WELWYN WHEELERS – INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS Gosling Sports Park, Stanborough Road, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL8 6XE http://welwynwheelers.org.uk/ FORWARD BY THE CHAIR Congratulations on joining one of the strongest cycling clubs in the country. Welwyn Wheelers has a rich history of guiding and nurturing some outstanding riders in its long history. Riders such as Peter Bissell, Christopher Church, Andy Fenn, Karl Gough, Bethany Hayward, Brendan McKeown, Claire Newland and Laura Trott all benefited from being part of the Welwyn Wheelers Cycling Club. But whether you are an aspiring Olympian, or whether you have more modest cycling ambitions, Welwyn Wheelers is an excellent club with which to pursue your interest and ambition. Our main aim is to get you racing! This guide has been produced to welcome you to the Club, to provide a reference point for you to answer some of the typical questions a new member may have. There are also likely to be questions you have from time to time that may not be answered by this guide. So, if in doubt, please just ask. All members will be pleased to help, or are likely to be able to point you towards the right person. Finally, welcome to Welwyn Wheelers, we look forward to helping you develop and enjoy your cycling in a friendly, open and inclusive manner. Chair - Welwyn Wheelers 1 CYCLING – A BRIEF GUIDE If this is your first cycling club the structure of the sport may seem a little confusing. This brief guide is intended to help introduce you to the sport, provide information about useful cycling related organisations and also how the competitive side of cycling is organised. If you have any queries as you get into the sport please ask one of the club coaches, officials or club members, they’ll be happy to help. Also see the club website – www.welwynwheelers.org.uk Welwyn Wheelers provides the opportunity for its members to take part and enjoy a wide range of competitive and non-competitive cycling activities. Non Competitive – Sunday morning club runs all year round for all club members, Go-Ride Saturday Club (directed primarily at novice and young riders 8 years to adults) and Off Road Rides. There are also ‘Sportive’ and Challenge Rides. There are several types of racing – these are quite different from each other, each have their own rules and regulations and require different skills and equipment. These include - Track Racing, Road and Circuit Racing, Time Trials, Mountain Bike and Cyclo-cross Racing. The two Governing bodies for cycle racing are British Cycling and Cycling Time Trials. Their roles are explained below: British Cycling (www.britishcycling.org.uk) BC is recognised as the governing body for cycle sport at international level and controls: ♦ Road Racing; bunch racing on the roads; ♦Circuit racing: bunch racing on closed circuits (can be purpose built or town centre circuits); ♦Track Racing; a variety of events held on hard tracks or grass tracks; ♦Cyclo-cross; bunch racing over parks/fields in winter; ♦Cycle speedway; a bit like motorcycle speedway; ♦BMX racing; ♦Mountain bike racing, both cross country and downhill; ♦A small number of time trials. To take part in BC racing events you first need to join the organisation (see their website for details) and to obtain a racing licence from them as well (under 16’s and below get a free racing licence). There are various grades of membership some of which give you third party insurance cover and other benefits. Those benefits are often useful to have even if you don’t want to take out an annual racing licence. Details of forthcoming promotions are in booklet form or can be viewed on the BC website. If you don’t have a race licence, you can enter some BC races on the day of the event, but it is generally cheaper to enter in advance. Cycling Time Trials (www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk) CTT Controls the vast majority of time trials in England and Wales. To take part in a time trial you have to be a member of an affiliated club (such as Welwyn Wheelers). All the races for the year are published in the CTT Handbook, which you can buy from the club, or see the CTT website for details. Time trials can be divided into three categories: ♦Club events - these are relatively informal events promoted by clubs mainly for their own members and entry is usually on the line. Welwyn Wheelers run its Evening Time Trials on Tuesday evenings in the summertime. ♦Association events – these are for people who belong to clubs that are affiliated to particular associations, groups of clubs, often based in a local area. Association events can be a good way to get started in open time trials because it is sometimes easier to gain entry to events than would be the case 2 if you entered a fully open event. These Associations also run events for their member clubs on some faster local time trial courses which might otherwise be over-subscribed. ♦Open events – these are similar to association events except that they are open to all riders from all over the country. However there might still be some restrictions, for example the race might only be open to men, or women or veterans. You have to enter in advance on a specified form for all Association and Open time trials. Entries usually need to be received at least 12 days before the event by the organiser. All time trials held on the open road are open only to riders aged 12 years or over. Welwyn Wheelers is affiliated to the two main local associations the ‘ Norlond Time Trial Combine ’ and Eastern Counties CA and you can enter races promoted by these bodies but you will not usually be able to enter races promoted by other associations. Another time trial related organisation is the Veterans Time Trial Association (VTTA ), to take part in VTTA events you need to be an individual member over 40 years old, as well as being a member of a club affiliated to CTT. Bikes: Bikes come in all shapes and sizes. There are specialist machines for many branches of the sport, such as track bikes (fixed wheel, no gears or brakes), time trial bikes (very aerodynamic position and tri-bars), road bikes (lightweight general road or circuit racing bikes), ‘hack’ or winter bikes (sturdier than the classic road bike and with mudguards, lights etc. fitted), most people are familiar with mountain bikes (MTBs), BMX bikes, speedway bikes (look very different from other racing bikes) and cyclo-cross bikes (a bit like a road bike but with extra clearances to prevent clogging with mud etc.). If you are thinking of buying a bike it may be worth talking to one of the club coaches first, unless you already have previous experience of cycling. It is important that the bike you buy will do the job that you want it to perform, you also need the right size frame, the best components for the job in hand, suitable wheels, tyres etc. When you start out as a cyclist you probably only need one bike initially. However if you become interested in racing and decide to take the competitive side of things more seriously then you may decide that additional, specialised bikes are needed. Club Track bikes are available for hire at a nominal fee for our coached summer track sessions. Clothing: Generally you will find that specialised cycling clothes make riding much more pleasant. As a bare minimum you will find cycling more comfortable if you have shoes, shorts and gloves designed for the job. In winter several thin layers that completely cover your lower back, legs (to the ankles), and arms (to the wrists) will help, finished off with gloves, overshoes and a suitable hat to keep your extremities warm. Wind chill is a real issue for cyclists so don’t be fooled by winter sunshine! Specialist cycle clothing and shoes are expensive; feel free to ask a coach about what to buy if you’d like help. Age Categories: Much of cycle racing is divided into age categories one way or another. In broad terms there are youth riders (aged under 16 in age categories in 2 year age bands down to under 8), juniors (16-18), espoirs (18- 23), seniors (over 23), masters (over 30 divided into five year age bands up to 70+) and veterans over 40 years. You should check the rules for your race to find your category because this varies between governing bodies and between disciplines. If you are a youth or junior rider you need to know about gear restrictions, these vary according to age and discipline and may also be altered by BC from time to time. Make sure that you know which gear you are allowed to ride, if in doubt ask one of the coaches who will be happy to help. 3 Exceeding the permitted gear is likely to result in disqualification (see BC website for up to date gear restrictions). Club runs: Sociable rides take place on Sunday morning all year round, usually in country lanes. Riders will often be split into groups to suit almost all fitness levels. Club runs are usually ridden on a winter bike with mudguards, lights etc. Distance varies according to group composition and weather conditions. Start and Finish point for Sunday morning is the Tennis Centre at Gosling Sports Park. Please speak to a club coach or experienced member if you’d like to discuss what you need to bring with you on a club run (i.e.