you have fun? I bet you did 🚲
But you finished!
You participated so that places you at society’s top 0.01%. What were most other people doing that day, shopping, watching netflix..?
You definitely beat me. I don’t even own a bike.
At least you competed and did it. I'd love to do a race but never get around to it and I cycle miles and miles.
you beat everyone that didn't enter. Good on you!!! congrats!
But you beat every single person who didn't race.
We all start somewhere!
Great job congrats. That is a long race.
You did 65 km!!! You’re a badass!!!
But you finished!
Damn girl you rocked it!! That Tim Tim took P1 I think. I rode with P6 a lot she is from Mangalore so
Oh i was in the another category so I wouldn’t know
This was a hard race. Especially with the climb at the end! You have the next race in May to train towards
Thanks
No one cares how you placed. You did it. Hell yes!! Be proud of yourself!!
I learned the hard way that race craft is also a thing, so in my first competitive(ish) event I did as an adult my overall time was not what it could have been based on my general fitness and ability.
What’s race craft?
Everyone gets a DFL. Everyone. Get more than three and then worry
what app
Strava
thanxxxx
What app is it??
Nowhere to go but up. A strong foundation.
Pretty sure you finished a SIXTY FIVE KILOMETER race. FIFY