How do I get into road racing?
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Not too strictly for a 4th cat race - but you may not be allowed to start by the commissaire if you have non-compliant helmet, clip-on aero bars fitted or non-compliant wheels (not sure about 3-spoke, I'd use a standard wheel unless you can confirm before hand that it is race-legal).Bhima wrote:So are the regulations (UCI?) very strictly kept to?
It's not like there are bike checks like they used to do a few years back, but if another competitor spots you using something that is not race-legal, they will probably inform the comm. In some cases, it's as much for their safety as yours.0 -
I would be surprised if you could get away with a 3 spoke or similar - stick to something with enough spokes to be within the UCI guidelines even if it isn't strictly UCI approved and you'll be OK - a 3 spoke in a road race would be taking the piss though.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
Bhima wrote:Bronzie wrote:or plain clothing if they are non club members.
Where do you get "plain" jerseys? All the ones down the local bike shop have some kind of logo on - does it matter if it is not COMPLETELY plain?
So are the regulations (UCI?) very strictly kept to? Would this mean I could not use my track/tt helmet or would I be allowed to use my 3-spoke front wheel? I also have my saddle 1cm too far forward in relation to the BB according to the UCI rules and it's not completely horizontal. Are they going to give me a hard time?
I used to work for British Cycling and got asked these type of questions a lot.
As a beginner racer - you can get away with most things (as others have said). No one will be at your race with a tape measure to check seat position, etc. You can wear sensible bike clothing with whatever logos and/or colours you want. Same goes for the helmet (but I don't recommend wearing a TT helmet for a road race). No tri bars, disc wheels or tri-spokes in a road race either.
If you're as good as you think you are - then you'll move up the ranks quickly - but there is a LOT of competition in the lower ranks.
There are some circuits not far from you where you can race (so you don't have to deal with the open road) but you'll need a car to get there. Club rising will help you a bit to get used to riding with other people.
Mostly - it's about getting out there, testing yourself and having fun!0 -
Things have changed a bit in the last few years! When I last raced the races were just split into categories with none of this regional and national business. Most races were just either 1/2/3 or 3/J/V/W. Do races still have bike safety checks? The last one I organised I was advised not to do the safety checks as I could end up liable for any faults that then happened so ended up just checking the gear length for the junior race.0
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Did Bhima ever make it to the start line????0
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Nope - stopped for the very reason you gave!Pross wrote:Do races still have bike safety checks?0 -
Right. Thought I should ressurect this because i've just been looking at entering races and a few people have been asking similar questions on here recently. There's a lot of info in this thread.
I have a few more questions though.
I've seen this a few times. What does it mean?
"all races are EoL."
A few races have a closing date for entry forms a few weeks before the event but allow you to turn up on the day and race. Is there a limit to how many people these races can take? Should I play it safe and enter early? Is there the possibility that I turn up and wont be allowed to start? I don't see the point of having a pre-entry system otherwise...
Also, just to confirm, as long as it's not a "go race" event, you'll get points on your licence for a top 10 place, right? I mean, that's assuming you have bought a "full racing licence" from BC on top of your silver/gold membership too? Am I right in thinking you get no points on a "provisional licence", it just allows you to race?0 -
EOL = entry on the line - so in other words, you do not need to pre-enter. ALthough if the event is full, there will be no EOL anyway, which is why it is always a good idea to pre-enter. Pre-entry is also very helpful to the race organiser, for obvious reasons...0
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Depends on the race, the harder the race more points on offer.Bhima wrote:Also, just to confirm, as long as it's not a "go race" event, you'll get points on your licence for a top 10 place, right? I mean, that's assuming you have bought a "full racing licence" from BC on top of your silver/gold membership too? Am I right in thinking you get no points on a "provisional licence", it just allows you to race?
see the table:
http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/road/a ... _Explained
Get a silver/gold BC membership and a senior racing licence.0 -
Apart from Hillingdon, where the easier the race the more points on offer. Hence the winter series gives out more more points than the summer races.Infamous wrote:
Depends on the race, the harder the race more points on offer.Bhima wrote:Also, just to confirm, as long as it's not a "go race" event, you'll get points on your licence for a top 10 place, right? I mean, that's assuming you have bought a "full racing licence" from BC on top of your silver/gold membership too? Am I right in thinking you get no points on a "provisional licence", it just allows you to race?
see the table:
http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/road/a ... _Explained
Get a silver/gold BC membership and a senior racing licence.0 -
Here's a stupid question, as I don't have a cheque book, will postal orders be accepted for race entries?0
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Infamous wrote:Here's a stupid question, as I don't have a cheque book, will postal orders be accepted for race entries?
