4th Cat Circuit Race prep

matt-h

I have my first 4th Cat Race at Thruxton this weekend and was hoping someone would be able to assist on giving me help with timing etc

My race starts at 10, when should i look to arrive, what is the etiquette of warm up?

Am i allowed to wear overshoes?

I have a set of deep section wheels, will i look silly using these in a 4th Cat race?

Matt

iron-clover

Hi Matt,
Aim go get there a minimum of one hour before the race start to sign on and get ready.
Overshoes are completely fine- wear them if you like, I personally think its OTT for a 4th cat race but many others have them and no one will bat an eyelid.
For warming up you are normally allowed to ride around the circuit before the race, but if not (every circuit is different) then you'll need to just go up and down the car park etc.

I haven't raced at Thruxton itself yet, but from what I've heard from others it can be a very fast circuit- especially as the bends won't be anywhere near as tight as cycle circuits. Deep section wheels probably won't look out of place as long as they aren't silly. I would probably only go 50/ 60mm max though due to weight (38mm are my favorite as they are so light), and I wouldn't use them at all if they are heavy alloy deep sections as you are going to need to make A LOT of little accelerations to keep in the bunch. Also consider braking, there will probably be a couple of iffy moments towards the start so I would avoid carbon if it's going to be wet, but it looks like it'll be OK weather wise at the moment. The wind is another thing to consider- it is very exposed at parts so if there is a strong wind forecast you don't want to be blown about in the bunch!

As for the racing, the BC race smart videos cover everything that will keep you safe, but I can't stress enough the importance of making sure you don't overlap wheels and look before changing your line- there are going to be a lot of people up there on Sunday so you're going to need to be especially careful on that front.

Good luck and enjoy it!

imposter2.0

matt-h wrote:

I have my first 4th Cat Race at Thruxton this weekend and was hoping someone would be able to assist on giving me help with timing etc

My race starts at 10, when should i look to arrive, what is the etiquette of warm up?

Am i allowed to wear overshoes?

I have a set of deep section wheels, will i look silly using these in a 4th Cat race?

Matt

Get there for 9am, sign on.
Warm up - use the circuit, or use rollers/turbo. Lots of people will be doing this.
Overshoes - I would only wear overshoes to keep my feet warm and/or dry. Forget any kind of performance gain.
Deep sections - this is a 4th cat race - almost everyone will have them..

matt-h

Thanks fellas.
Overshoes are because i suffer with cold feet and my decent shoes will only fit thin socks.
I was not sure on the deep sections as i was worries i would look a plank in a low category race.
They are full carbon 46mm and lighter than my alloy rims - braking in the dry is excellent.
They'll look ace on my 853 volare 8)
Bloody nervous already

Matt

Variance

Enjoy it Matt

I did my first one a few weeks ago and was nervous as hell! Get there nice and early and don't worry about how you'll look. Remember we're all pulling our tripe out wearing skin tight clothes! How your wheels and feet look should be the least of your worries!

daxplusplus

Remember the phrase "race what you can afford to replace" re the wheels :-)

Good luck, stay out of trouble and have fun.

DavidJB

Was pretty f**king windy eh

matt-h

It was crazy windy!

Very hard, but definitely trying again.
There was a crash that i managed to avoid at the chicane
placed 20th out 92

Matt

DavidJB

Good effort mate! There's a series running now every/most Tuesdays @ Thruxton.

matt-h

So my 4th attempt at Thruxton in as many weeks resulted in a win!
Really happy with that.

What a feeling it was to cross the line

Matt

imposter2.0

Good work

Did you take the win from a bunch sprint, or a break?

matt-h

It was a sprint but i went really early into a head wind.
I thought i was going to get caught as i started blowing 200m to the line only to look round and see the bunch way back

Got a few pats on the back from my competitors which was pretty awesome

matt-h

Would you believe it. i won again on Tuesday.
Had my 4th Cat licence for all of 4 weeks!

I suppose i better get ready to have my legs ripped in the 3rd Category.

Matt

imposter2.0

You're obviously going well

While you may not experience the same amount of immediate success in the 3rds (3rds only?), you're unlikely to get spat out. Go in there with the same mindset and see how you get on..

daddy0

Chapeau there Matt. Inspiring stuff!

I've entered my first race which is a 4th cat only at the Cyclopark on the 23rd, so am grateful for the advice in threads like this. Cheers chaps!

DavidJB

Sounds like you'll be joining us in the E/1/2 soon enough

tlw1

well done!

daniel_b

Inspirational and impressive thread matt-h, bloody brilliant!

I've dropped you a pm as it happens too :-)

matt-h

Thanks Guys.
I race on Tuesday in the 3rd CAT, I was more nervous than my first race.
I felt strong on the last lap but doubted my ability to outsprint the faster group, so i called to 2 team members to see if they wanted a leadout.
They did so i went hard up the hill but went a little to hard as i gapped team.
Backed it off a little and they got back on.
I then swung away as i lost power and they went on for a 3rd and a7th. i rolled home at the back.
happy days.

In hindsight i feel i could have had a go at the line but it did feel good to work for the team

Matt