6 and out. That'll do for now.

cgfw201
cgfw201 Posts: 680
edited April 2017 in Amateur race
I finally got into racing this year, starting with 4 winter crits at Hillingdon and then trying a crit at LVVP and a road race down in Devon.

I’ve seen some sights, particularly bikes bent in half and people in ambulances, which I won’t forget in a hurry.

If you ignore all that, it is absolutely awesome. For me though, with a summer of riding ahead, the risk of breaking myself and/or my bike is way greater than the reward of a couple more BC points. So no more racing for me, for the rest of this year at least.

Full account of my experience of racing available here if you want the details.

http://bit.ly/2oLVWES

Comments

  • whatleytom
    whatleytom Posts: 547
    Thing is, Hillingdon, and probably Lea Valley are as bad as it gets imo. Most road races and handicaps have a much better riding standard. Well done for getting stuck in, but my advice would be to not let some 4th Cat crits be your abiding memory of racing in general.
    Blog on first season road racing http://www.twhatley.com/
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 680
    whatleytom wrote:
    Thing is, Hillingdon, and probably Lea Valley are as bad as it gets imo. Most road races and handicaps have a much better riding standard. Well done for getting stuck in, but my advice would be to not let some 4th Cat crits be your abiding memory of racing in general.

    Yeh not ruling out more road races, and heard that Cyclopark is a bit less crashy too?
  • whatleytom
    whatleytom Posts: 547
    Yes, Cyclopark is much better in that it has an element of selectivity about it with an incline each lap, followed by a hairpin and subsequent sprint out of that corner.
    Blog on first season road racing http://www.twhatley.com/
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    I've been racing 6 years and I've been to Hillingdon twice despite living 30 miles away. I generally avoid like the plague and would rather a 2.5 hour round trip to odd down in Bath.
  • daddy0
    daddy0 Posts: 686
    I *was* thinking about entering my first race this year, but your blog is making me think again!!!

    Apart from a few road races all my races have been at the Cyclopark, reports here:
    https://cyclejames.wordpress.com/race-reports/

    Out of 12 or so races I've been in there was one where someone was carted off in an ambulance and I've seen probably 2 broken frames. The races are quite popular there, normally about 50 people, so the odds sound a bit more favourable.
  • mr.b-campag
    mr.b-campag Posts: 413
    Whilst we're on the subject of 'crashy' circuits, how does Hog Hill fit into the picture?