Cycle clubs can vary in outlook and the
activities undertaken, but what they offer is a wealth
of experience of riding, information and support.
A new competitor or social rider can 'buy into' the
local knowledge of a club, as members will know the
best routes, offer club riders and be a mine of information
about races in the area. The club may also organise
events.
In addition, clubs will often be affiliated to UK cycling
organisations and competitions which may save you money.
Youth Riders
South East Cycling are keen to see and help new young
riders and a number of clubs are registered
to Go-Ride, which is a scheme set up to promote
youth cycling and to help clubs organise with children
in mind, especially in respect to child security, etc.
There are plenty of young riders at closed circuit
races and cyclo-cross event that have started out by
joining their local club, but if you do require further
information you can either contact us or one of the
cycling clubs listed
that are Go-Ride listed.
What documents do I need?
Like many things in life you may need to possess a
license or be a member of an organisation to race. Please
visit our BC Membership page for further information.
Cycle Speedway
Races are short - usually four laps of an outdoor 70-90
metre circuit, lasting around 35-40 seconds –
and physical contact is both legal and often necessary.
Four riders contest a race, usually in pairs from opposing
clubs.
Cycle Speedway is essentially a club sport, with inter-club
matches within leagues the mainstay of the sport. Each
match normally consists of between sixteen and twenty
races.
Further information about Cycle
Speedway can be viewed on the British Cycling website.
New to Cycling?
It can be a daunting step when you first become interested
in a sport. What at first glance may seem simple, can
soon become confusing as you discover the diversity
of the sport, the different events that are held, and
the paper work you may need to get involved in. Don't
despair though, the cycle sport community of South East
England wants you to get involved, as you are the lifeblood
of the sport.
Cycling Activities
Cycling comes in many forms and here in the South East
we try and cater for all aspects of cycling from Road
or Track to BMX or Speedway. Perhaps you just want to
ride your bike with others alike or take the challenge
of cycling a Sportive event, either way we at South
East Cycling want you to enjoy the pleasure of cycling
in our region. There are many clubs in the South East
that can help you in whatever form of cycling you may
be interested in so feel free to contact us or a club
of your choice.
Cycling Organisations
Although there are a number of cycling bodies in the
UK, such as the Cycling
Time Trials (CTT), Cyclist's
Touring Club (CTC), British
Cycling (BC), British
Triathlon, and more, British Cycling is the internationally
recognised Governing Body in Britain for all cycle sport
(racing) in BMX, Cycle Speedway, Cyclo-Cross, Mountain
Bike, Road and Track.
For administrative purposes, BC is divided into Regions
across the country and South East Cycling covers Kent,
South London, Surrey and Sussex.
To race in British Cycling South East
Region sanctioned events you will need to be a member
of British Cycling, or take out day membership and possess
a race license or day license - more information is
available on our BC Membership
page.
Membership to British Cycling offers more than just
the ability to race, but also insurance and legal help
for all types of cycling such as social and general
riding.
Hard?
Let's not pretend, cycle sport can be hard. Newcomers
can find it daunting, not only because of the physical
effort, but also working out where and how.
Having said that, once you get into the flow it is
a great sport that we love. In the South East we are
blessed by many events and competitions where you will
be most welcome. Some require you to have paperwork,
such as a race license and some don't. Don't hesitate
to ask the organiser, as he or she wants you to take
part.
The art is not to enter a race that will
be too big a step. If you are very new to the sport
we would suggest you visit a race league (Surrey
League, London
x League, or the South East Road Race League) and
watch the action whilst taking the opportunity to talk
to the riders. The Surrey League for instance caters
for many abilities both for men and women, youth and
senior, novice and experienced.
A visit to a race should give you a good foundation
of what to expect and you can get to know people at
the races. This knowledge will help you get over the
shock of your first event, but as you grow in confidence,
knowledge and speed you may begin to think of yourself
as the next Lance Armstrong!
Below
is a brief description of the most popular forms of
cycling with links taking you to a more detailed pages
on the British Cycling and Cycling Time trials websites.
Often abbreviated to 'Cross', is generally an autumn
and winter sport. Massed starts make for exciting
races, usually no more than an hour in length –
and shorter for juniors, women and veterans.
Cyclo-Cross races are usually multi-lap events, held
on short (typically less than a mile and often less
than half a mile), grassy courses, generally in public
parks or on school playing fields.
