Road Race Training every Tuesday and Thursday evening - start at 6.55pm
- at Stone Business Park , ride up A34 to Trentham and back to Aston Island carrying on for 2 or 3 laps.
Contact Ian Noons.
Generally, the club's road race secretary, Ian Noons is the person in
the know about all the club's Road Race activities. Contact Ian on
01785 761811.
About
Road Racing
The Basics: Road Racing is massed-start cycle
racing on roads or tarmac circuits. First rider over the finish line wins, with
anything from twenty to almost 200 competitors, depending on the event. In the
UK, events range from short Youth and Juvenile (under16) races of 20km or less,
through club level events for adults of between 40km and 100km, to Elite-level
one day races of 200km or more.
The majority of adult
racing takes place on public roads, though there are an increasing number of
circuit events, either on roads closed to other traffic or on specially
constructed circuits, some which are shared with other sports like motor racing
and kart racing, others are purpose built for cycling. All under-16 racing
takes place on traffic-free closed circuits.
Road Races: The classic Road Race is a test of
stamina, fitness and tactical acumen. Team tactics often come into play. Riders
often have particular strengths: some can climb hills and mountains very
quickly; others have a devastating turn of speed or sprint; other have the
ability to ride very well against the clock in Time Trials (which often form
part of multi day or stage races). The art is to restrict your rival's gains in
the areas where they are strong and maximise your gains in your preferred
terrain. Stone Wheelers organise a
number of events each year.
Road Stage Races: Some Road Races are contested over
several days and several stages. These "Stage" Races or Tours often
feature prizes for each stage winner, plus others for the best sprinter in the
race, the best climber (aka King of the Mountains), the leading team and, of
course, the overall winner, who is the rider with the best aggregate time. The
Tour de France is the world's most prestigious Stage Race and lasts for three weeks.
Racing Qualities: All top Road Racers need to be
able to stay in the saddle for hours at a time (endurance). Some are
exceptionally good at going uphill and target wins in hilly terrain: these are
known as Climbers. Others have a big 'kick' or ability to accelerate and are
known as Sprinters. They often win races where the finish is contested by a
number of riders - a bunch or sprint finish. Few riders can win, however, if
they are not tactically very aware and at pro level, team tactics and strategy can
be very complex.
Tactical
Considerations:
Endurance, Sprinting, Climbing, Tactics - these are just some of the qualities
a successful road rider might possess. Which is the most important? Well, it's
open to debate, but compared to the sledgehammer tactic of just trying to ride
faster than your rivals - something which will not work at anything but the
lowest level of the sport - the rapier blade of genuine tactical nous is
potentially a race winner for you.
Road & Circuit
Racing: Categories, Points, Rankings and Event Classifications: Road Racing is categorised into
different classifications of race, open to riders of differing age/ability
categories. Many races carry ranking points which are sought after by riders
hoping to make it up to the next ability category.
Get
Into Road Racing
What's the best way to get
into the sport of Road Racing? Here are a few tips to get you thinking.
Join a Club: The ability to ride comfortably
and safely in a bunch of riders is perhaps the essential skill of Road Racing.
Road Racing has a strong club-based culture, so a great place to start is by
joining a club like Stone Wheelers which regularly has training rides on the public
roads. This will help you to learn how to ride in the company of other riders
and what the basic etiquette of group riding entails.
Group Skills:
Perhaps the most useful
trick of all is learning how to conserve energy by slipstreaming behind other
riders. The ability to move freely in a bunch of riders is a real skill and
many first-timers find themselves continually hanging on at the rear of the
group. Seasoned riders have a magical feel for where to ride to minimise
effort. These are all skills which will prove invaluable once you start to
race.
Circuit Racing: Road Racing beginners usually find
their feet in easier events and there's no better place to start than Circuit
Race meetings. These events often have several races catering for a range of
abilities and age groups and are an ideal environment in which to learn the
bike handling and tactical skills necessary to succeed, without the additional
stress of being on the public highway. Lap distance is usually between one and
four kilometres, so if you get "dropped" (i.e. left behind), catch
your breath and wait for the main group to come round, and join again! A
British Cycling or other Licence are usually needed for most events.
Sportives
This is good way into group/semi-competitive
road riding. The sportive road ride offers a range of distances giving novice
and experienced road riders the opportunity to ride their bike with like-minded
people on some of the
What is Audax?
‘Audax’ rides are run under rules laid down by Audax
What you need to know is how an
audax ride ‘works’. They differ from ordinary rides simply bybeing
slightly more organised, in that you are timed through a number of control
points. Here then is the process you need to follow if you want to ride an
audax event.
Firstly you must complete an entry form
- this needs to be done at least two weeks in advance of the event -
and send it to the organiser together with the entry fee and two stamped
self-addressed envelopes. Details of the ride (where it starts etc) and the
route sheet will be returned to you in one of your SAEs.
Next, turn up at the start on the day
of the ride, about half an hour before the event is due to start. This allows
you time to collect your record, or ‘brevet’, card, have a cup of tea and get
ready to ride. You should fill in the back of your brevet card with your
address and the phone number of your next of kin.
Look at the inside pages of your brevet
card and you’ll see the controls you have to go to on the ride and when they
open and close. You must call in at these controls between the times stated,
and have your card stamped. Sometimes, instead of getting your card stamped,
you’ll need to answer a question; this is an ‘information control’.
Finally, you should get back to the
start before the finish time of the event. Sign your card on the back and hand
it to the controller who will stamp it and retain it. You’ll receive it back,
duly ‘validated’ in a few weeks in the second envelope you provided. And that’s
about it.
Why bother with all this stuff when all
you want to do is ride your bike? For a start, every route is checked for
quality so you know you're going to get a good ride. Audax events are designed
to be challenging and there are numerous trophies and medals you can collect if
that's your thing. Meet an audax rider and you’ll usually be meeting an
experienced and motivated rider – the kind of rider you’ll probably want to
become, if you aren’t one already!
