Norwich Crits

danowat

Right ho, I'll aim to get there for half 12

danowat

Well..........interesting, very interesting.....

Circuit racing is TOUGH, 35 mins of total balls out effort for me, shame about the puncture Markos, would have been good sticking with that little group of 3.

Its very, very different from road racing and TT's, where you can sit at the same speed, the corners and hairpins call for a different approach.

Think I did fairly well for an amatuer on an entry level Alu bike, 5th overall, and 3rd in "class", out of a total of 13 finishers, they raced 3 groups together.

I'd definately say give it a go, its a blast, will be doing the next one.

These are my Garmin Stats if anyone is interested, an AVG of 20.9mph and Max spd of 25.3mph aren't too shabby considering the nature of the course, and an AVGHR of 176 and MHR of 181 shows how tough it is!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45700891

markos1963

Dan, it was pleasure racing with you today. I thought you rode really well and deserved the placing. You certainly didn't look like it was your first race and kept your lines well when it kicked off.

I think its a great way to start racing and I'm suprised more riders don't enter.

I was gutted to puncture and even more that I had forgot to bring my spare wheels but there you go. It's a shame as I was feeling really strong and with you and the girl so keen to stay on the front my heart rate was dropping down to 130bpm. I fancied bridging across to the next group during the second half of the race.

Here's to the next one.

danowat

Indeed, roll on 5th Sept!.

Not knowing a great deal about crit racing, how would one proceed to continue doing this sort of racing next year (season)?

markos1963

Well for the likes of us beginners we don't have much choice. The obvious one is the Lotus series but there is some doubt as to whether it will carry on(Lotus want the track back on wednesday nights for F1 testing).
Hopefully the Norwich crits will carry on if they are successful but we need more to turn up to show its worth running.
So if any one here are thinking of coming along please do there are two races left,5th &12th sept, and you should be able to enter on the day if you are worried about weather and all that.

danowat

I don't suppose anyone knows who was taking photos yesterday, and if said photos are (going to be) available to view anywhere?

Not that I am vain or owt.......

NeilMick

I might come along and watch the next one although I don't think I'm up to a decent enough level to participate!

danowat

NeilMick wrote:

I might come along and watch the next one although I don't think I'm up to a decent enough level to participate!

Seriously, if you can ride a bike for an hour, you are decent enough to have a go.

carl_p

danowat wrote:

NeilMick wrote:

I might come along and watch the next one although I don't think I'm up to a decent enough level to participate!

Seriously, if you can ride a bike for an hour, you are decent enough to have a go.

I'm tempted, but it took me months to pluck up the courage to do a club run and now I love that!

I sometimes watch the circuit racing on TV - is it wheel to wheel, shoulder to shoulder stuff, or is there a bit more space than that? How many riders are there in the race?

markos1963

Carl_P wrote:

danowat wrote:

NeilMick wrote:

I might come along and watch the next one although I don't think I'm up to a decent enough level to participate!

Seriously, if you can ride a bike for an hour, you are decent enough to have a go.

I'm tempted, but it took me months to pluck up the courage to do a club run and now I love that!

I sometimes watch the circuit racing on TV - is it wheel to wheel, shoulder to shoulder stuff, or is there a bit more space than that? How many riders are there in the race?

Carl you'll be fine. There are about 12-15 riders in the race atm and they soon get strung out due to ability. No shoulder to shoulder stuff but yes close wheels but as you ride in a club you'll be fine with that. If nothing else it will really hone up your handling skills in a car free environment. I'll even show you my crap lines around the course

danowat

Carl, do it!!! , its good fun.

Its wheel to wheel, but like said above, no more so than any of the sportives, or club rides I've been on.

Its something very different, and very challenging from road riding, and well worth having a go at least once.

hopper1

I believe we're 'hosting' the one on the 5th.
I'm doing the SDCC 10 TT in the morning, but may make it for the afternoon race...
Last chance before the Winter sets in...

markos1963

hopper1 wrote:

I believe we're 'hosting' the one on the 5th.
I'm doing the SDCC 10 TT in the morning, but may make it for the afternoon race...
Last chance before the Winter sets in...

