Road racing

Wouldn't cat4/cat3 be best done on a beater alu frame, anyway? Higher risk of crashing due to the inexperience of the field, and if you need marginal gains to get out of cat3 you're not going to get far in cat2 so should be working on your legs, not expensive bikes, anyway?
Expensive amateur racing bikes only seems to make sense in TT, to me.

This.

Completely true but definitely not the case at the the races I've been too... Power meters, cervelos and zipps the norm, even at winter series events.

Powermeters make total sense. Boutique carbon does not.
My old alu crit bike is still going strong back in Oz. It outlasted many a crabon option.

Should, maybe be racing tonight. Expect tales of exceptionally disappointing nothingness. It looks like rain. Will try and get in a breakaway. Last race of Mallory Park for the season.

You're going to pay £1000 to insure a bike a year at least.

Just race something you can afford to crash. The chances of doing a frame/forks are slim as andyp said.

You're going to pay £1000 to insure a bike a year at least.

Not true (unless you're riding a £10k bike perhaps) - my £1400 bike cost £130 for the year to be insured for theft, accidental damage (ie crashing) and vandalism, including 3rd party cover and breakdown assistance.

Don't want to keep banging on about it but I keep seeing shit deals and misinformation everywhere!
https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/

Yes but that doesn't include racing. Which this thread is entitled.

Yes it does.

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Oh. That's decent.

Top notch highlighting.

The fear of crashing merely encourages me to the relative safety if the front of the bunch. Then my legs get tired and I drop off the back. It's a really safe way to race.

Balls.
That is all.
Night.

You took off on an epic solo breakaway from the start, stayed away the entire race only to be caught in the last few metres?

#optimistic

Sounds interesting..

But I just plugged in the figures for my bikes and it works out to £1300/year and they only allow bikes up to £5k.

If I reduce it to just my two more expensive bikes (maxing one out at 5k) then it costs more to insure them through ETA than M&S and M&S is covering my entire house contents.

I think I insured £2k of bikes for £120 with them 3 years ago. I think the premium rises exponentially.

Sadly, got dropped out of a breakaway, having put in the effort to breakaway/ shut down a bunch of times before, and just was in the hurt zone all the way to a pathetic effort in the bunch sprint.

Breakaway went on to win 1,2,3... gutting.
Need fitness.

Good effort eyebrows.

Cheers. I really enjoyed it. But just a bit disappointed.
Its a really good, well organised event/series, well recommended for next season.
Now to think of CX or something. And gym work. And running.

@hippy

FYI Aviva will do UNLIMITED bike value cover, as standard for home insurance for thefts from in the home.
Does not include out of home, which includes garage.

Works for me in a flat.

Hi all, hoping that this is the right thread to ask this - I am relatively new to this forum and want to make sure I am following the forum rules and posting in the right spot.

I am moving to London in 5-6 months from the Middle East and am looking into different areas to live. A lot of where we move to will be based on my ability to ride / race. From the main clubs it seems most training loops and racing is in South London - is this correct? Are there any clubs or good training loops in the North? If not, we will narrow our search to the South.

Really looking forward to racing somewhere where it isn't 40+ degrees at 9am!

London is pretty well served for road racing circuits, with Hillingdon in the west, the Olympic Park and Hog Hill in the east, and Crystal Palace in the south east. Hillingdon is pan flat, as is the Olympic Park, whereas Hog Hill and Palace both have a drag that separates the wheat from the chaff in an hour long race.

I've lived in north London (Finsbury Park), the south west (Wimbledon) and the south east (Beckenham) and think that south London is best for training as you have access to some decent training roads. It always seemed a long way out through suburbia to get to them from Finsbury Park, and there was a distinct lack of decent hills. From home now, in Beckenham, I can be in country lanes within 15 minutes and have easy access to some decent hills.

Perfect, thanks. That was what I was expecting. Now it is just a matter of getting there and pinning a number on.

That could be worth a look. But I think M&S also covers the bikes away from home, damage overseas and such.

Have entered a race on Sunday, start list is big. Jon Mould, Marcin Bialoblocki, Adam Blythe, Rusell Downing. Not sure i'm going to be able to make it though and not sure the effort is worth it for a lap of hanging around, and then popping out of the back

Just get as far forward as you can. Easier near the front.
Easier said than done. Just have a go!

What race?