*RESCHEDULED* ThunderCross 3 - Tracklocross, Single Speed Cross and Fun bike race @ Herne Hill Velodrome

REARRANGED FOR 13th MARCH

https://nltcbmbc.com/thundercross/

It’s the return of ⚡️❌

We’re bringing it back. The most muddy* fun you can have on two wheels, and this time we’re setting up at our favourite venue Herne Hill Velodrome. Expect thrills, spills and chills (it is in December) on a specially designed course making the most of the venue and its surroundings.
*weather permitting

What is ThunderCross?

Party vibes, party people and party racing. ThunderCross is a cyclocross race for everyone. Whether you’re in it to win it, or just want to see what all the fuss is about, you will be made to feel welcome and at home.

This time we’ll have races for Tracklocross, Single Speed and Fun Bike utilising our gender neutral Thunder and Lightning categories that have been a success ThunderCrit. Taking place the week before Christmas, we want to celebrate the year that racing returned by signing off in style. There will be great prizes to be won and a fun atmosphere for the whole family. So whether you want to have a go at racing the best ‘cross race of the year or you just want to enjoy the vibes and bring the noise from the sidelines, this is the place to be.

Want to know more? Read on…

Tracklocross

Tracklocross is racing a fixed gear bike on mud. You can run with or without a brake, but please remember to use suitable foot retention and a gear suitable for your skill level and the course.

Single Speed

You can run a single speed specific build or we can fix any regular cyclocross bike into a selected gear using our high tech zip tying technique to keep your gear choice to one. All single speed bikes must have functioning brakes front and rear.

Fun bike

This race is just for fun, the wilder your ride the better. We’ve had a selection of weird and wonderful bikes enter ThunderCross before – Folding bikes, fat bikes, clunkers, tall bikes and even a bike led by a husky. This race is for those that really want to get into the spirit of the race (it is a week before Christmas 😉).

Race Categories

We aim to create an inclusive racing environment for all, and welcome all gender expressions to our races.

It shouldn’t be up to racers who do not fall into traditional gendered categories to face pressure to fit into them and feel uncomfortable or misgendered as a result, so this year, we’ve changed the categories themselves to remove the emphasis on binary gender and allow everyone to race as their authentic selves in a similarly-matched field.

We now have two race categories – Thunder and Lightning – that invites those of similar physical ability to race in a category with a gender neutral name. It is a radical rethink of what a race could look like, celebrating the differences between riders but offering a level playing field in terms of competition.

Thunder Category

This category is for:

Cis-men
Non-binary people who would be the most evenly matched against cis-gender men
Trans men and women who would be the most evenly matched against cis-gender men

Lightning Category

This category is for:

Cis-women
Non-binary people who would be the most evenly matched against cis-gender women
Trans men and women who would be the most evenly matched against cis-gender women
Our goal is to attract as many non-binary and trans athletes to our races as we can, so that the number of non-cis racers in both categories will enable the races to feel truly gender-diverse and inclusive. We would appreciate your support by sharing news of the race far and wide to spread the word and help us get there.

Notes

Cis-gendered people cannot choose their racing category. Cis-men will race in the Thunder category, cis-women will race in the Lightning category.
We recognise that this new format may be confusing, so if you’re not sure please email us (info@nltcbmbc.com) and we will be very happy to help you choose the right category. We may also contact riders to double check that they have selected the correct category.
We will not require any proof of performance, we trust competitors to select the category most appropriate for their ability.
Transphobic behaviour will not be tolerated. Edgelords will not be tolerated.
However, we are open to constructive feedback. We don’t have all the answers and we recognise that this is not necessarily the perfect solution, so we are open to ideas and suggestions on how we can improve in the future.

Sign up at the link at the top.

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It's certainly a change to the standard BC categories! Props for giving it a go.

I'm a bit confused though, how many races will there be? One for the fun race, or two, one for Thunder and Lightning? Ditto for the tracklocross/SS.

Thanks, the Thunder and Lightning categories worked a treat at ThunderCrit in the summer. It's obviously not straight forward to make a change to how we are all used to thinking about gender within racing. There's a lot of people out there who love riding bikes but don't feel catered for when it comes to racing. Hopefully we're helping to find a solution and drive some change.

We have got a loose course layout now, but we need to test it. Once we have done that and have seen evidence of how popular the entries are we will decide on how to approach the timing of the races. We should have more detail on this by the end of next week.

Best case scenario would be to have 5 races (as they are listed on the entry site). However if numbers are a bit low in a category it wouldn't make sense to run this on it's own and it may get absorbed into another race. The options then would be to have Tracklocross, SS and Fun bike as three races, completely mixed but with prizes distributed across Thunder and Lightning categories post-race.

We've had a good response so far with nearly half of our Tracklocross Thunder entries already taken.

We have use of HHV from 11am to 5pm, so will do our best to fill the time in the best way possible.

I'll try and keep things updated as much as possible in the run up to the event and I'm happy to field any questions people may have about entering and racing.

interesting, thanks. It might be quite entertaining to race in the dark :D

Sadly I think I'm likely to have to work that day come to think of it :(

Me, a kid and a microtandem are going to enter, just in case anyone was worried about coming last in the fun bike race

microtandem

brilliant

Oooh the temptation to ride this on a Pedersen is large.

So the competition for DFL will be a bit stronger @doubleodavey

Do it!

I hope to make it (as a spectator, natch). I've really missed cyclo-cross at Herne Hill since Muddy Hell hasn't taken place any more.

The Die Is Cast.

I just hope I don't break the bike, I love it so much.

Blimey. I wouldn't want to ride a Pedersen down that steep hill. Then again, I wouldn't want to ride any kind of bike down it. Good luck.

Thanks Oliver, you got me scared now. I can always run down. Actually it’s ascending that’s the real problem.

Course, the bike is so triangular it would be a shame not to decorate it like a fucking Christmas tree. Which is a plus.

Yes, sorry, but with cyclo-cross I'm strictly only interested in watching it. :)

If you have cc skills, the hill is obviously perfectly doable. The main place where people fell off at Muddy Hell was on a gravelly corner just before it. I think everything else was not too risky.

I've heard that the hills are not severe this time - it's not at Swanley. Is this the case? (Gulp)

Mere pimples at Herne Hill.

We are making the course tracklocross and singlespeed friendly. We should hopefully have some gopro footage of some test runs next week.

I think @pastry_bot, @laner and I all rode singlespeed at the last ThunderCross at Swanley. It's possible on any course with the right gearing.

I normally ride singlespeed at Herne Hill CX events anyway, as it's the best option and eliminates the risk of tearing off a rear mech.

Can't speak for the tracklocross riders, but I think @Jos rode the first Muddy Hell novice race on fixed, and won if memory serves.

Will be there with some pals, seems like a good day out

I was also on a singlespeed

Sad I cant make this. The first ThunderCross was one of the finest CX races I've ever heckled at, and I'm sure this one will be great too :-)

In my defence, the cold may have affected my memory.

I hope we’ll see you again this time?

The bike was so gunked up anyways.

I'm massively unfit at the moment so might avoid embarrassment and enter the fun category on something silly

If I don't manage to enter I'll at least come and heckle