Starting Racing?
Squillinossett
Posts: 1,678
Well, after fallign head over heels in love with cycling, I want to try my hand at racing.
Thing is, I have NO idea how to go about it, so im looking for some pointers...
Kit wise, I assume everything I have is sufficient? noting special I need?
Training/Fitness - what kind of level do I have to be at for cat 4?
How? simple, how to I go about signing up to races?
Any other pointers would be greatly apriciated guys.
Thing is, I have NO idea how to go about it, so im looking for some pointers...
Kit wise, I assume everything I have is sufficient? noting special I need?
Training/Fitness - what kind of level do I have to be at for cat 4?
How? simple, how to I go about signing up to races?
Any other pointers would be greatly apriciated guys.
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Comments
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http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/
will provide most of the answers.
Best tip is to join a local racing club, they can see you ride, pass on tips re training, look at your bike (although as long as it hasn'e got mudguards on etc it should be ok).
Fitness wise, if you can stay on a wheel on a clubrun, you should be able to sit in in a 4th cat race.0 -
Well, bike wise, I will be using the "summer" bike as in my sig below.
Will have a look on the website, I will need a race licence wont I?0 -
Not necessarily, you can ride on a provisional licence for some events. You will need BC membership though (gold or silver if you opt to take out a full icence). If you race on a provisional you won't be able to pick up any points though.0
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Have a look at this thread as well:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=126141070 -
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SheffSimon wrote:
Looks interesting, and as I am based in Leeds, not too far away race wise as they all seem to be in Hull/Selby.
How do these races rate?0 -
Squillinossett wrote:SheffSimon wrote:
Looks interesting, and as I am based in Leeds, not too far away race wise as they all seem to be in Hull/Selby.
How do these races rate?
Think the Selby ones are more Otley/Boroughbridge way. I guess I might have raced on some of the circuits used in BC events in the past.
They are all handicapped starts, so riders set off in groups of 10-15, in similar age/ability groups, maybe two minutes between groups, with the faster riders being set off last (scratch group is the correct terminology if you want to sound like you know what you're talking about
)
Plan is that all groups should come together to contest the finish. Doesnt always work out that way of course. Sometimes back groups dont catch the front group and they get to sprint for the win. Sometimes back groups catch early and cause some pain to front group riders.
Either way, its all good. Plenty of riders treat them as training races for main event at weekends, and dont hold back.0 -
Bike looks good!Squillinossett wrote:Well, bike wise, I will be using the "summer" bike as in my sig below.
Will have a look on the website, I will need a race licence wont I?
Don't be spending loads on kit,as you might not 'get on' with racing,& if you do enjoy,then you can indulge/treat yourself as you improve.
The body is far more important than the bikeso many cols,so little time!0 -
I dont plan on spending alot on bikes really, I only spend what I have spare knocking about.
Look forward to doing some though, just need to get fitter.
How much training would one need to look at doing to get to a sufficient level to do well in Cat 4/3? (I know that different people will require different amounts, but looking for a benchmark!)0 -
I do loads............and I'm still shite! Depends on whether you chose your parents wisely - if you have a good natural aerobic ability, you can reach a good standard on fewer hours per week.Squillinossett wrote:How much training would one need to look at doing to get to a sufficient level to do well in Cat 4/3? (I know that different people will require different amounts, but looking for a benchmark!)
Very rough rule of thumb I'd say anywhere between 6 and 12 hours per week, but the real question is what you actually do in the time available.
Also bear in mind that many 3/4 races end in a bunch gallop, so if you don't have much of a sprint you better work out another way of gaining points.0 -
Squillinossett wrote:I dont plan on spending alot on bikes really, I only spend what I have spare knocking about.
Look forward to doing some though, just need to get fitter.
How much training would one need to look at doing to get to a sufficient level to do well in Cat 4/3? (I know that different people will require different amounts, but looking for a benchmark!)
Your Boardman is more than adequate for racing so dont worry about that.
Tell us what training you do now, how long you have been doing it.
I do most of my training on my commute home by extending it 1 or 2 times a week to about 2 hrs - normally its 3/4 hr each way. Then I do probably 3 hrs on a Sunday.
On that extended commute, I do some hard hill intervals, on the other commutes I do 6 hard 5 minute intervals. On the Sunday ride I generally just ride at a good tempo on the flat and give it some stick on the climbs (all in Peak District, so plenty of climbs!!)
Main thing for me is the quality of your training, not just going out and pedalling for hours on end, that wont get you race fit and competitive.
