Competition & Racing

If you're interested in the competitive side of cycling and want to know how to get involved then read on.


Time Trials

Details of all the clubs time trialling events can be found here.

Club Events

Club events are open to anyone.  If you're not a member of a cycling club, then you can usually participate by becoming a temporary member of the organising club. Generally, there is no need to enter in advance for a club event, you can just turn up on the day, sign-on, pay your entry fee and ride!

 

Charlotteville runs a 10 mile time trial on a Wednesday evening throughout the summer months. Entry fees are currently £3 for Charlotteville CC members (first or second claim) and £4 for non-members.  Details of the Charlotteville "Evening 10" can be found here.

Open Events

Open events are the next step up from club events, and are open to riders from any CTT affiliated club, of which Charlotteville is one.

Races take place up and down the country on all weekends (and many weekdays) during the year.

 

Entry details for all open events (and many club events) can be found in the CTT handbook, or on their website.  Race entry usually costs between £10-£20, with entries based on previous times and, for most races, the field will be selected from the fastest riders that have applied.

 

If you're interested in taking part, there is a section on the CTT website covering a 'Beginners Guide to Time Trialling'. Enjoy your ride!


Road Racing

The British Cycling website contains a number of articles about how to get started with road racing and other cycling disciplines. The key thing is that, in general, you need to have British Cycling membership (and you can get discounted membership for the first year either through the club, contact the membership secretary, or just by doing a bit of 'Googling') and a racing licence to take part although there are exceptions these days (Go Ride events) where you can try out road racing without having either British Cycling membership or a license. The Surrey Cycle Racing League (or Surrey League) is a local organisation that aims to provide a full years worth of racing across all categories or riders in the local area and as an affiliated club our members are able to join the Surrey League and ride in their events.  As a result of this we are obliged to organise events on behalf of the Surrey League and therefore members are also expected to assist with this organisation.  In recent years the Surrey League have also required that all riders new to road racing complete a course (covering basic racing skills and safety aspects) in order to qualify to race in their events.


Cyclosportives ("Sportives")

These are not competitive, but rather mass-participation cycling events and seem to be increasing in popularity every year.  You don't have to be a member of a cycling club to enter these events but, if you are, its nice to ride with other club mates. To find lists of these rides you can visit the British Cycling website or the cyclosport.org.

 

Before sportives came along there was also branch of the sport called Audax riding which are long distance cycling events using a system of timed checkpoints. For more details about Audax events (which are usually a lot cheaper than sportives and some of them can be ridden at any time!) go to the Audax UK website.


Audax or Randonneuring

Long before sportives came along there was also another non-competitive branch of the sport called Audax riding, in which individuals or groups undertake self-supported, long distance, rides within a specified time.  Success is determined solely by completion of the route within a specified time, rather than trying to beat anyone else.  Audax rides often use a system of manned, or un-manned, checkpoints, which must be visited in order to complete the Brevet Card, and prove that you completed the designated route.

 

For more details about Audax events (which are usually a lot cheaper than sportives!) take a look at the Audax UK website.