Introduction

The Kent Valley Road Club was formed in 1928 with the object of promoting all forms of cycling activity and to foster the spirit of comradeship and good fellowship amongst all members and fellow cyclists. We organise lots of non-competitive events and social activities throughout the year but we are also known as being the premier club for cycle racing in the South Lakes area.

So What Is Cycle Racing?

Cycle racing in the UK takes on many different forms all of which have their own rules and regulations and which are frequently managed under different national governing bodies. In Kent Valley Road Club we have people who are experienced in most forms of cycle racing and this guide is written with the benefit of that experience to help both those who are perhaps keen cyclists but for various reasons have not dipped their toes into the racing scene and to encourage riders from one discipline to consider trying a different form of competitive cycling.

Road Racing

This is the racing that most people will be familiar with from watching events such as the Tour de France or the Tour of Britain on TV. In road racing, riders are categorised from E (Elite) through 1,2,3 and 4th category depending on how new to the sport they are and their past performances. Races are usually organised such that people of similar ability are racing against each other. Therefore don’t expect to line up in your first race and see Gerant Thomas and Ineos Grenadiers alongside. That said, tactics still play a huge role in the sport especially the higher up the rankings you go.

Races are typically held on quieter open roads usually involving several laps of a course. Depending on the organising rules there are typically up to 60 riders in each race who can be part of a team or riding solo. Distances vary depending on the event but are usually 40+ miles.

To enter a road race you will need to be a member of a British Cycling Affiliated club (such as Kent Valley Road Club) and hold a racing licence issued by British Cycling (see below). https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/artic...

Kent Valley Road club organises two or three road races each year on one of our local road circuits such as Old Hutton, Capernwray or Aughton. If you want to find out more about road racing with Kent Valley RC contact Duncan Orme via the club’s Facebook page.

Criterium Racing

Is very similar to road racing except it is held on closed roads or a cycle race circuit. In a Criterium (known as a crit) races are usually in the format of one hour (or 45 minutes) plus one lap. I.e. after one hour the bell is rung for the final lap and at this point everyone still in contention jockeys for position for the final sprint for the line. Although usually shorter than road racing crits can still be pretty frenetic with a high pace and frequent changes in speed.

Races are organised according to category in a similar way to road racing and in the lower categories the race commissaire (referee) will allow individual riders to miss a lap and join back in again providing they do not contest the final sprint. This is good if you are new to the sport and find yourself struggling to keep up after 20 minutes or so.

You will still need to be a member of a British Cycling affiliated club and hold a current racing licence to enter a crit.

Kent Valley RC organises several crits each year on the Salt Ayre racing circuit in Lancaster. These are on a Tuesday evening in the summer and are part of a series of races organised across several clubs in North Lancashire and South Cumbria. If you want to find out more about criterium racing with Kent Valley RC contact Duncan Orme via the club’s Facebook page.

Individual Time Trials

The “race of truth”. Just one rider attempting to go as fast as they can over a given distance or course.

Individual Time Trials (or TTs) are the most popular form of cycle racing in the United Kingdom going back nearly 100 years. Races are managed by Cycling Time Trials which is the governing body for this type of racing and arranged in two main ways. Firstly, club events are TTs organised by individual clubs (usually mid-week evenings) and anyone can take part providing they have a road worthy bike, a helmet and have paid their entry fee to the club. Entry to club events is usually via signing on and paying on the night (costing £4-£5 per rider). The other main form are “open” events which as the name implies are events open to riders from any CTT affiliated club. Open events need to be pre-entered at least 10 days before the published event. Nowadays most open events are on-line entry via the CTT website (which also publishes details of all events and organiser details). https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/

TTs can be over set distances (10, 25, 50 miles etc.) or over specific courses (known as sporting courses or Spoco’s; there are blogs about racing Spocos here and here). Occasionally, TTs are held over specific times where riders compete to see who can go the furthest in 12 or 24 hours.

Keen time triallists will have very specific bikes with extension bars, disc wheels, teardrop helmets etc. all designed to reduce drag through the air and allow the rider to go as fast as possible. However, any road worthy bike can be used and events are sometimes arranged where the really specialist equipment is not allowed.

Because time trials are arranged against the clock, riders are set off at 1 minute intervals. After that it is just you against the clock with a bonus being that on your first event you are guaranteed a personal best once you cross the finish line and then have a target to beat next time.

Kent Valley organises club events every Wednesday evening from the beginning of April through to the end of August using courses based on Milnthorpe, Levens, Old Hutton and the A6 road from Kendal towards Shap. In addition, on behalf of CTT the club organises 4 open events

To find out more about time-trialling with Kent Valley Road Club contact Richard Belk via the club’s Facebook page or pop into the Giant Kendal Shop and speak to the helpful folk there regarding entering one of the Wednesday evening events.

Team Time Trials

Team Time Trials are similar to individual events accept you will be part of a team of either 2, 3 or 4 riders. They have a similar format to individual events but you ride as a team and the time is that taken by the last rider from that team to cross the finish line. In a team trial riders can take shelter from the rider in-front and the most successful teams rotate during the course of the event to share the load of riding up-front. The teams are still set off at intervals to ensure the teams do not get mingled up during the event.

Team time trials are a great way of entering the sport for the first time. Kent Valley organises 2 or 3 team trials each year as part of the Wednesday evening events [but not this season because of Covid]. To find out more about team time trialling with Kent Valley Road Club contact Richard Belk via ….. or once again speak to the helpful folk at Giant Kendal.

Track Racing

Riding in a velodrome is something that many keen cyclists never get the chance to experience. We are very fortunate to have one of the best indoor velodromes in the North West at Manchester.

There are too many different forms of track racing to list here but they all involve doing anti-clockwise laps of the wooden boards around the velodrome. The banks of the velodrome are very steep and riding round them can appear a bit daunting for novices. However, the velodrome organise taster sessions where groups of up to 15 novices are taught safe riding skills and provided with all the equipment and support needed (see below). http://www.nationalcyclingcentre.com/track/novice-riders/taster/

To race at the velodrome you will need a track licence (obtainable after several taster sessions) as well as a British Cycling licence. In addition, you will need a track bike and helmet. The helmet can be a standard road helmet but the bike is very specific having no gears, no brakes and a fixed wheel rather than a freehub. If you stop pedalling suddenly the bike will stop suddenly so one of the reasons for needing a track licence is so that you can demonstrate you can safely handle one of these very specific machines.

Cyclocross

This form of racing is held off-road and frequently in local parks. It often involves a mixture of riding and running / carrying the bike over fixed obstacles or up steep muddy banks. Cyclocross bikes are similar to road bikes but usually with extra clearance around the tyres and with more powerful brakes. However, mountain bikes can also be ridden in Cyclocross events. In other ways Cyclocross is similar to a crit with races typically lasting for one hour plus a lap. Cyclocross is known as an autumn or winter event.

To race Cyclocross you will need a British Cycling racing licence in addition to a bike and a helmet. Day licences are often available to encourage novices to give it a try.