A story in the Chicago Tribune this Sunday discusses the experience of finishing last. "You gotta figure if you finished last," says Jeff Kao (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), "it can only get better."

I love talking to new racers who have just finished last or gotten dropped: "Well, that sucked," they'll say, "but it was the most fun I've ever had. When do I get to do it again?"

Kao's perspective is a good one for new racers. Never in the history of cycling has there been a race without a last-place finisher, and as you begin the sport, there's a good chance that last place will be you.

If you're not last, you may find yourself dropped and riding alone, especially if you're thrown into 4/5's races with fitter, more experienced athletes. Except for the rare prodigy, most new racers should expect this. You're going to suck. Even extremely fit riders may get dropped until they figure a few things out.

And getting dropped can be humbling, if not humiliating, especially for those with marathon or triathlon backgrounds, where they received medals and adulation merely for finishing. (In cycling, only winners receive medals.)

But there's good news: Cycling has a quick learning curve. All it takes is patience and commitment (and maybe a little bit of time and money).

An unscientific survey of my team found that only about 40 percent made it through their first five races without getting dropped. Having observed dozens of new racers make it through their first few seasons, here's how I would characterize the growth of riders who train consistently, pay attention and don't give up:

1-10 races: You get dropped or finish at the back of the pack. You say a prayer before every turn. You wonder what you've gotten yourself into.

5-15 races: Something clicks. You stop getting dropped. You start noticing things. You can predict things. You grab wheels. You attack. (This is why I recommend new racers do at least 10 races their first season. If things haven't "clicked" by the end of the first year, it will be hard to come back the second year or be motivated in the off-season, and you're likely to lose whatever you've gained.)

10-20 races: You contest sprints. You come in the money a few times. You recognize other people and can spot who's strong.

15-25 races: You're consistently in the top 10 and win a race or two. People start recognizing you. Time to upgrade to the 3's.

The progression is predictable and rewarding, both to experience and to watch happen in others. Naturally, mileage varies. Natural talent or youth will help some find success much sooner than others.

As for Jeff? Well, he broke his leg this spring, but I have no doubt that he'll be a valuable source by the time the Trib decides to chronicle the experience of finishing first.

photo by Luke Seemann

Chicago cyclists are lucky enough to be close proximity to two velodromes, three if you count Major Taylor in Indianapolis. The Washington Park Velodrome in Kenosha, Wis., holds races each Tuesday, and the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook holds on Thursday and Fridays.

The benefits for roadies are many. Racing the track can be a great way to work on sprinting, often with multiple opportunities in a single race. And since the formats depends so much on tactics and even game theory, the track will make you a smarter racer. Some of the smartest tacticians I've raced with have track backgrounds, and I don't think it's a coincidence. (Hi, Tim! Hi, Shane!)

Even if you can't commit to a second discipline, or if you just feel you don't look sexy enough in a skinsuit, it's worth your while to go and watch.

Sometimes it's hard to get a feel for what exactly goes on in a peloton until you watch it externally, and the track lets you do just that. Indeed, the velodrome can be like a racing laboratory, and you get a complete, unobstructed view of each race's development. See which breaks work, notice how teams work to block, and observe when people launch their sprints and how well it works out for them. If you're part of a team, come visit the infield -- bearing brownies, if possible -- and listen as your teammates debrief and deconstruct each race.

UPDATE: Andy Daley (Team Clif Bar Midwest) sends along this route and recommends it for evening training and getting to the track. "One can do a workout on the Skokie path, make a detour to the 'drome on the way home, check out some racing on Thursday nights and bum a ride home from a track star." To get to the track, head west on Plotz Road until you get to Meadowhill Park.

Ever make mistakes in a race? Of course you do, and so do officials. That's why you should get in a habit of checking results as soon as they are posted. If you wait until results are online, it's too late.

Scoring a field sprint is like counting cattle in a stampede. Riders are regularly missed or mistaken for teammates, and sometimes numbers are obscured or illegible, even on the race camera. (Some riders like to crumple their numbers, but most officials say it makes them harder to read.)

Checking the results is essential if you're in the top 10 or in the money, but it's also a good idea no matter where you end up. You may need proof of the pack finish when it comes time to upgrade. Yes, it's sometimes a drag to wait, but any extra time just means the officials are being that much more diligent to get it right the first time.

If there is a mistake, you have 15 minutes to file a protest with the officials. Be calm, be polite, be patient. Officials expect riders to point out scoring mistakes and are more than happy to go over the film frame-by-frame with you.

It's a weekly routine: Racers huddled around picnic benches filling in their USCF waivers. They scrounge for a pen that works and scratch their heads trying to remember their girlfriends' phone numbers for the emergency contact.

There's a better way. Print the standard USCF release form. Complete all the blanks that won't change over the season, then make 30 copies and put them in your gear bag. Now all you have to do on race day is fill in the name and date of the event. Voila: An extra 2 minutes to go find where you put your chamois creme.

Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest) sends along this tip:

"Before any race starts the officials allow the field to take a lap to inspect the course, get a feel for how to take the turns and get a general lay of the land. This lap can be crucial to understanding the course as sometimes at full speed and surrounded by other racers one hasn't the time or the wherewithal to spot that nasty pothole or the gravel hiding around turn 3. It can also be a great time to psych one's self up or to visualize taking the turns or climbing the hill.

"Yet often times a rider will take that ever-so-important lap only to find him/herself staged at the very rear of a huge field; not the best place to start a Midwest crit. If one allows enough time for set-up, one can jump in with another field as they take their preview lap, thus avoiding the terror of the accordion. Just be discreet and polite and exit quickly."

Here's a discussion from local coach Steve Thordarson about the importance of being prepared for a course, using Snake Alley as an example. August's Downers Grove criterium, with its 8 turns and various bumps and road imperfections, is another one where pre-riding the course is essential. You'll see riders trying the course early in the morning, even before all the barriers are up.

It's often not possible to pre-ride a road race, but one should try to drive it to be prepared for the climbs and descents. And it's essential that one pre-ride the last mile. More than a few races have been lost because people didn't know where the finish line was and started their sprint too early or too late. Pick out useful landmarks for the sprint: Be in 10th place here, be in 5th place here, start the sprint here -- and cross the finish line in first here.

This tip comes from Matt O'Keefe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who read more than one report of riders clipping in poorly at Snake Alley.

1. Always clip in with the same foot at a standing
start to build muscle memory.

2. Always clip out when you stop instead of doing a
track stand, so you can practice clipping in.

There's always a guy who doesn't clip in quickly. Don't be that guy, and don't get stuck behind that guy. This is especially important in short criteriums that start fast and stay fast.

August's Downers Grove criterium is much like Snake Alley in this regard: If you're not at the front by the first corner, you're going to have a lot of ground to make up and not a lot of time in which to do it. (It just so happens that Matt won the 4's race at Downers Grove in 2004 and came in 2nd in the 3's in 2006, so he knows what he's talking about.)