racing full time

ozzzyosborn206

Right so next season i am planning on racing full time for 2/3 months, but i can't decide where, Belgium seems to have the most races and best system, but France and England would suit me better being hillier, does anyone have any idea if it would be possible to get 2/3 races a week in England of good quality without having to travel silly distances, also what is the entry fee and prize money like? as having raced in Belgium a bit this year i know that over there is it €8 and you get €5 back when you take your number back and €10 for a top 30 placing so you make money most races.

Any feedback would be appreciated just trying to compare places at the moment, obviously the cheaper it is to get by the longer i will be able to stay racing full time for. Cheers

Anonymous

Got to be Belgium!

jonmack

I've heard nothing but good things about racing in Belgium, do it!

CYCLESPORT1

Forget England at that level, to expencive and too much traveling - Flanders :P

Pross

Belgium but if you prefer the hills maybe base yourself in the Ardennes?

Pross

Also, it might be worth sending a PM to Dave_1 who is a regular on the pro forum, he's done a bit of amateur racing on the continent albeit a few years back now so things may have changed.

ozzzyosborn206

Pross wrote:

Belgium but if you prefer the hills maybe base yourself in the Ardennes?

not a bad idea, but i know of a place i can stay that is about 10k away from Brugge, if i go there i could always drive down the the Ardennes every now and then for a race, not sure if there is many amateur races around there?

Sheptastic

If you do end up going to the continent let us know your experiences! Would be greast to hear.

ozzzyosborn206

Sheptastic, this year i spent most of May racing in Brittany, the first few races i did were cat 1,2 and i got a kicking, then i realised that over there they only have categories 1,2,3 so a 1,2 is the effectively the same as a elite,1,2 in England but I think they are faster and harder. So after a few of those races i entered some 2,3 races and started to be able to mix it up, think i got a top 10 and a couple of top 20s but can't seem to find any results anywhere.

I then went to Belgium for about 2 months i got dropped in my first kermesse on the second to last lap and was pulled out, then my second i went alot better missed the break but went with a few smaller breaks after the main one that came to nothing and ended up 26th. After that i got a few similar results and they annoyingly got a virus which put me out of racing for two weeks then i had to come home for my brothers wedding so basically has three weeks of no racing, i then went to the alps for a week or solid training, went back to Belgium and did a super hard kermesse and was 55th or something but then got some form and was 16th then 12th in the next two.

While i was there i got into two inter clubs the under 27 Fleche Ardennes but that was full gas from the word go and i only lasted about 40k before getting dropped while spinning out in a 53 12(didn't have an 11 which i really needed) that was in June just before the virus then in Augest i started Perenches(think thats its name) and it was a similar storey on a cobbled section some guy about 4 wheels in front of me dropped the wheel and then none of us could get back on so it was game over.

So my aim for this year is to be able to consistently get top 20s in kermesses with some top tens and be able to hold my own in interclubs if i get in any and enter some Premier calendars and finish them.

Sheptastic

Ozzy that is proper racing! Not like the the domestic racing I do. How did you find the attitudes of the local racers to a Brit? During my first season I've found having no support hard when racing, were you unsupported?

ozzzyosborn206

in France i didn't have any support and that was real hard, did a 130k or so race in the mid 20s only had two bottles, my team mate packed dues to the heat and luckily passed me a bottle which lasted about 5 seconds. But for most of the races in Belgium a guy who owns a cafe next to where i stayed went to most of the races and fed us. Most of the local racers were pretty cool, there is just so many people from different countries i guess they are used to it however one time i was dieing for a drink and asked a guy who had a bottle in his jersey and two in his bike for a drink and he was like 'i don't have any'

Where have you been racing?

Sheptastic

No where more exotic than UK!
Last season my racing was around the west midlands as well as one in Wales, - the WASP RR.

If I had the time and money i'd be mover there! maybe i will anyway!

Swan-Neck

Hi guys, just wondering where abouts in belgium you stayed? was it with a friend or family or something? I am looking to spend around two months there in the summer and am looking for a place to stay during that time! Any help is appreciated

ozzzyosborn206

I stayed in a apartment of a friends family, alot of people stay on 'the farm' owned by staff who runs Kingsnorth International Wheelers http://www.crazyaboutbelgium.co.uk/belgium/have_a_go.htm