Racing without a car...

martinheadon

I live in South London, and for various reasons I don't have a car. In fact I've never learned to drive - I've never really needed to. Yet whenever I read road racing forums it always seems like the norm is to turn up with your bike in or on top of your car. And many of the circuits and starts seem to be well away from public transport.

So my question is, how plausible is it to start road racing without a car? I'm easy riding distance from the Crystal Palace crits, but I understand it's a tricky course and my bike handling has room for improvement. Also, as a skinny rider (imagine a very poor man's Chris Froome), I think I'd be better suited to races on actual roads with a few hills, or perhaps TTs.

Any advice or experience you could share on this? I don't want to spend cash on BC and club membership if all that's really plausible is one circuit that doesn't suit my experience and abilities anyway.

Thanks!

saprkzz

Joining a club will make you friends and then you can ponce lifts from them if you wanted to race further away, other than that there's not much you can do, I drive 60 miles to race once a week, if I didn't have a car I wouldnt.

angry_bird

There's more going on in and around London than Crystal Palace, I've friends who ride each way across town each week for Hillingdon and Hog Hill, there is Lee Valley Velopark too. Plus, races further afield aren't impossible, either by scrounging lifts, or as one guy from uni does, getting on a train to the nearest station and then riding from there- very hit and miss way of doing it though.

JackPozzi

Old school option, apparently back in the old days it was common to ride out the day before, sleep in a ditch, then get up and race in the morning before riding home! Gotta be easier to scrounge a lift though...

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/sprint-wheel-carriers.html

martinheadon

Thanks for the tips. There's no chance of me racing this summer (currently waiting for 6 cracked vertebrae to heal) but I shall join a club once I'm back riding, try to make a few friends over the winter, and save up for petrol money.

I hadn't even considered the spare wheels issue. Do all riders bring spares, or do some just take the risk that their race will end if they flat?

JackPozzi

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19624965#p19624965]martinheadon[/url] wrote:

I hadn't even considered the spare wheels issue. Do all riders bring spares, or do some just take the risk that their race will end if they flat?

Think it depends on the race, I've done some low key crits at hog hill where it was possible to take a lap out for a puncture, so riders left some spares near the finish line and were able to get back in the race, don't know how common that is though... Also in a road race it's sometimes possible to put some wheels in a support car mainly so you can get back to the HQ rather than rejoining though.

iPete

I wouldn't worry about the wheel thing.

As much as you want to get out to the roads, there are limited 4 and 3/4 road races so you'll likely need to focus on Crystal Palace, maybe get out to Hillingdon, CycloPark, Hog Hill etc.

If you have the fitness, riding out to races isn't so bad, especially crits that generally only an hours racing. Just keep is easy, zone 1 stuff. Oh and join a club (if not already), you'll find plenty of people riding to races or with lifts available.

fastandfurry

Who does own a car in London, particularly anywhere near the centre, if they can ride a bike?! I prefer having enough cash for holidays and being fit to sitting in traffic not going anywhere...

I ride to crits and ride/train to weekend races. Occasionally I scrounge a lift if it's to an early race or get a zip car (not an option if you don't have a licence, natch, but you might be able to share cost with someone who can...you can get zipvans too).

Wouldn't worry about wheels - unless neutral service is really good a puncture normally means end of race anyway, and at crits you can often scrounge a wheel.

Does occasionally mean I'm racing more tired than I would ideally like but does also mean that I'm fitter than I would otherwise be...

okgo

I have a car for the sole purpose of bike races, I don't live that centrally, but even if I did I would still have one, such a nice thing to be able to hop in and not have to piss about poncing lifts or getting trains.

BUT

If you don't want to buy a car for that purpose, then you can get to most races quite easily, most of the Surrey League races are near a SW trains served station, and a lot of SERRL races are served by trains out to Kent etc, then you have the wealth of crits we have in the London area too, ranging from easy at Hillingdon to hard at Palace!

iron-clover

I have the same problem- I'm not within cycling distance of any races, which means getting a lift with someone else or a train. Usually the trains take about double the time it would in a car, which is a right pain, and the general faff of actually getting to races is basically what has put me off for now.
That and still being a 4th cat means there are very few on road races- I don't really enjoy crits, but do really enjoy road races, but they tend to be even more of a pig to get to and few and far between in the 4th cat world.

If you can make friends with local club members who race regularly and live nearby most tend to offer lifts- although in my case said members were either 10mile ride away or not doing many races, but I just got unlucky really.

Because there are so many more local TTs around I do an awful lot of TTs now- although they don't have the same thrill as road racing they still help keep my fitness up for when I do manage to get to a race.

Good luck- you're not alone!

mm1

Never owned a car, in my teens when I RR'd would either ride out the night before and stay at the nearest youth hostel or early on the morning of a race. Back then Sunday morning TTs started really early, so RR seemed more civilised.

bradsbeard

Last Wednesday evening I saw a dedicated chap on his to the Cyclopark at Gravesend. Riding through the traffic in his kit, bag and race wheels strapped to his back. Chapeau sir!

whatleytom

I've not had my car since moving to London in October '14. It can be done if you have a good club to help. I do end up cycling more miles to people's houses, or too and from train stations. With the exception of some of the Surrey League type stuff everything is well within reach without a car though.