Cash is fine.Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0 -
Thought so, cheers.0
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There is no pre-entry - entry on the day of the event (EOL=entry on-the-line) only.Bhima wrote:I've seen this a few times. What does it mean?
"all races are EoL."
Early season races are often over-subscribed (ie all pre-entry places filled before the closing date) as everyone is full of enthusiasm. You may get a place on-the-line if people don't turn up to ride after pre-entering but best get to the HQ early to get your name on the EOL waiting list. You may also have to wait until about 20 mins before the race start before you know for sure if you've got a ride which can mess up your warm-up. Number of riders depends on the circuit used, but races on the public highway are restricted to max of 80 in any case.Bhima wrote:A few races have a closing date for entry forms a few weeks before the event but allow you to turn up on the day and race. Is there a limit to how many people these races can take? Should I play it safe and enter early? Is there the possibility that I turn up and wont be allowed to start? I don't see the point of having a pre-entry system otherwise...
Correct - provisional licence doesn't entitle you to ranking points.Bhima wrote:Also, just to confirm, as long as it's not a "go race" event, you'll get points on your licence for a top 10 place, right? I mean, that's assuming you have bought a "full racing licence" from BC on top of your silver/gold membership too? Am I right in thinking you get no points on a "provisional licence", it just allows you to race?0 -
Get post this one as ive been thinking of racing but didnt really have an idea where to start or what the pace was like.
Does anyone else have their garmin (or other) sessions they can post up to give an idea of speed, heart rate etc from a race?Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond0 -
Gav888 wrote:
Does anyone else have their garmin (or other) sessions they can post up to give an idea of speed, heart rate etc from a race?
that's not really relevant Gav, because every race and every CV system will be different - the best way of finding out is to turn up and ride...0 -
softlad wrote:Gav888 wrote:
Does anyone else have their garmin (or other) sessions they can post up to give an idea of speed, heart rate etc from a race?
that's not really relevant Gav, because every race and every CV system will be different - the best way of finding out is to turn up and ride...
Ah, ok, I was trying to get an idea so I could replicate it in a workout. For example, this race posted earlier - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2541844 has a min speed of 17mph and a max of 32mph with 10 surges of speed and the durations of each surge. If I could replicate that as a workout I would feel I have the pace to race. Its just an idea really, I guess if you cannot ride at 17mph then there is no point in racing, or is that wrong because there is drafting which helps increase the speeds?Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond0 -
I think the general feeling I get from people is that it's an almost all-out effort for the duration but with a few "slightly over your limit" accelerations every few minutes. Also, someone posted something interesting recently mentioning that TTs are a sustained effort but races are stop/start efforts - totally different disciplines.
Sprinting inbetween traffic lights on a dual carriageway for an hour would maybe replicate it. I guess the only way to know is to actually race.0 -
The only training rides that come close to a race are chaingang type rides. It's very difficult to get the motivation to dig as deep as you can when racing. Which is one of the reasons why racing is the best form of training. Clubruns can have sprints in them or "races" up long hills, but that depends on the club and they usually won't be doing much of that till spring.
Don't ride on dual carriageways. :roll:0 -
Bhima wrote:I think the general feeling I get from people is that it's an almost all-out effort for the duration but with a few "slightly over your limit" accelerations every few minutes. Also, someone posted something interesting recently mentioning that TTs are a sustained effort but races are stop/start efforts - totally different disciplines.
Sprinting inbetween traffic lights on a dual carriageway for an hour would maybe replicate it. I guess the only way to know is to actually race.
there is no 'format' you can rely on at all. Some races bimble around until the final sprint, others are a bar-chewing thru'n'off slog-fest from start to finish - others are a combination of both. There is no such thing as a typical race.0 -
Gav888 wrote:Its just an idea really, I guess if you cannot ride at 17mph then there is no point in racing, or is that wrong because there is drafting which helps increase the speeds?
It's completely wrong, the worse you are at finding a wheel, anticipating accellerations, knowing when you can move back up to the front, etc. etc. the more energy you'll have to waste simply staying with the group. Experience matters a lot, which is why you should probably get out to a short crit circuit as soon as possible so you can practice being in a group (a short circuit is good for that as if you get dropped, you can jump back in next lap and learn again - no contesting the sprint though)
Down at Goodwood, I think a friend of mine sat in the 3rd cat race at just over 100watts average, her log from that wouldn't tell you much other than she's small, she's good at hiding on wheels and the race was boring. I'm sure many less skilled, or simply people interested in doing some work spent a lot more watts, but that's racing.
If you've got a car, getting down from Suffolk down to Hog Hill - which is perhaps not the most ideal circuit as the hill makes it more selective and the laps are relatively long - is perfectly possible, it'll cost you 30quid or so all in (probably doable by train if you need to) and you'll find out for yourself.
