Junior Tour of wales

WetAndCold

Hi, I'm thinking of entering the Junior Tour of Wales. Do you need to be in a team to enter this race? I'm a member of a club but I'm probably the only one who wants to enter. I'll be 17 in Feb and I believe the race is in August. Do you have to be 'mega' fit just to finish? or are there somewhat less 'serious' racers who aren't going at pro speed? I don't want to enter something out of my league. Even if I stick to a training reigime for the next 7 months.

Thanks.

acidstrato

you can enter as a lone rider, but some enter as teams. it is very fast racing and very demanding physically, you'll be doing 5 stages in 3 days and some big climbs. its not really for riders lacking experience tbh especially if you have to ride alone

Thick Tester

The following link tells you everything you need to know about the demands.

http://www.irishcycling.com/publish/upl ... result.pdf

It's bloomin tough. A former stable mate of mine was in yellow on the final stage till a horrible crash took him out. Two weeks before that he rode off the front of a 65 mile hilly 234 race and put 20 minutes into the bunch solo.

mentalalex

as far as i'm aware

It's invite only

ozzzyosborn206

a mate of mine rode it and said it was a solid race, i think you should do some national junior road races see how they go and that should give you an idea of the level you are at compared to the others in the race.

Pross

I rode it years ago as an individual years ago when it was a 2 day but I suspect that they will always favour teams over individuals although they may allow you to join a composite team. As far as I'm aware it isn't invitation only but a lot of places will be taken up by national and regional teams. A look on the website at the past winners will show you the sort of quality riders that take part, it is international standard and probably the biggest junior race in the UK. The route is great if you are a strong climber, there aren't many (if any) races in the UK, junior or senior, that offer a tougher course.

As Ozzy says, if you fancy it try a few of the junior national series races first. You will be racing against the same people as in the junior tour (although the tour will also have a few good Irish and possibly European boys as well!) so if you struggle in those your chances over 3 days in very hilly part of the world.

For the record, when I rode it I could finish in the bunch in local 3/J races and rode regularly with club mates and friends who were regulars for Wales and GB. It was only 3 stages over 2 days back then - I placed middle of the field in the prologue hill climb, got dropped very early on the first stage losing over 40 minutes and got dropped after 15 miles on the final stage with a few others. Two of us finished and lost over 30 minutes, I was last well over an hour down :oops:

Pross

Double post sorry

WetAndCold

Sounds hard, lol.
It appears that to have a chance in races like this you needed to be born to parents who got you cyling when you were 5 and racing when you were 8. I'm 16 and only started cycling last year, so I'm old in cycling terms if I want to compete at high levels. Life's unfair I guess :roll:
I'll still enter, even if it's for 2012. I'd rather have the experience of getting my arse whuped by some European who's already sponsored than never knowing what it was like.

Ooh and I like hills.....cz I weigh about 58kg.... I don't live far from Tumble mountain......better start doing some hill reps

Thanks for the replies.

emx

WetAndCold wrote:

It appears that to have a chance in races like this you needed to be born to parents who got you cyling when you were 5 and racing when you were 8. I'm 16 and only started cycling last year, so I'm old in cycling terms if I want to compete at high levels.

this has nothing to do with elitism, and everything to do with your own ability to ride the race. What sort of level have you been riding at..??

If you want to compete at high levels, you will need to be winning races at lower levels first.....you might be already, I don't know......

WetAndCold

I've never been in a cycling race before. It's just a lot of the replies appear to be saying that the junior tour of Wales is for junior pro's and not just any rider under 18 who wants to race a bicycle. Since I haven't entered a race before I obviously will never have a chance at the Tour of Wales due to only having a year and a bit before I'm too old. Of course I'm going to enter lower level races. But the Junior tour of wales looked like a cool race. When I posted the question I didn't realise it was so....'proffesional' for want of a better word.

emx

a race like that will obviously give priority to riders with 'form' - there's no other way of putting it.

Surfr

Don't worry. You've still got many many years to get your legs ripped off in the Seniors category,and then there's the Vets!

acidstrato

get up the tumble lad, if you can do hill repeats up that thing you wont be half bad. you'll be british hill climb champion by 21!

