New to road racing

Liam 2010

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of giving road racing a go, but don't all that much about the BC amateur racing sytem, could someone pelase help me out and give me a brief run down on what's what.

I understand the basics of it, but I'm unsure on some regulations, like kit for example, do you have to be a member of a cycling club to race, i.e, to wear the CC jersey and represent the club, or can you race simply as individual wearing none affilated kit? Something netural like assos?

Many thanks,

Liam

jgsi

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/a ... oad-Racing
The first on the list - group riding.
If you are non or inexperienced in this, you need to address it - thus the club system is their to help you.

pickled

I wouldn't wear Assos if I were you....
I stacked it in my first crit race and sent a pair to the grave.

Unless you're rich. In which case. Knock yourself out!

Liam 2010

I was just using Assos as an example.

I'll probably be wearing my altura bibs and jersey if there's a high chance of a crash then.

okgo

If its a tight crit circuit then I'd leave the best stuff at home, its not ALWAYS going to be a crash fest, but to give you an idea I think there were only 4 times out of 12 that there was not a crash in either the 4ths or 3rds races over Winter at Hillingdon...

If you are not part of a club I think you can wear what you like as long as its not pro team kit.

If you buy a Silver membership, you get the membership and also a race license, this is all you need for the year to enter races and start accumulating points. Some leagues will request that you pay them a one off joining fee to race any of the races in their calender, but you usually make this back if you do more than a couple. It WILL cost you more to race if you are not part of a club as many clubs are affiliated to the leagues local to them and thus you get entry a bit cheaper.

Its good fun though, I started just before xmas, and its been great fun

Liam 2010

Thanks okgo, that was just the advice I was looking for.

A buddy of mine had his first cat 4 race just this weekend and it's spurred me on to try it out for myself, I believe he's got a silver membership, but I think I'll try a day liecence before I commit to anything.

I think I would enjoy it, that's why I'm interested in it, but I'm not sure I'd be able to keep up with the peloton on my first race. My mate managed to hang on, and finish mid peloton, which he was told was pretty good for his first race.

DavidJB

Hillingdon is a bad example though...crashfest.

okgo

Liam 2010 wrote:

Thanks okgo, that was just the advice I was looking for.

A buddy of mine had his first cat 4 race just this weekend and it's spurred me on to try it out for myself, I believe he's got a silver membership, but I think I'll try a day liecence before I commit to anything.

I think I would enjoy it, that's why I'm interested in it, but I'm not sure I'd be able to keep up with the peloton on my first race. My mate managed to hang on, and finish mid peloton, which he was told was pretty good for his first race.

Yeh, well, its only £50 for the year, you might aswell just do it, as the day license is quite a lot if I remember.

How fast are you currently? Do you do any chaingang style riding?

If you have a read of my blog (in my signature below), I charted the type of riding I was doing before my first race, it should give you a good idea of what to expect.

Try to not get caught up in the headline average figures etc, I think one of the first Hillingdons I did was 25 mph average over an hour, which on paper sounds quick, but it was fine. Conversely I did a 50 mile race on the roads this weekend and the average was 24 mph, and that wasn't too bad either.

Liam 2010

Okgo, I don't do much chaingang riding, apart from when I'm riding sportives and a group is formed, but I'm quite aware of peloton etiquette, taking your turn on the front, and alternating, etc. But I do most of my riding and training on my own or with another mate, so i don't often get the chance to ride chaingang.

My average speeds vary depending upon many things, but usually it's in the 17-18 mph range at this time of year for an average 40-60 mile ride that is moderartely hilly. I'll give you an example....the other week I rode 55 miles on my own with an average speed of 17.9 mph, on a rolling to moderately hill route with 2 pretty descent climbs.

I know riding in a peloton adds a few mph onto an average speed, but I'm unsure of just how many miles per hour it adds to a person average speed. Does that sound like I'm fast enough to stay up with the peloton?

okgo

Its hard to tell, I think you'll possibly be ok in a cat 4 race. A lot of the guys at my club that managed to stay in the bunch their first time certainly are not doing solo rides any quicker, but most have done more high intensity riding.

But just give it a go, what's the worst that can happen?

Mettan

Yeah, as Okgo mentioned, if you get BC Silver, you can race as a ''BC private member'' - if you can already group-ride then do a few races, dip your toe in - if you like it, join a club - alot/most people do it the other way around (joining a club first), but it's perfectly fine seeing what's what as a BC private first. Regards speed, for crits you'll typically be between 18 and 35 mph, and it'll folllow the same pattern most laps - be prepared for a fast start (but it'll calm down quite quickly). You'll get used to the race pattern after a couple of laps and (unless your superman) just stay sheltered for your first race and try and finish in the group. If you can do more, then great, but finishing in the group is an achievement in itself for a first race.

okgo

Although if you DO feel good don't sit in just because you feel you have to, there's a lot of pointless riding that goes on at lower level, people seem scared to actually want to go out and win things.

There's plenty of people that win their first races, 3 people in my club moved to 3rd cat within 2 4th cat races, if you've got the legs then the sooner you can move up the better as the standard is a little bit higher.

Tom Dean

okgo wrote:

If you are not part of a club I think you can wear what you like as long as its not pro team kit.

Pro team kit is ok for 4th cats.

jibberjim

Liam 2010 wrote:

but I'm quite aware of peloton etiquette, taking your turn on the front, and alternating, etc.

