How To Get Into Road Racing

How To Get Into Road Racing

So you are riding regularly and smashing it on the local club run or chain gang and want to take your riding to the next level – what better way than by entering a local race?

While the idea of mixing it up elbow to elbow in a criterium (circuit race) can be quite daunting, it is a hugely rewarding experience and much more accessible than you would think. I regularly get clients asking me about road racing during our bike fitting sessions and how exactly to go about entering there first race, so I decided to write this post to answer some of the more common questions and to give you a good starting point if you are considering entering the world of bike racing!

So where to start

First off, before you even begin to think about racing you need to be confident riding in a group with other cyclists. This is probably the most important skill of all, as it will keep you and the riders around you safe.  The best way to get some experience riding in a group is by going out on a local club ride or getting some mates together, and getting used to riding, cornering, riding a wheel (drafting behind the rider infront) and having to react to other riders movements around you. Most local clubs also offer training sessions which are free for members or usually a couple of quid if you are not a member, and these will give you an idea of the group skills required.

What you need

Aside from a decent level of fitness (although this is not a requirement, it definately helps!) , there are a few things you will need to be able to participate in a race. Your bike must be in good working order, so either check it over yourself or get into your local bike shop and get them to do a service and safety check ot make sure everything is as it should be. Secondly, you need a helmet, shoes, gloves and obviously some cycling kit. If you are a member of a club then wear your club kit, if not just wear whatever you feel comfortable in (as long as its not your baggies!).

You will also need a British Cycling license if you want to accumulate points during races. This is not essesntial to be able to race as you can buy a day license when you sign on (more about that later) but I would reccomend getting one as a day license costs £10-£12 per race whereas a full license for the year costs £35.

Where to find a race

Before you find the race that you want to enter, you have to decide what sort of race you would like to enter. The main two catagories (Time-Trials aside) are either criterium / closed circuit races, or road races.

Criteriums take place on closed roads, purpose built cycling circuits, or quite often motorbike/motoracing courses such as Darley Moor or Mallory Park. They usually last about an hour, and as such they are fast, frantic, and great fun! You will ride laps, either for a pre-determined amount of time or number of laps, and the winner is the first man across the line.

Road races tend to be on open roads, with either marshalls on motor bikes or in cars ensuring that the road ahead is clear. These races tend to be a bit longer that criteriums and will be around 40-70 miles (ish), usually doing laps of a course.

When you begin road racing, you will start as a 4th Category rider. During each race (provided you have a license) you will accumulate points for finishing in the top 10 (sometimes top 15) – first place gets 10 down to 1 point for 10th. Once you reach a certain amount of points you can then move up to the next category – to get to 3rd category you need 12 points, for 2nd you need 40 and so on. You can read more about the points system HERE.

So when looking for a race, you need to choose the tyoe of race you want to enter, and also ensure that you are entering the correct category, such as 4th cat only, or 3/4 cat etc.

All the details for local races can be found by searching the British Cycling Calender.

Race Day

For your first race its advisable to turn up early so you can find out how things work, and maybe watch an earlier race or take a look at the course. When you get the to track / start point, the first thing you will need to do is find out where to sign on. Best way is to ask someone who looks like they could point you in the right direction. When signing on you will need to hand over your license (or buy a day license), pay for the race, and sign a form confirming your entry. You will then be given a race number which will need to be pinned onto your jersey (usually pin it on the back but check with the person at sign on if there is anywhere inparticular you need to stick it).

Theres no backing out now!!

It is a good idea to get warmed up before the race, and ideally do a few laps of the course to familiarise yourself with the turns, climbs and technical sections if there are any. You will know your own level of fitness but typically the shorter the race, the longer the warmup. This is especially true for criteriums as they can start very fast and if you havent warmed up properly you will be in trouble as soon as the pace picks up. So jump on your turbo / rollers / or ride the course and get warmed up ready to race. Don’t forget to drink and eat in the build up to the race, but its not a good idea to take anything on too near the start apart from a bit of water.

Usually the commisaire (race organiser/bloke in-charge) will anounce when to line up on the start line, but you will see when riders begin to mass at the start, and its a good idea to join them at this point finding a place as close to the front as possible. There will usually be a bit of a saftey briefing and then you will be advised the race will start on the gun / whistle / shout etc.

And thats it! Away you go! The rest is up to you, but you can find some good info on race tactics and how to survive in the bunch here;

Crit Racing Tips

Good luck, and please share the post if you like it 😀 See you at the races!

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