Road Racing

About Road Racing

Road Racing is massed start cycle racing on the road or a circuit. The first rider over the finish line wins. Racing in a bunch helps to develop your bike handling and knowledge of race tactics. You will be racing on the road or circuit in close proximity to anything from 20 to 200 riders. There are plenty of events to enter in the South East for all levels of experience and ability.

The courses are most commonly on the road but there are purpose built circuits such as Hillingdon, Hog Hill and of course the upcoming 2012 Olympic circuit. In addition, many races are at motor racing circuits such as Goodwood.

Senior races are categorised based on experience and ability:

4th Category
A new junior or senior licence holder.

3rd Category
Any junior or senior licence holder who has gained at least 10 but less than 40 points whilst holding a 4th category licence. Note: Riders are never downgraded to 4th category once a 3rd category licence has been achieved.

2nd Category
Any junior or senior licence holder who has gained 40 points during any one season whilst holding a 3rd category licence. To retain a 2nd category licence for the following season, a rider must obtain at least 25 points in events open to that category of rider.

1st Category
Any junior or senior licence holder who has gained 200 points during any one season whilst holding a 2nd category licence. To retain a 1st category licence for the following season, a rider must obtain at least 100 points in events open to that category of rider.

Elite Category
Any rider who:
- has gained 300 points during the previous season whilst holding an elite or 1st category licence,
- at the 31st December of the previous year was listed in the top 10 in the Senior Men's National Cross Country MTB Rankings

Note that the Junior categories work differently, see the British Cycling website for details.

How do I start Road Racing?

You need to apply for a British Cycling Race Licence - see right for details. Although you can usually enter races without one by buying a day licence (check with the organiser first), this means that any points awarded for your finishing position will not be recorded.

Check the racing league websites (see right) for races that you want to enter. Check with other club members to see what they are entering. When you enter a race, you may also need to pay a one-off fee to enter the series if you want to be a contender overall.