| Thinking of getting involved with Competitive Cycling? |
| Wednesday, 12 March 2008 11:20 |
Thinking of getting involved with Competitive Cycling?Getting started in cycling is easy. To race you need to be a member of the Queensland cycling clubs and also have a Cycling Australia race licence. You can join a club and obtain a licence online through through the Cycling Australia Membership HQ or click the button below or alternatively contact the club secretary directly who can help you complete and application form and accept your affiliation fee.
This Licence will allow you to race in any event conducted by an affiliated Cycling Australia club or in any Cycling Australia "Open" event on both Road and Track venues. If you'd like to just give it a go to see if you like cycle racing you can purchase a Single Day Licence for $33.00 or a 3 Ride licence for $44.00 with the option of getting the $44.00 taken off the fee for a full licence. If you are going to join a Club and get a Licence - or are just renewing for 2012 - why not become a member of Hamilton Pine Rivers Wheelers (HPRW) which is the only club on the Brisbane Northside that conducts a variety of racing on both open roads and closed circuits thoughout the year for its members whose ages range from 14 to almost 80. Most other clubs do not offer this feature. In 2011 we have made a special effort to increase our support for Women and Junior racing with a Women's series and a Coaching program for the Juniors as well as regular junior racing at Nundah and Lakeside. So, by joining our ranks you will be helping HPRW to continue to set the standard in Queensland. Also, if you do not wish to be a competitor but would like to be involved, you could become an active member of the club as an Official in one of the many positions in the club. Should you wish to attain Commissaire status we will also support you to achieve that goal as well. To join HPRW you can sign up online, contact the Secretary Wayne Wilson or just turn up before one of our weekly races. The Calendar on this Website will show you where we will be each week.
TYPES OF EVENTS
HPRW hold ‘club’ and occasionally ‘open’ races on almost every weekend. ‘Open’ races are higher level events organised by either HPRW or other cycling clubs. The races you can enter at these meetings are strictly in accordance with your racing licence (either an under 35 years Elite or an over 35 years Master) - see Racing Licences Explained. Criteriums - these are generally races around shorter circuits between 800m and 2.5km. The races are for a set time (between 40 and 60 min), plus 2 or 3 laps. Criteriums usually feature prizemoney for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Road Races - these are usually ‘out and back’ or circuit races of distances between 35 and 80km. Most races involve at least some hill climbing. Handicaps - These are road races where riders head off in small groups of riders with similar ability. The slowest riders go first and the fastest go last. This gives everyone the same chance of winning. Time Trials - races against the clock. Usually a road circuit of about 40km. Some events are ‘team’ time trials, where 3 or 4 members of a team take turns at leading and drafting (the final time being clocked when the 3rd rider crosses the finish). Hill Climb - Every year we have a Hill Climb up Mt. Mee with bragging rights for the year going to the skinny mountain goats who can't sprint. Here is a list of all of our course locations with maps and elevation profiles. Membership fees cover joining Cycling Australia, compulsory insurance cover and the $30 club membership fee (which is waived for juniors 19 and under). Here are the 2012 membership fees from Cycling Australia, note that when joining or renewing online the club membership fee will be added where appropriate. Joining or renewing online is $5 cheaper. ($25 club membership instead of $30). Cycling Australia will issue you with your plastic license card within 3-4 weeks. More information on membership can be found on the Cycling Queensland and Cycling Australia websites. Safety Club member Rob Oshlack has put together a handy "Rider's Safety Briefing". Cycle racing has some inherent dangers, so please read this before racing. Discounts and Temporary Licences Family Discount: This is a new option introduced nationally in 2011 to provide discounts for families joining Cycling Australia. The conditions of the Family discount include:
Temporary Membership is available on an ad hoc basis or as an introductory facility to just ‘come-n-try’. Unless otherwise approved by the respective State Association, temporary member permits are restricted to Club events only. State and National Championships and open events are only open to entry by full Racing category members. An additional class of licence is available specifically for Time Trial Events only. This licence is renewed quarterly.
The Bicycle Any standard racing bike is OK. The handlebars need to be standard ‘drop’ bars. ‘Tri-Bars’ are not allowed in normal criterium/road races, but are OK for time trials. Most riders use the newer STI type gear shifters, where the brake levers are also used to the shift gears. The latest, most expensive bikes are not essential! Remember, it’s the strength in your legs and your mental attitude that has the greatest bearing. Naturally the lighter the bike the better. But there are many other factors such as stiffness and correct size/riding position. Aluminum frames are light and stiff (good power transfer to the wheels but poor ride), steel frames are reasonably stiff, give a good ride but are heavier. Carbon fibre frames give a good ride, but may not be really light or stiff. Of course quality is a factor and a very good steel bike will race better than one with a cheap and nasty aluminum frame. The quality of bike components (group-sets) are not a critical factor in winning races. However, higher quality components are more reliable and slightly lighter. Probably the most important part of a racing bike for HPRW events, are the wheels and tyres. For time trial events where drafting is not allowed, the aerodynamics of the wheels are important. In road races and criteriums, riders who plan to spend much of a race ‘out the front’ or in a breakaway from the bunch, might be better off with aero wheels. Unfortunately, these wheels are heavier than standard rim wheels. For sprinting and quickly climbing hills, you are much better off reducing the rotating mass on your bicycle, by using standard depth, lighter weight rims. If much of your race is ‘sitting on other riders wheels’, the need for aerodynamic wheels is not such an issue. Most riders reach a compromise with shallow depth aero rims that are reasonably light, but still slightly aerodynamic. For time trials or distance training where quick acceleration is not a factor, the heavier deep section aero rims are fine. Light weight tyres and tubes also reduce the rotating mass. Look for tyres with higher flexibility in the sidewalls (high TPI) as they produce a slightly lower rolling resistance. Kevlar beads in tyres are preferred over of steel wire to reduce weight (and rotating mass). The ‘lower rotating mass’ issue is also a factor with your crank arms as they also are rotating and affect acceleration. Obviously lighter cranks/pedals and shoes are recommended. Don’t get too hung-up over the number of gears required. On flat circuit criteriums such as Nundah and the Balmoral Club circuit at Murrarie, a rider would only use 3 or 4 gears during the whole race. Where climbing is a factor, obviously more lower gears are necessary - even so, 8 rear gears and 2 front chainrings are plenty.