Tom BB

WetAndCold wrote:

Sounds hard, lol.
It appears that to have a chance in races like this you needed to be born to parents who got you cyling when you were 5 and racing when you were 8. I'm 16 and only started cycling last year, so I'm old in cycling terms if I want to compete at high levels. Life's unfair I guess :roll:

Nope you dont need to be born to cycling parents etc etc....Mentalalex is riding it, and is just entering his 2nd year of racing.........

you will need to be one of the better junior riders in the country to make it worthwhile turning up though.....not unfair, just the way it is......at 16 the world is your oyster mate

ozzzyosborn206

there is two riders from Guernsey and they only started riding when they were 16 i think a year later they were mixing it up at junior level and got 1st and 2nd in the national 10 mile tt champs, now both 20 one rode the commonwealths last year and is now riding for pendragon, the other qualified for the commonwealths but chose to go to university instead. What i am trying to say is if you have the talent and want it enough you could be mixing it up with the best guys in six months time

mentalalex

as tom bb said

this will be my second year of racing, this year will be as first year junior,
I've race for GB twice now, and will continue to do so. also on one of the UK'S best amateur development teams.
just go for it!!!!

MikeWW

One of our local guys was 17 ( I think) when he started to get into cycling. Started as a 2nd year Junior. He is now 19 and is currently in Majorca as part of the pro Raleigh team. Got a full season of racing lined up as part of the their team.
Plenty of early season races including the Junior series which kicks off next month

Tom BB

......however at the other end of the scale, Mike WW is knocking on a bit and last year was his first year of racing He is also doing OK for himself... think he rode for Cervelo Test Team last year-certainly had the lycra anyway :twisted:

MikeWW

Tom BB wrote:

......however at the other end of the scale, Mike WW is knocking on a bit and last year was his first year of racing He is also doing OK for himself... think he rode for Cervelo Test Team last year-certainly had the lycra anyway :twisted:

There are some cheeky youngsters about

Pross

WetAndCold wrote:

I've never been in a cycling race before. It's just a lot of the replies appear to be saying that the junior tour of Wales is for junior pro's and not just any rider under 18 who wants to race a bicycle. Since I haven't entered a race before I obviously will never have a chance at the Tour of Wales due to only having a year and a bit before I'm too old. Of course I'm going to enter lower level races. But the Junior tour of wales looked like a cool race. When I posted the question I didn't realise it was so....'proffesional' for want of a better word.

Where are you based and are you in a club? If you aren't currently riding with a club there are plenty in your area (I'm an Abergavenny boy myself, avatar is me on the Tumble when I was young and fit!). There are 3 clubs based in Abergavenny, another in Cwmcarn and Pontypool as well.

Assuming you don't currently ride with a club get along and join one to get used to riding in a group and get yourself entered in a few early season races, there are still quite a lot of 'proper' road races in South Wales. The local clubs will also have plenty of very experienced riders who can give you advice and if you do decide you want to ride the Junior Tour after getting a few races under your belt they may be able to help you find some other local lads to form a composite team. It's not so much that you have to be 'born to it',

I have ridden with several riders who started out at 16 or 17 and were on the Welsh junior team in their first season. The thing with the Junior Tour is that it is probably the biggest race for juniors in the UK and one of the few (if not only) junior stage races in the country so it does attract the top riders. I'm not trying to put you off and would strongly recommend riding it but only after having done a few races. It is a great experience but can be demoralising if you get dropped early on. The race is held over the August Bank Holiday so there is a whole racing season before then to get fit and obtain race experience.

As you may know the race generally finishes with a stage that climbs to the top of the Tumble so a chance to shine on local roads - if not this year there is always next year

WetAndCold

Thanks for all the encouragement
I've filled in an entry form. Looking forward to all the painful training sessions for the next 7 months

Just had a look on their webite.... Lots of pictures of 18 year olds with big shaved legs, expensive bikes and support cars. This is going to be fun..... :roll:

Thanks again.