As I said, I dont know what base level you are starting from, but you need to have some kind of base which is where your longer hard rides come in. Plenty on here, myself included, have been training/racing for years (25yrs here) so it easy to say go out and do 3 hours, or some intervals or whatever, but if the basic power and endurance isnt there, that will take some effort to build up to and achieve.
The other thing you need to do is enter a race, just a TLI race or a 4th cat only, then you can see where you are and where you want to be. Gives you plenty of motivation for training in the dark/cold/wet also.
You wont regret it if you get into racing - first one is a bit daunting, but do try TLI races.0 -
Bronzie wrote:
I do loads............and I'm still shite! Depends on whether you chose your parents wisely - if you have a good natural aerobic ability, you can reach a good standard on fewer hours per week.Squillinossett wrote:How much training would one need to look at doing to get to a sufficient level to do well in Cat 4/3? (I know that different people will require different amounts, but looking for a benchmark!)
Very rough rule of thumb I'd say anywhere between 6 and 12 hours per week, but the real question is what you actually do in the time available.
Also bear in mind that many 3/4 races end in a bunch gallop, so if you don't have much of a sprint you better work out another way of gaining points.
+1, would certainly agree with that.0 -
As a very very veerrrrryyyyyy rough guide if you go out and ride 40-60 miles and come back typically averaging between 17-20mph (with your comp set to stop when you stop) you are probably OK to have a go at racing.
If you are coming home with average speeds around 14-15mph then unless you were taking it very easy or it's a very very hilly ride then you probably have a little way to go. Of course it's much easier if you are used to riding with others and are good at holding a wheel - if you are hopeless at bunch riding or very nervous in a bunch it will be very difficult. Best advice is always have a go though - and don't be disheartened if the first one doesn't go well it mostly takes a few to get a half decent idea of how good you are.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
6 to just be in the race, upwards of 10 if you're hoping to do well. Although I'm sure there are plenty of people who are great at bunch riding and hardly do any training.
Race in the south too. Way more races on so 4th and 3rd races are less competitive.Racing for Fluid Fin Race Team in 2012 - www.fluidfin.co.uk0 -
Dess1e wrote:(although as long as it hasn'e got mudguards on etc it should be ok).
whasup with guards? aerodynamic aid?0 -
Dangerous - they have a habit of shattering into razor sharp fragments in a crashTeam Banana Spokesman wrote:Dess1e wrote:(although as long as it hasn'e got mudguards on etc it should be ok).
whasup with guards? aerodynamic aid?0 -
Ave speed, on my "Sunday" ride, thats between 50-60miles I average about 18/18.5mph on my own. This is north Leeds so mix of flat and hills.
I do some work on the turbo now, and Im getting into the sufferfest vids, as this I find is good sprint and interval training.
Sprint wise, I seem to be ok when I mess around with mates, as due to history I seem to have alot of power in the quad dept, but could do with improving my pedalling motion.
I also plan to do 1hour hill training per week, was going to start that next week, weather permitting.
12 hours per week sounds good, should be able to push to 15 if needed.0 -
Oh, and bunch riding wise, I really enjoyed it, when I did the manc 100, I held a MUCH quicker pace than usual for the first 50 miles beofre the stop, and really enjoyed riding in a bunch, much more than on my own! this is what made me want to give racing a go!0
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FIgures sound good. I rarely manager more than 18 / 19 mph on long solo training rides. So if you're doing the speed work as well, you'll be fine.0
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To keep newbee questions in the same place!
I'm interested in trying my hand at racing, but dont want to fork out for a race licence when I might only do one or two races this year (given other committments, unknown talent, traveling involved etc).
Looking at this race list: http://www.pzwheelers.co.uk/races.php
Do I need to buy a licence to take part in the Crit on the 24/04/09 (and subsequent ones in the series)?
Seems like you need to be prepared to travel a lot to get a lot of racing in.0 -
It isn't clear from the link whether you will or not but I have looked on the British Cycling website and it lists the race as the following classifications:-
National B
Regional B
Go Race
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/Bridge/calendar_future.asp?evt_cp=1&evt_mode=0&evt_id=&evt_seriesid=&evt_myevents=No&RefID=&RefType=&evt_month=2&evt_kw=&evt_regions=South+West&evt_disc=Road+Racing&evt_class=&evt_cat=&evt_series=&evt_resultspp=20
I assume there'll be seperate races something like E/1/2/3 as national B, 3/4 as regional B and 4 as Go Race.If you race in Go Race you can race with just a BC membership (gold, silver or bronze). If you want to enter the the regional B class you can still do this with just BC membership but will also need to buy a day licence. If you haven't got BC membership yet you are best off going for the silver option if you think you will race regularly as you can then buy a full licence later (you can with Gold too but the extra cost isn't really value for money).
