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Power Pack - Surrey Cycle Racing League's |
The Surrey Cycle Racing League is affiliated to:
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This is a
welcome pack, a chunky read that should give you a flavour of what Surrey League is all
about plus a closer look at women's cycle racing. The aim is to answer your most frequent questions. These are: What is Surrey League? What sort of racing calendar is there for women? - who want to race individually - who want to race in a team Can I just turn up at a race or do I need membership beforehand? Is a there a calendar of races on a website? Or a hotline for latest information? Can I ride in mixed races with men? How are men's races graded? What help is there with training? Can I come along to the winter training/coaching sessions? So here we go. Welcome. My name is John Leitch and my involvement with Surrey League is as a coach. But more of that later. Most new contacts such as yourself are steered in my direction. The "intake" is varied. Looking at those who arrive on the threshold, who aspire to take part in women's cycle racing: some have already competed in other competitive areas such as triathlon, running or cycling time trials, while others have cycled socially but now want to lift themselves to a higher competitive level. In brief: there's a wide range. Whether you're making a raw beginning or switching sports, you'll find others in much the same position. So don't worry on that score. What is Surrey League? It is an organisation which exists to promote cycle racing and was started in 1983. After putting on 30 races in that first year, its calendar has grown and grown and now stands at 150. In fact there are more races per head of licensed racing cyclists in our local patch than in any other part of the country. So rather than being pushed into a back corner as a result of us living on the edge of London, we enjoy just the opposite status… as a result we are the envy of those who live elsewhere. Within Surrey and the surrounding counties there are over 40 cycling clubs. Some have obvious geographic ties
and examples would be: Several have commercial links: While others are harder to explain
(so I won't even try): The clubs all have individual members who want to race but are run by committees with a varying interest in promoting events, from mega-keen to dis-interested. This is where Surrey League steps in. It is an umbrella body and its message to individual clubs is: "We're here to help, to make it as simple as possible. All you need do is agree to take charge of two events during the summer racing season (ie book the changing rooms and provide marshalls on corners) and we'll provide the rest (like two-way radios, warning signs and an independent commissaire). Individuals who join a club that is signed up to Surrey League can then enter (and race) any of the many events on its calendar. They are not just in Surrey: quite a few road circuits we race on are beyond the Surrey boundary - examples would be Milland, near Liphook (West Sussex) to the west, while to the east are the Ninfield (near Battle) and Wivelsfield ( near Burgess Hill) in East Sussex. What sort of a racing calendar is there for women who want to race individually? Cycle racing is a male-dominated sport and hence most of the races are for men. Women can enter these events, indeed they are welcome, but the standard can be daunting, so be careful of which standard of race you enter when signing up to a mixed race. Surrey League wishes to lead the way in encouraging more women to take up cycle racing…. and is prepared to put on more events if they are well-used. I sometimes help with coaching kids on the Hillingdon circuit on Saturday mornings and the younger they are, the closer the girls: boys ratio gets to 50:50. So where do the girls all go? Why can't we keep them? The dilemma for Surrey League is: do we organise women-only races which provide ideal entry-level competition for newcomers to racing…. or should we merge women competitors with the less-speedy men in order to give better competition for the stronger women. Views on a postcard, as they say. Surrey League's mid-summer series of Thursday evening handicap races are a good entry point for all newcomers, with the organisers typically sending women off first and challenging following groups of men to catch them. A typical event would see six groups, each made up of 10 riders, starting at two-minute intervals, the fastest guys in the "scratch group" being the last to go. So 60 riders in all, but scope to perform well and get amongst the winners. Last summer, the upsurge in women riders at Thursday evening events resulted in several of the stronger ones starting in a later group. We also earmarked several (around six) Sunday morning races at Goodwood (we hire the car racing circuit when no-one else wants to use it) between April and September as another ideal entry route for women newcomers. The rough guide given to event organisers was: over 10 women and they could have their own race, but less than that and they would be mixed with the 4th Cat (that's explained later) men. In 2003 there was an new option…. women's racing at Hillingdon race circuit on Friday evenings. Hopefully this will continue