Time trialling is the simplest kind of bike race – and it’s easy to get involved too. Most areas have regular competitions on weekday evenings, normally over ten miles.
These races are relaxed and informal, and are the ideal way to begin. All you need to do is get there twenty minutes or half-an-hour before the event starts with a roadworthy bike and a small entry fee – normally it’s £2 or £3. We recommend you wear a helmet (some clubs will insist you do). The organisers give you a number, usually this will be your start time ie no seven will start at seven minutes past the hour. Riders are set off in singles, at one minute intervals.
You’ll be asked to read and sign an official entry sheet (if you’re under 18 you’ll also need a signed parental-consent form. Then you’ll be given a number and a starting time. The course will be a simple out-and-back turning at a roundabout, or a left-turn-only circuit. There are usually marshals to keep you on track.
There are two tiers of competition in time trialling. First, there are club events, run informally like the turn-up-and-ride races, but only for members of a club.
Above that in the hierarchy are “open” events. These usually happen at the weekends, and attract a higher standard of competition than the club races. You have to enter in advance by post, races and entry form available from the link above.
For historical reasons dating back to an era when cycle racing in the UK was illegal and time trialling was a clandestine affair, open events are run on courses that are identified by a system of course codes. This means you have to get used to looking up where they are. Some opens are very popular, so if a race is oversubscribed the field is selected on the basis of riders’ fastest previous times, shown on their entry form.
Regards
Dave
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