Sorry if this sounds complicated, it isn't really - just a bit hard to explain lol0 -
You can enter the "Go Race" event on-the-line without a racing licence - think you pay a small premium (£5) as a non BC member.Milese wrote:Do I need to buy a licence to take part in the Crit on the 24/04/09 (and subsequent ones in the series)?
BC Bronze membership is £13.50/yr although it doesn't actually entitle you to much more than the ability to enter Go Race events without paying any extra - certainly doesn't include the 3rd party insurance that Silver and Gold do0 -
Thanks for all the advice.
So their will be 2 different races on the day, not mixed together?
Race one with E,1,2,3, race two with 3,4,4GR. As a cat 3 you can chose whether to go in either?
Is there any limit to the number of 'go race' races you can enter without buying a licence?
Its down as costing £5 for GR, is that the total price I'd pay if I turn up on the line without a licence? Disadvantages are that I cant gain points and dont have insurance?
3rd party insurance - is this protecting my against injury, rather than protecting my bike?
This event (and they have an evening version) is a series of 4. Can you just turn up and dip in and out of these events, without committing to them all?
Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for answering my questions that have probably been answered many times before!0 -
3 races - E/1/2/3, 3/4/J/W & Go Race - but they are all shown as 2pm start so not sure how they'll actually run it - 3 separate groups I guesMilese wrote:So their will be 2 different races on the day, not mixed together?
YesMilese wrote:As a cat 3 you can chose whether to go in either?
NoMilese wrote:Is there any limit to the number of 'go race' races you can enter without buying a licence?
Yes, as long as you are a BC Member (any of the 3 levels) - if not you also have to pay the £5 temporary membership feeMilese wrote:Its down as costing £5 for GR, is that the total price I'd pay if I turn up on the line without a licence?
Correct - no points awarded in Go Race eventsMilese wrote:Disadvantages are that I cant gain points and dont have insurance?
Protects you against being sued by a 3rd party if you cause them injury etcMilese wrote:3rd party insurance - is this protecting my against injury, rather than protecting my bike?
Probably - ask the organiserMilese wrote:This event (and they have an evening version) is a series of 4. Can you just turn up and dip in and out of these events, without committing to them all?0 -
Squillinossett wrote:Ave speed, on my "Sunday" ride, thats between 50-60miles I average about 18/18.5mph on my own. This is north Leeds so mix of flat and hills.
Sounds good - if you can do a ~ 2:35-2:45 for 50 miles then your ready. The standard is high, but it's fun (and a bit of a shock at first).0 -
What are the Go Race events like? I'm thinking of doing one either this weekend or in a couple of weeks.
Never raced before, but would like to just experience a race before I jump feet first into Cat 4. At the moment I'm not fully fit, so not sure if I'd be better of using the time to get some training in or not.
I'll be going to the meeting anyway as Jnr will be racing, just the Jnr race is a few hours after the Go Race.0 -
Probably not much different to a 4ths only event - expect it to be a bit nervous and jumpy as nobody will know what they are doing. Keep your wits about you.hammerite wrote:What are the Go Race events like?0 -
I did the Go Race event at Warwick Cycle Races last year. It was mostly very steady on a pretty narrow, technical circuit. There was the whole spectrum of riders from (a few) people in baggy shorts on mountain bikes to Cat 4 guys who could live with a fast chain gang.hammerite wrote:What are the Go Race events like? I'm thinking of doing one either this weekend or in a couple of weeks.
I enjoyed it and it was a good confidence booster. I would say that the majority of the people in it were 'sportive' type riders who fancied a go at racing.
Definitely the least intimidating introduction to road racing you're likely to find. Go for it!
John.0 -
Thanks Bronzie & JA.
My excuses not to ride have disappeared, the weather looks like it will be good (wasn't going to get the good bike out if the weather was bad), and I can get a longer ride in by riding home after Jnr's race, so can still do a bit more training.
Bit worried that some of the guys from my club may do the Go Race race as a warm up for the 2/3/4 race that follows, hope they or others don't go out too hard and I'm blown out the back in the first couple of laps! Apart from that I'm quite looking forward to it.0 -
I'll be very interested to see how you get on so would appreciate it if you report back.
Good luck!0
