Road racing takes place on predominantly paved surfaces. Teams are very common in road racing, which contributes to its tactical nature, and very often you do not get to pick your own pace; the group as a whole picks the pace for you. This tends to make road racing more dynamic and stochastic in speed than a Gran-Fondo event, for example. As teams or individual riders try to gain an advantage over other riders, there will be attacks and breakaways that require you to react quickly and recover in time for the next one. This requires a very well rounded rider who is able to spin comfortably on the bike for hours at a time, but also respond and recover from hard efforts throughout the race.
Two Approaches to Road Racing:
Dynamic Approach
A dynamic approach to Road Racing is appropriate for the rider who likes to "animate" the race. These riders will attack early and often, creating a bit of a hectic race environment. This approach is especially useful for courses with rolling hills since these dynamic riders are able to ride very hard for the duration of the hill, recover, and then hit it again shortly after.
This approach can be used to some degree for mountainous road stages as well if you are the type of rider that prefers to conduct multiple attacks on the way to the summit rather than one, steady and sustained effort.
Base: Sweet Spot Base I&II
Build: General Build
Specialty: Rolling Road Race
Steady Approach
A steady approach to Road Racing is what many describe as a "diesel engine", meaning steady power output for extended periods of time. This is a great attribute for long, mountainous stages spending the least amount of energy on your way to the summit is paramount. This approach is also a great option for breakaway artists because it will allow you to maintain very high amounts of power for extended periods of time while you slave away to keep the peloton at bay.
Base: Sweet Spot Base I&II
Build: General Build
Specialty: Climbing Road Race
Aerodynamics
Due to the high speeds encountered in road racing, your aerodynamic drag plays a huge role in your speed at a given wattage. Of course, aerodynamic drag is not something we eliminate entirely, however, we can take steps to minimize drag and reduce the watts wasted to the wind.
Strategy
Pre-Race Fueling
How to Make Your Position More Aerodynamic
Aerodynamic Equipment Choices that Make You Faster
Not quite the perfect fit?
Road Stage Racing: If your target event is a stage race rather than a standalone road racing event, check out this article.