Gradings HPRW generally race 5 grades, A, B, C, D and E. At your first event, the club handicapper will ‘check you out’ and make an assessment of your ability and advise a suitable starting grade. Please consult the handicapper before racing, rather than guessing what grade you should be in. Of course, once you start winning consistently in your grade, you’ll be required to go up. Conversely, if you keep getting dropped from the bunch, you may be able to drop a grade. In ‘Open’ club events, you are required to race in the grade allocated to you by Cycling Queensland. This is written on your racing licence, but can be changed during the year. Please note that in open events, riders must wear official club jerseys/ knicks. Approved HPRW jerseys and knicks are available from the club. HPRW members over 35 can also compete in ‘Masters’ events. In these races, you will compete against other riders in your age group.
Know Your Strengths HPRW have different races that suit different riders. Criterium racing is very much a battle of tactics (drafting, breaking away, sprinting) while time trials are simple tests of endurance and strength. Novice riders quickly learn of the benefits of ‘drafting’ behind other riders. The reduced wind resistance can save up to 30% of your energy compared to cutting straight into the wind. Athletes generally have either a slightly higher proportion of ‘slow twitch’ or ‘fast twitch’ muscle fibres. Those with a higher proportion of slow twitch muscles generally have a higher aerobic capacity (we’ll call them ‘stayers’). They can convert carbohydrates and oxygen into energy at a continually high, steady rate. These types of riders do well in time trials and road races/criteriums where they can ‘grind away’ into the wind, sometimes breaking away from the bunch and they generally try to ‘break the heart’ of less powerful, fast twitch muscle riders. On the other hand, fast twitch muscle riders may have a lower aerobic capacity but higher anaerobic capacity. Anaerobic activity is expending energy at your maximum rate for 10 to 20 seconds. During this period, muscles are not using oxygen - instead, stored chemicals in the muscles are converted into energy. People with higher ratio of fast twitch muscle fibres are better at sprinting - they can ride faster over a shorter distance, but fade quickly and need time to recover. If ‘sprinters’ can use their sudden burst in a bunch finish, they will almost always beat slow twitch muscle riders. Obviously training can boost any rider’s overall strength, especially their aerobic capacity. In fact one rider’s aerobic capacity can produce a greater short term output than another (weaker) rider’s anaerobic output. Short anaerobic sprints while training, will improve a rider’s speed ability for fast finishes. However, the gain will always be related to the person’s percentage of fast twitch muscle fibres. Riders who have a high aerobic capacity (slow twitch muscles) and also a high power to weight ratio, are better at climbing longer hills. Such skills can come in handy at some of the HPRW road race locations. While not in the category of the French Alps, a couple of the climbs at the Closeburn ‘T’ and Somerset Dam circuits are reasonably long. Practice hill climbing and you’ll get better at it. There are a few places worth considering, such as Mt Mee and Mt Coot-tha. Mt Coot-tha has a 2.34km section on Sir Samuel Griffith Drive from the Simpson Falls turnoff to the top of the mountain near Channel 10. There are white painted lines at the start and finish. Keep accurate times over the section to check that your training is working. As a general guide, ‘A’ grade riders will complete it in 8-10 minutes, ‘B’ grade in 10-12 minutes, ‘C’ grade in 12-15 minutes and ‘D’ grade over 15 minutes. Race tactics The following are basic hints for beginners to become competitive racers in HPRW. Once you know your strengths (and weaknesses) you can start thinking about tactics before and during a race. Knowing the strengths of your competitors comes with experience. Obviously, if you’re a sprinter, you’ll do everything in a race to try to ensure a ’bunch’ finish and spend the least possible amount of time ‘out in the wind’, to conserve energy. Stayers can weaken sprinters by trying to break away and forcing them to use up all their anaerobic strength just to keep up. Longer hills are the best places to try these moves. Of course it’s not that hard to break away from a bunch if you really want to. But if you end up by yourself, it can be very difficult to maintain the same pace as the bunch behind you. However 3 or 4 riders who work together by sharing the lead may be able to achieve this, especially if there is a large number of sprinters in the following bunch (none of them may want to sprint to catch up). During a breakaway or a chase, riders won’t be too happy about someone sitting at the back of the bunch and not doing a turn at the front. The bottom line however, is that everyone is entitled to ‘ride their own race’.
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| Last Updated on Friday, 13 January 2012 05:47 |