Less technically demanding than Mountain Biking,
Cyclo-Cross often requires riders to dismount to clear
artificial obstacles – often wooden boards.
Useful
Link: The Mosquito Bikes London Cyclo-Cross
League is run by the London Cyclo-Cross Association
(LC-CA). The season long event is based on: Seniors/Women/Veterans/Vet
50+ and Junior/Youth/Under 12/Under 10. Website
Further information about Cycle-Cross
can be viewed on the British Cycling website.
Cyclo-Sportives
Cyclo-Sportives are long distance, organised, mass-participation
cycling events - not races - typically held annually.
Cyclo-Sportives are the cycling cousin of running
a marathon: as with the 26-mile event, rather than
racing other participants, sportives see cyclists
challenge themselves in a personal battle against
the distance and then ultimately, the clock.
A Cyclo-Sportive falls between a traditional road
race and a non-competitive randonnée or Audax
event. Riders normally carry a number and the time
they take to complete the course is recorded. The
routes will usually be well sign-posted and/or marshaled
and also contain various feeding stations so riders
can replenish their food and drink supplies. Mechanical
and medical support may also be provided.
Further information about Cyclo-Sportive
events can be viewed on the British Cycling website.
Mountain Biking
(MTB)
Mountain biking entails the sport of riding bicycles
off-road, often over rough terrain, whether riding
specially equipped mountain bikes or hybrid road bikes.
Most mountain bikes share similar characteristics
that underscore durability and performance in rough
terrain: wide knobby tyres, large round frame tubing,
and front and/or rear suspension.
All Mountain Biking involves a mixture
of fitness and machine control. Getting started is
often simply a case of getting a basic mountain bike
(a simple Cross-Country hardtail is ideal) and going
out and exploring the local countryside.
MTB's can legally use bridleways and Britain has
a superb network of these.
Riding competently off-road is a skill which develops
through experience and practice. The very best riders
can perform miracles, but every cyclist can master
the basics and enjoy the challenge of riding away
from roads.
The pleasure of riding in a traffic-free environment
cannot be understated. Mountain Biking also puts you
closely in touch with nature and the landscape and
every ride has the potential to become a mini adventure.
However, for some, the ultimate test is to start racing.
Mountain biking is roughly broken down into four
categories: cross country, downhill, four cross (4x),
and trials/street riding. Each has differing levels
of safety-consciousness with different types of mountain
bikes and riding gear.
This individual sport
requires endurance, bike handling skills and self-reliance,
and can be performed almost anywhere from a back yard
to a gravel road, but the majority of mountain bikers
ride off-road trails, whether country back roads,
fire roads, or singletrack (narrow trails that wind
through forests, mountains, deserts, or fields).
There are aspects of mountain biking that are more
similar to trail running than regular bicycling. Because
riders are often far from civilisation, there is a
strong ethic of self-reliance in the sport. Riders
learn to repair their broken bikes or flat tyres to
avoid being stranded miles from help. This reliance
on survival skills accounts for the group dynamics
of the sport. Club rides and other forms of group
rides are common, especially on longer rides.
Further information about Mountain
Biking can be viewed on the British Cycling website.
Time Trials
A Time Trial is basically a race against the clock
at a given distance. You cycle as fast as you can
until you have completed the course and the rider
who covers the distance in the fastest time is the
winner.
The length of the course can vary, but most Time
Trials are normally set at distances of 10, 25 and
50 miles. These are "standard" distance
events, but you can also participate in "Non-standard
" events, such as 10km, 15m, or any other distance
that is outside the "standard" distances.
Time Trialling is a sport which is enjoyed by young
and old alike. Of all the branches of cycle sport,
it is probably the easiest to get into as no specialist
equipment is needed. Time Trials are a great way of
introducing beginners to the sport, as they are fairly
cheap to enter and require less of your time than
Road Racing. Many local clubs in our area, cater for
riders who prefer riding local Time Trials, either
in the evenings or at the weekends.
Further information about Time
Trials can be viewed on the Cycling Time Trials
(CTT) website.
South East Cycling (British Cycling)
Contact: Glyn Durrant (Competition Administrator). Email: glyn@surreyleague.co.uk
South East Cycling is the South East Region of British Cycling the
internationally recognised
Governing Body in Britain for all cycle racing.