Pross

Sorry for asking a silly question but you do have BC membership and a race licence don't you? Just from your posts I'm not quite sure if you are an experienced rider but just starting out racing or a total newcomer. As said before, if you aren't a club member already I would strongly advise you join one and also get quite a few races in your legs before this (it might be worth trying to do some weekends of racing on a Saturday and a Sunday to get a feel for things). I wouldn't worry about the quality of the bikes or the support vehicles (I would expect there to be neutral service) but the training and race experience are major factors. I did the race in my first ever season but had probably done 15 or 20 races prior to it including a full week of racing in the Isle of Man.

WetAndCold

I have already applied for race membership yes, I have filled in everything on the form except the 'BC licence No.' which I will fill in when it arrives. Yes I am a member of a club

WetAndCold

Ooh, yes I've also entered a Duathlon for end of march and a 50 mile race which is in April.
I also want to enter some races for July. I can't do anything in May/June though. (Exams )

emx

WetAndCold wrote:

Ooh, yes I've also entered a Duathlon for end of march and a 50 mile race which is in April.
I also want to enter some races for July. I can't do anything in May/June though. (Exams )

bear in mind, the majority of the riders you will be up against will probably have been racing every weekend since the middle of march. A duathlon and a 50 miler in April ain't gonna be enough.

Juniors with 'big legs' and 'expensive bikes' (possibly provided by sponsors) is another way of saying that they are right at the top of their game. I'm not sure you have taken this point fully on board....

WetAndCold

Maybe I should just wait until next year and just enter races without sponsored riders. Sounds better...

Pross

WetAndCold wrote:

Maybe I should just wait until next year and just enter races without sponsored riders. Sounds better...

If you are unable to race much due to exams that might be a wise decision. July and August tend to be slightly quiet on the road racing front compared to May and June. If you enjoy climbing there is the Tour of the Mining Valleys over Aberystwyth way in late summer which would be a good challenging one day race for you. I wouldn't want to put anyone off racing the Junior Tour which is an excellent race but it really will need a full season of committed training and racing to give you a decent chance of making the most of the race. Don't get put off by the sponsored riders thing though, most of those riding will be members of normal clubs but are good enough to represent their division.

ozzzyosborn206

seriously mate the sooner you start racing the better, putting it off this year won't do you any favours, if you do it this year and get a kicking well at least you still have another year as junior to go back and try again, try to race every week if you can, they don't have to be big races just 3/4 cat races if there is some close by. As a junior it could be the only time you get to race against such good riders, when i was a junior i did mainly mtb locally then decided to enter the junior national champs when i was 2nd year having just bought a new road bike, i sat in the bunch until i found myself on the wheel of someone who was getting dropped and didn't have the strength to get back on myself and so had to solo the last 10-15k. In that race i was riding along side guys like Peter Kennaugh who is now at Sky, Adam Blythe who rides for Lotto, Andrew Fenn who won Junior paris Roubix(i think)

maryka

WetAndCold wrote:

Maybe I should just wait until next year and just enter races without sponsored riders. Sounds better...

It's not about sponsored riders or privileged riders. It's about proven GOOD riders. It sounds like you think this race is a walk in the park or something! And you haven't done a single race yet? Your entering that race is like telling someone who's only skied the bunny hill to get out on a double black diamond run. The size of your 16-year-old b0ll0cks is admirable but a reality check is in order.

Anyway, you need to get out and start racing, the sooner the better, to gain the experience and skills and fitness needed to do this Welsh race. Entry to races like that is not a right, it's earned by cutting your teeth and achieving results at the lower level first. Getting out of 4th cat should be your first goal.

WetAndCold

maryka wrote:

It sounds like you think this race is a walk in the park or something!

First off i would like to apolagise profusely for my admirable 16 year old b0llcks.

Secondly I would like to point out that pretty much every post I have made Is me saying that the Junior Tour of Wales looks hard. I was close to entering and even downloaded the entry form, however I mentioned how good the riders looked, basically slating my chances. But I thought: Hey, I'll enter and loose, it'll be a good experience. Now I am going to do easier races and see where I am next year.

But please; point out what post made you think that I thought this would be a 'walk in the park' It must have come across wrong because I never meant to imply that at all.

MikeWW

WetandCold
Everything will all make a lot more sense once you have had a race or two. Just bear in mind if you want to have any chance of doing well you have to put a lot in. There's a lot of sacrifice involved but it can be done