in 2004 as those who went all reported that it was exciting and a worthwhile experience. What sort of calendar is there for women who want to race in a team? The Women's Cycle Racing Association (WCRA) stages a national series of nine races, spread through the summer. The events are for teams of six riders. The competition started in 2001 and Surrey League's team came second. Encouraged, we set ourselves the challenge of attracting new riders during the following winter so as to enter two teams in the 2002 season…. and also to have enough reserve riders to make things more manageable when there were the inevitable absences. At the end of 2002 we collected the winners trophy, ahead of Yorkshire, the runners-up. We also carried off third place with the second Surrey League team. During 2002 we called on 26 different individuals, and found virtually all of the reserves capable of staying in the bunch for the best part of the race. It was most encouraging. For the 2003 season, there was a slight change in so far as six of our riders switched to the colours of Evans Cycles RT. We still put a team of six forward, which included several new faces. Can I just turn up at a race or do I need membership beforehand? The short answer is: just turn up and sort membership issues out later. Surrey League wants people to race and so puts everything that smacks of officialdom and a potential hindrance to enthusiasm into the background. Glyn Durrant, one of the people who run Surrey League, says: "With Surrey League, new riders can just turn up on the day." That means sorting out membership and race entry can all be done over the table, live, with an official. But if you're an out-and-out
worrier, you could always play it safe and e-mail: Is a there a calendar of races on a website? Yes. You'll find it on http://www.surreyleague.co.uk/calendar.htm Or a hotline for latest information? Yes. You phone 020 86 45 99 06 In Surrey League events, can I race with men? Yes. There is such a huge number of men racing that in order to race like-with-like, individual males are graded by ability. You start as a fourth category (4th Cat) rider doing one-hour races. If you win six points in a season, you are automatically upgraded to third category (3rd Cat) status which means that you start doing two-hour races. Next come the three-hour races which are for 2nd Cat and 1st Cat guys. There is an even higher status beyond that - for individuals who still win loads of points and become classified as Elite. Typically women race in mixed events which are listed as 4th/W (ie lasting one-hour and competing with fourth category men) or those marked down as 3rd/4th/W (where you get a tougher two-hour race). Women are similarly graded according to past results, but with fewer competitors, the normal practice is for them all to ride in the same events. How are men's races graded? You've already had the answer to that. Surrey League's policy is that women can enter any race they chose, which means that you don't have to find a magnifying glass to spot the "W" symbol. But if you take out a British Cycling licence in order to do races in other areas, then check that the summary in the BC's quarterly list of events you are picking from (it arrives in the post) includes the "W" symbol… otherwise phone the organiser in advance (his number is usually listed) and check. Some are not so encouraging as in Surrey League. What help is there with training? I got involved a couple of years ago and over the last two winters, through from December to March, we've had coaching/training days at monthly intervals. Women rode in ability groups around open roads on circuits of 6-8 miles. Typically there were 15-25 on each of the days, and a total of 40 came along overall. We hire a village hall to use as a changing room and last winter there was sometimes a discussion element before getting onto the bikes. I'm a 58-year-old who took up competitive cycling 10 years ago. I did time trialling-only for my first five years but got bored with it, so I would be 52 when I started racing in groups. It was hard going but I've improved and I find it wonderfully challenging. Having done a BCF (British Cycling Federation) level 2 coaching course, for the past two years I have been doing some coaching as well as my own training/racing. I enjoy doing my bit to pass on good practice to groups of riders who are keen to improve. I've signed up to run similar sessions through the coming winter - ask for further details of when and where they are. Can I come along to these training/coaching sessions? Yes…. Either just turn up e-mail for further details from…. John Leitch john.leitch@rbi.co.uk To conclude: We are keen to have new riders. There is a spread of ability and there is a range of commitment. But everyone who aspires to race is most welcome. Some of the women who came to the training days last winter have enjoyed a wonderful racing season, exceeding all their expectations. You could be the next. If you sign up, there is a list of around 50 women riders… people who would be happy to have a chat with you to answer questions or perhaps to have an introductory/regular training ride with. Thank you for your interest September 2002 - John Leitch |
©Surrey Cycle Racing League 1998/2004. All rights reserved.