The worst that can happen is you crash - then a nice lady will clean you up and you have some tails to tell.
The next worst is that you get dropped - then you soft pedal for a bit, and try again - and get dropped again, but you end up with a good workout and are ready for next time.
After that, anything else is a complete success for your first race, so go try it!Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0 -
As others have said road racing is all about the constant change in pace,TT you ride on the red line from start to finish road racing can be way over the red line for any period of time but also well below the red line,from experince Hillingdon can be full on for one to one and a half laps then steady for half to one lap its not normally the full on that gets you dropped its being in the wrong place i.e not on a wheel or not being able to recover from the previous full on effort before the next effort.Averages at Hillingdon for the summer E123 are around 25/26mph but in the height of summer have seen a few 27/28mph.The only way to find out is to enter and have a go you may not "enjoy" your first one but you will be hooked.Good luck0
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Bhima wrote:I think the general feeling I get from people is that it's an almost all-out effort for the duration but with a few "slightly over your limit" accelerations every few minutes. Also, someone posted something interesting recently mentioning that TTs are a sustained effort but races are stop/start efforts - totally different disciplines.
Sprinting inbetween traffic lights on a dual carriageway for an hour would maybe replicate it. I guess the only way to know is to actually race.
In most races the effort is going to be the same or similar as for a TT with some hadrer bits depending on who is in your race.
You can try to simulate the race by doing a hard ride at TT effort with some harder intervals but until you race you will have no idea if this is enough or not.
If your not fit enough then the race will certainly feel flat out for whole race.
If your fit enough then it won't feel too difficult in the bunch.
The best way to judge if your ready is to train/ride with some guys who race and if you can stay with them on chain gang or training rides you should be ok.
Personally I never ride on a dual carriage way for any sort of training and only go on them if I am lost
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I find dual carriageways extremely safe as people never try to squeeze past, but instead use another lane to overtake. I'm not talking full-on bypasses, just standard 2-lane A roads. It's pretty much all I have near me in a 5-mile radius, so you learn to ride safely on them eventually.0
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You must be lucky, the ones here are always full both lanes and you get buzzed all the time and have to be really careful on slip and approach roads.0
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I'm another planning on doing some road racing this year for the first time. Can anyone recommend something not too far from Sheffield early on in the season to get me going? Anyone done the Darley Moor closed circuit one?More problems but still living....0
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I've done quite a lot of academic research on road races. I've gathered data from a lot of races with different people using powertaps or SRM cranks.
As a general rule 25% of the time the power reading is zero (although in small chunks) most of the time the subjects were riding at well below threshold (I'd measured this in the lab) but there were occasional big bursts of power - one subject well over 1200W - when I replicated these races in the lab it was easy to see the penalty from these bursts for up to 20 minutes after .0 -
blackhands wrote:I've done quite a lot of academic research on road races. I've gathered data from a lot of races with different people using powertaps or SRM cranks.
As a general rule 25% of the time the power reading is zero (although in small chunks) most of the time the subjects were riding at well below threshold (I'd measured this in the lab) but there were occasional big bursts of power - one subject well over 1200W - when I replicated these races in the lab it was easy to see the penalty from these bursts for up to 20 minutes after .
I'll be doing intervals in the morning then...0 -
HI guys, I have also been looking at getting into Road racing and been spending a lot of time doing intervals etc. One concern I have is being dropped on my first race.
Jibberjim mentioned pedalling easy then try again. I am assuming you mean when the bunch come round the circuit again, you can join on but not compete? If this is the case I guess you would not feel like too much of an idiot if you got dropped?0 -
haggisinlondon wrote:HI guys, I have also been looking at getting into Road racing and been spending a lot of time doing intervals etc. One concern I have is being dropped on my first race.
Jibberjim mentioned pedalling easy then try again. I am assuming you mean when the bunch come round the circuit again, you can join on but not compete? If this is the case I guess you would not feel like too much of an idiot if you got dropped?
If you get dropped at your freshest then I would suggest it is unlikely that you will jump on and maintain a place in the group on the next lap. What I would say though is keep training as hard as you can (or time allows) and then just give racing a go. All races are different, so don't give up if you struggle on your first attempt. Remember when you are hanging on by the skin of your teeth that everyone else is probably close to threshold too so don't give up and hold the bunch as long as you possibly can.
Jibberjim mentions circuit races. If they are tight circuits with lots of corners then these types of races will be the hardest to try and hang on the back of the bunch. Every time you hit a corner you will be sprinting your heart out to just stay on the back of the bunch. I'd recommend looking around for some TLI road races or BC 4th Cat road races on flat road circuits rather than tight crits in parks or town centres.
Hope that's useful.0
