London - cat 4 racing

timmyflash

Just ordered my race license but not sure where to start.

I know of Hillingdon, Hog Hill, and Crystal Palace. Do any of these run races throughout the year that allow cat 4 to race?

I've looked them all up, but it appears relatively complicated, races run by various clubs, only eligible for certain races, only run for part of the year, but then winter series takes over.

Was hoping i could just turn up every Saturday morning, or a weekday eve in the summer (Crystal Palace only realisitc weekday option due to distance) and see what's what.

Or do i just have to figure out the different programmes and leagues? Looks a bit of a mystery at the moment.

Advice appreciated

timmyflash

Quick search of another clubs forum has revealed this:

http://www.kingstonwheelers.co.uk/kwccf ... php?t=5476

Handy if anyone else was wondering as well.

hammerite

I think all three have an evening series in the summer, but sadly these will all finish in the next few weeks as most of summer is already behind us (where?!). Not enough daylight really to host evening races beyond this.

Then it is a case of waiting until the winter series for regular racing at the same time.

Best thing is to go to the British Cycling Calendar, check out the Central and Eastern areas and choose "Road - Close Circuit". From there you should see the dates for races at most of these venues.

South shouldn't be too far from London so worth checking there.

TLI is another option, but not sure how many races there are round London.

Billy Dunlop

WTF is cat 4?

nakita222

4th cat, cat 4 is an Americanism

Homer J

Billy Dunlop wrote:

WTF is cat 4?

:roll:

furrag

timmyflash wrote:

Quick search of another clubs forum has revealed this:

http://www.kingstonwheelers.co.uk/kwccf ... php?t=5476

Handy if anyone else was wondering as well.

8) Better than the BC race calendar booklet.

racingcondor

Timmyflash - I'd recommend going to Hillingdon first as it's flat and realtively simple. Assuming you can keep up there then I'd head over to Hog Hill as it's probably the easiest circuit to ride on while you are inexperienced (sounds contradictory but you won't get experience racing in a bunch if you get shelled out the back 3rd time up the hill at Hog Hill, that's what you avoid at Hillingdon).

For Palace you'll need to get to CP closer to 6pm than half past as spaces are limited. The circuit is tight and technical with very little time for recovery so I'd recommend leaving that until you have some experience.

Those are only recommendations though, if Palace is closest then give it a try. I think it's the most testing circuit but if you're comfortable riding with very little space and can manage most of the race without getting dropped then you're doing very well for a new racer.

Billy Dunlop

nakita222 wrote:

4th cat, cat 4 is an Americanism

WTF is 4th cat?

hammerite

Billy Dunlop wrote:

nakita222 wrote:

4th cat, cat 4 is an Americanism

WTF is 4th cat?

It's the first category of competitive cycling that you need a race licence for. There's Go-race which is for complete novices. 4th Cat is the first step in British Cycling's racing structure. Once you've scored enough points (from winning or finishing int he top 10) as a 4th Cat you move to 3rd.

It goes....

Go race
4th cat
3rd cat
2nd cat
1st cat
elite

timmyflash

Cheers all.

Yep, i think first stop is Hillingdon as a tester, then maybe Hog Hill and i'd heard that CP is tight and tough for starters, but maybe good to keep in mind for next summer if the racing bug bites.

I ride with a club, but it has been commented a few times that i lose the back wheel - which is definitely true. So will have to ease myself in.

Is it possible to go to the tracks and just do a couple of laps just to scope it out? Not sure i'm happy about first time round being under race conditions.

hammerite

You can ride around the Hillingdon circuit at any time, unless there's an event booked on it.

racingcondor

timmyflash wrote:

Yep, i think first stop is Hillingdon as a tester, then maybe Hog Hill and i'd heard that CP is tight and tough for starters, but I'll be there next summer when the racing bug bites.quote]

FIFY

If you arrive 1 hour before the race and get signed on early then there's nothing stopping you doing 5-10 laps as a warm up, everyone else will be.

I wouldn't worry too much about losing the wheel in front on group rides either, you'll learn good habits like that while racing much faster than you would on the Saturday run.

kieranb

except some. like CP, will have junior races on before the seniors with a little break in between races, and one too many warm up laps will mean a position at the back of the bunch.

furrag

To elaborate a little more on the post I wrote on the Kingston Wheelers forum, I'm now nearing the end of my first season of racing, and here's what I think:

Hillingdon - fairly easy to stay in the pack. A few wobbly wheels, and lots of people who enjoy chasing breakaways. Sprint can be quite hairy with people sitting up sporadically or being all over the place. Too many crashes there, but it is a narrow circuit. It's all about positioning rather than power.

Hog Hill - the Hoggenberg climb every 2:30-3:00 soon adds up and takes its toll each hour. A 40mph descent provides some respite, but finish is on an uphill. A hairpin, and a couple of fast corners which people have overcooked/clipped there pedal on. I think it's a great circuit, but it has terrible drainage and a lot of people puncture there.

Crystal Palace - Madness. I got dropped first lap as I was at the back and riders in front lose the wheel in front of them. It made no difference as I'd have been shelled out sooner than later. A true crit in terms of no rest and sprinting out of every corner. Blind corner at the bottom of a descent followed by an off-camber left hander which then goes up a long drag. A hairpin with potholes too. Very fast, very technical. It's said if you can race Palace, you can race any other circuit.

There's also the Kitsmead and Accomodation road handicaps over at Longcross, Chertsey. E1234 races. The 3rds have stayed away a lot this year. They're great fun when you have a group of 20-30 doing a through and off to stay away from the likes of Wouter Sybrandy in a chasing group. I did Kitsmead, and we averaged 27.5mph I think it was over an hour to stay away. It was haaaaaaard!

dave35

We have fairly good drainage at Hog Hill-and we sweep the track before events and i've not seen that many punctures during races this year.
To the O.P, come over to Hog Hill and have a ride round, then maybe do the winter series-mostly done on the lower circuit so no hoggenburg.

izzy Eviel

is it possible to race 4th cat without doing circuits? Do they do road races?

jocksyboy

izzy Eviel wrote:

is it possible to race 4th cat without doing circuits? Do they do road races?

yes but usually 3/4 races check the BC website for details