Would you sign up for a race you may DNF?

I wouldn't. I'd wait until I was better prepared. No reason to risk injury or a great deal of pain trying to do something I wasn't ready for.

X2

Well I would say that I would not just to keep from hurting myself. But I know that I would do it because I'm to stubborn not to.

It's a personal choice. If your goal was to "just finish" I would say no harm done. This is what a lot of folks goals are when doing a longer distance for the first time. But fact that you have early thoughts of DNF would have me signing up for a shorter race and making the race in discussion my goal for next season when I am ready.

I agree that if it was a running race (or even swimming) I would take a pass.  But this is a mtn/hill climb event on the bike.

I guess I try to justify that it's low impact and I can quit when I want/need to.  It's basically a 6% climb for 17.5 miles with max grades of about 11%.

I know I could grind it out on my MTN bike with all the easy gears, but worry about trying it on my road bike...

Around here folks who do the Mount Washington Hill climb often change out their gearing for the race. The bike shop I go to has a MTB crank they put on without the two outer chain rings and not sure about the cassette...

I have a 11-34 10 speed cassette with MTB derailuer with compact crank so nice 34-34 for climbing that I'd probably use.

There are some creative options you could come up with. Proper gearing is key to most hill climbs.

You'll always wonder if you could have done it.

Oh, something like that?  I'd do it.  Unless you've got bad knees ont eh bike, you're not going to hurt yourself.  And like Kathy said, you can change out gears.

I've done 9 mile climbs with 5-6% average grade max of 10 or so, it's not that bad, just pace yourself

No. I have no desire to go do something I'm not prepared to do.

When I decide to do something difficult, I tend to over prepare.  So I would not start if I really felt I would not finish.

If you feel you can do it on your MTN bike why not test yourself on the Road Bike....worse thing is the DNF...and maybe come out with some new knowledge for yourself!

Nope.  The purpose of signing up for a race (for me) is to give me a goal to work towards and then to see how my training has paid off.  If I know in advance that I may not be able to complete the race then I feel like I haven't prepared properly and earned the chance to race.  (Of course I use the term "race" lightly since I am a back of the MOP girl) Besides, races are just too stinking expensive to DNF.

For me it would depend on two things:

* why I think that the DNF is a significant possibility
* what the consequences would be for later on (especially later planned races)

For example:  if I was worried that I might not be able to finish the swim, then no, I wouldn't do it.

For example:  if I had an 'A' race scheduled not too long after the race in question, then no, I wouldn't do it.

But in your situation (a hard bike race that might prove too hard); yes, I would do it.  Heck, I've done some training rides that I thought I could end up 'DNF'!

In the situation you described i'd say yes...  

I signed up for an Oct race not knowning at the time if I'd be able to train for it due to some medical stuff, it was a risk, but if I waited it would have been sold out.   Then again I don't have a big issue with DNF or DNStart.   not saying I like it, but sometimes life or events happen.


go out and have fun

Interesting to see what others would decide/choose.

As for me, I signed up this afternoon.

I look at it this way.  I was going to attempt the climb as a training ride anyway this summer, and by paying 50 bucks (plus a 1 day cycling liscense of $10) I get a T-shirt, the atmosphere of a race, post race BBQ and most importantly, a supported and traffic controled event.

I'll throw my 12-27 on my wheel with my compact crank and see what happens.  I have done this type of thing in the past for fun (Mt. Evans in Colorado - granted, on my MTN bike) but I'm in much better shape now.

Do I think I'm going to hurt myself?  Nah.  Is there a possiblity when I'm 12 miles in and hit that second patch of 11% I may not have the legs to get up it?  Possibly.  I think there is something exciting about taking on a challange that you may not succeed at.  The worst thing that could happen is suffer the "shame" of getting picked up by the vehicle that does exactly that - pick up the failed attemps, OR just turn around and roll back the start/car.

I guess I like to sign up for difficult things to test my own limits.  If I KNEW I could not finish, I wouldn't start, but just the possibility of not finishing does not scare me.  Besides, no one would think someone like me could do it any way.  So I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying it.  I guess I'm not afraid at failing at attempting something that most people can't do anyway (without risking injury, of course).

I would do it for sure. Its not like its a TT or an Ironman... Just one helluva bike ride in the mountains. I dont think anybody needs to train for months for it.. Its just an excuse to put your body through some pain and suffering along with everyone else out there. Sometimes I feel people get way too into this not racing till your "trained". Do you think Lance made a mistake going out for the Giro? He wasnt trained. Do it and feel some pain.

Good post...sums up my feelings as well.

If you have a desire to do it, I think for anyone who has ridden a 6% grade before (or something close) for a mile or two has the ability to finish. The most important thing is to mentally prepare yourself. I think a race like this has similarities to an IM in its difficulty, because I bet there will be times where you will want to give up. However, if you prepare yourself for your mind turning on you and figure out ways to convince yourself to keep going and cope with the pain, I think you should do it. That would be a really cool race to have under your belt.

Also, if you decide to do it, I would say that it's not a shame to stop if you need a rest. In my opinion, stopping to rest and finishing the race as opposed to just quitting is a much better alternative.

Good luck with your decision!

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i'm too cheap to pay for a race i'm not sure i can do.