There's no such etiquette in a race - unless the entire group is working to pull back a break, but being realistic that is never going to happen in a 4th cat crit. You have no obligation to do anything but be safe. Too many 4th cats think they have some duty to keep the pace high and pointlessly ride hard on the front without reason, when they're almost certainly better served all round to let the pace drop if they find themselves on the front.

Never ride hard on the front of the bunch, unless you have a very well defined and known reason for it. And as you have no team mates, I can't fathom what that would ever be.

jibberjim

Tom Dean wrote:

okgo wrote:

If you are not part of a club I think you can wear what you like as long as its not pro team kit.

Pro team kit is ok for 4th cats.

World or National champs jerseys are the only things banned in 4th cat racing (unless you're entitled to wear it - which would only apply to youths and juniors in 4th cat race realistically )

Liam 2010

Thanks for the replies and advice guys, I think I'll give it a go and see how I fair.

It might not be for me, but I guess I'll only discover that by having a race.

Yes, that would be my main aim is just to try and stay with the group, if I feel strong and think I might get a top 10 finish, then all well and good, but on my first race I'd be happy to just to stay with the pack.

Liam 2010

jibberjim wrote:

Liam 2010 wrote:

but I'm quite aware of peloton etiquette, taking your turn on the front, and alternating, etc.

There's no such etiquette in a race - unless the entire group is working to pull back a break, but being realistic that is never going to happen in a 4th cat crit. You have no obligation to do anything but be safe. Too many 4th cats think they have some duty to keep the pace high and pointlessly ride hard on the front without reason, when they're almost certainly better served all round to let the pace drop if they find themselves on the front.

Never ride hard on the front of the bunch, unless you have a very well defined and known reason for it. And as you have no team mates, I can't fathom what that would ever be.

So you are telling me that in a cat 4 race you aren't expected to take your turn on the front of the pack,( considering of course that you are fast and strong enough to make it to the front, then do a turn)?

I've rode sportives where if you've joined a fastish group, and your are able, you ARE expected to take turns on the front periodically, if you wish to ride with the group. As I've said, it's different if you don't feel storng enough to do a turn, but if you are strong enough, then you are expected to alternate, not all the time, but more often than not......at least that's my experience of it.

jibberjim

Liam 2010 wrote:

So you are telling me that in a cat 4 race you aren't expected to take your turn on the front of the pack,( considering of course that you are fast and strong enough to make it to the front, then do a turn)?

Of course not! It's a race, the aim is to be first over the line, and you should never spend any energy not with the aim of doing that. You are almost never served by working hard on the front (go off the front and then work hard perhaps.) Pulling the group along harder is pointless. If you find yourself on the front, just soft pedal (don't slow drastically or suddenly as that's possibly unsafe)

jgsi

Well you just could stick a bit of pain in... then soft pedal and retreat quickly...
as JibJim says,,, you are in a race. Large part of racing is with the head.. sadly this is part of my racing that I need to work on. Not only do you have to deal with the physical demands but also keeping your wits about you if there is any break about to go and you want 'in'.

greeny12

JGSI wrote:

Well you just could stick a bit of pain in... then soft pedal and retreat quickly...
as JibJim says,,, you are in a race. Large part of racing is with the head.. sadly this is part of my racing that I need to work on. Not only do you have to deal with the physical demands but also keeping your wits about you if there is any break about to go and you want 'in'.

That is so true - when I look back at my many race failures a good proportion of them can be directly attributed to bad decision-making or even worse not deciding what to do quickly enough to make a difference! This is particularly so when things get hectic towards the end, as they inevitably do in the 4ths...

It's really easy to analyse things at leisure of course, but I'm hoping that gaining more and more race experience may eventually lead to me getting it right at the time for once!!

Pseudonym

Liam 2010 wrote:

So you are telling me that in a cat 4 race you aren't expected to take your turn on the front of the pack,( considering of course that you are fast and strong enough to make it to the front, then do a turn)?

I've rode sportives where if you've joined a fastish group, and your are able, you ARE expected to take turns on the front periodically, if you wish to ride with the group. As I've said, it's different if you don't feel storng enough to do a turn, but if you are strong enough, then you are expected to alternate, not all the time, but more often than not......at least that's my experience of it.

You may also be suprised to learn that there are no feed stops in races either...

Like Jim says, the aim is to win, not to take pointless turns on the front. 'Pointless' being the operative word...

Thick Tester

The thing with most chipper racing is that its not actually racing and you will go home able to do something with your afternoon. Proper racing is eyeballs out, following the wheels, making sure you dont create gaps. More often than not chipper racing is boring .

okgo

What is proper racing then?

And how is a crit at Hillingdon any different intensity wise to a 50 mile road-race?

trickydisco

okgo wrote:

What is proper racing then?

And how is a crit at Hillingdon any different intensity wise to a 50 mile road-race?

very different i'd say. In my experience (castle combe crits) it tends to be easier to hang in the bunch. It's less organised and ends in a sprint finish. Sometimes to me it feels like a fast club run. In the road races id di last year which were a few 3/4's and 2/3/4 it was harder because they were hilly, there's nowhere to hide in a massive bunch and you tend to get breakways, KOM competitions, Premes and much more organised racing.

The pace of the 2/3/4 i did was inmmense