And last chance to get me back for Lotus

hopper1

markos1963 wrote:

hopper1 wrote:

I believe we're 'hosting' the one on the 5th.
I'm doing the SDCC 10 TT in the morning, but may make it for the afternoon race...
Last chance before the Winter sets in...

And last chance to get me back for Lotus

Straight after a 10 TT.... I doubt it, mate!...
I'll have a go, though.

danowat

Who's up for it this weekend then?

markos1963

danowat wrote:

Who's up for it this weekend then?

Me! See you there Dan. I'm bringing some puncture proof tyres this time

danowat

Haha, yes, considering the nature of the course, it is tough on the whole bike!, hopefully there won't be any punctures this week.

NeilMick

Headed up there today and watched the race, didn't look too bad and was people of different levels, might have a go next week if I feel like it!

markos1963

NeilMick wrote:

Headed up there today and watched the race, didn't look too bad and was people of different levels, might have a go next week if I feel like it!

Good man. Get yourself along, our club is hosting it(VC Norwich) and it would be nice to get a good turnout for all catagories of racing.

danowat

Was good fun again, happy with my 5th place!! , nice to see a few more turning out, hopefully the final event will be a good'un

I had a photographer with me today

carl_p

markos1963 wrote:

NeilMick wrote:

Headed up there today and watched the race, didn't look too bad and was people of different levels, might have a go next week if I feel like it!

Good man. Get yourself along, our club is hosting it(VC Norwich) and it would be nice to get a good turnout for all catagories of racing.

I think I would like to try this, trouble is mother-in-law is in hospital at the moment so I might be required to look after my daughter.

Anyway, I'm assuming there is a beginners class race? What time is it and what time do I need to be there? Is there a chance to do a few practice laps before hand?

Nice action photo Dan - at least you could have smiled at the camera

danowat

The novice class (beginners) got (gets?) bundled up with the ladies and juniors, total of 24 riders this weekend just gone (15 in the novice class if I remember correctly).

Race starts at 13:30, I'd say get there around 1hr to 45mins before hand, to sign up etc, yes, you can do as many laps of the course as you want before hand, aslong as there is no race going on at the time!, its actually advisable, considering the nature of a couple of the turns, and its worth getting a decent warm up, as the race starts at a pretty keen pace from teh get-go,
I was smiling...........internally.......I lie, I was actually swearing "why the bloody hell did I decide to do this again, i must be mental" 8)

edeverett

Hey! I'm in the photo! In the grey top behind the yellow and pink guy - you can just see my shoulder...

The race was massive fun.

Lion-O

Its the last race this week. hope to see you all there. Its great fun i manged to get second in the e/1/2/3 race. good tight circuit and good hard racing!

danowat

Good fun for the last race, shame to see it all end TBH, had some good races 8)

markos1963

danowat wrote:

Good fun for the last race, shame to see it all end TBH, had some good races 8)

Well done you rode really well, i didn't expect to see you lap me! I was pleased with my sixth place but felt I should have tried harder to bridge the gap.

Next year I'm going to race on a Spec' Allez, both the Go Race and the Cat 1 race won by riders using them. James who won the Go Race did it single speed as his gear cable snapped on the way to the race! :shock: [/i]

danowat

Yeah, he rode a pretty epic race on a single gear, I try, and managed, to stay with the lead pack of 4 riders, for the first 20mins, but after that I just couldn't maintain the pace without risk of burning out before the race, but still, 4th is an improvement.

Will you be racing in the Lotus series next year?, I may consider it, especially if they do the same novice structure again, not sure I am fast enough for cat 4.

joeyhalloran

Are these going to be on next year, for a number of reasons I couldn't make them this year, but after reading this really want to do some!

danowat

I've no idea, its a shame it wasn't advertised better / more, but this seems to be a problem in general with cycle races/racing of this ilk?

The circuit was good, the speedhumps were interesting to negotiage, and the hairpin was a blast, how low can you go!!!, think I'll fit knee sliders next time

8)

markos1963

JoeyHalloran wrote:

Are these going to be on next year, for a number of reasons I couldn't make them this year, but after reading this really want to do some!

I don't think they are at the moment. Our club,VC Norwich, were talking about running a series but we are stuck for a circuit. Costs are high, about £150 min at the P&R so we need somewhere either free or cheap and easy to get permission for.