Rollapaluza Team / Club

You can get a day license most of the time. But if you're doing it often you just purchase a license for that calendar year.

Yes - BC racing license.

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/mem/membership_frequently_asked_questions.asp

how fast are these dudes?

watch out people. dogs turned into a roadie. just put some padding on that mankini mate, and off you go. who needs lycra.

post a pic of your plastic bike when it arrives!

The circuit at CP is tough as crit circuits go so racing isn't super fast. Just hard due to the hill on every lap (it's not much of a hill but keep going up it every couple of minutes and it takes its toll). Turn up and give it a go - even if you're dropped you'll normally find a group going around at a decent pace off the back. I'll probably be in it. ;)

No, you need a licence.

I don't have one, but I'm not interested in racing :(

No, you need a licence.

I don't have one, but I'm not interested in racing :(

you fat git! :p

mmm, i might head down with big jos and try my luck. certainly go the endurance, not sure on skills though yet. anyway, will have to be a few weeks.

The only skill you need is to suck the shit out of Jos's wheel till the final 50m.

The only skill you need is to suck the shit out of Jos's wheel till the final 50m.

if i could hold his wheel, i wouldn't be doing a desk job!

The only skill you need is to suck the shit out of Jos's wheel till the final 50m.

A classic strategy. Wheel sucking is quite difficult when you're first starting out though as I found out a few weeks ago. No story to tell. Was just harder than I had imagined.

I would love to have a go at this racing. I guess a decent road bike is a pre-requisite though?

Any road-bike in good working order will be fine. Bear in mind it's a crit, so you may want to ride a bike you don't mind crashing ;)

Any road-bike in good working order will be fine. Bear in mind it's a crit, so you may want to ride a bike you don't mind crashing ;)

Yup. Just buy some PoS thing for less than a grand all in. Priority: Stiff wheels, next up a decent groupset. Don't drop too much money on it, Mavics plus Campy Chorus is good.

You probably will crash, or at least you should expect you will.

And remember at CP, hold your line around those corners!

Cheers for the advice guys.

I really need to get myself some more bikes as I would like to get into competitive cycling.
Scarlett, are you going to be doing the Sunday morning Rollapaluzza ride this weekend? I was up for it, but looking at the weather now it is looking a little grim for Sunday.

Also hope to make it to HH tomorrow for my induction. Depending on how much alcohol I consume tonight

Also VB, what is PoS?

Yup. Just buy some PoS thing for less than a grand all in. Priority: Stiff wheels, next up a decent groupset. Don't drop too much money on it, Mavics plus Campy Chorus is good.

That doesn't make any sense. To me a PoS road bike is £250. I'll admit I don't want to buy one for £250 and that I'm looking at spending £700-£1200.

Piece of Shit

@mikec - no to Rollapaluza clubrun; Herne Hill is going to be my weekly ride this week.

anyone up for 80 miles on sun morning early?

That doesn't make any sense. To me a PoS road bike is £250. I'll admit I don't want to buy one for £250 and that I'm looking at spending £700-£1200.

Total sense. You want an above average frame, and not a prize road bike. Good enough that it doesn't weigh a bomb. Any material will do, but favour touches of carbon as it dampens and reacts well, whereas a full alu frame is noisey (on your arms and arse). That'll set you back around £750 new or £500 s/h.

Then drop money on stiff wheels and upping anything you distrust or doesn't work well enough. The Veloce shifting is clunkier than the Chorus, a good stiff set of wheels will make a hell of a difference when you come around the top of CP onto the little straight and want to sprint it. Good brakes save you in every way. Make sure the shoes/pedals are ones that you're really comfortable in and are fine to crash in (clips and straps are out).

I raced on my Serotta, but never floored it like I did on my Cannondale. You've got to accept that the bike might be smashed up, and then budget accordingly. Spend the money only on things that make a big difference to you... it's nearly always the wheels.

god i'd love to have a go in a big shoulder to shoulder race!

just not on my bike, i would cry for so long if i bent it .....or the wheels : (
mind you i have no idea if i could keep up with the pace ha ha

After a few weeks good riding at HH Ive got a hunger for some proper racing again. And after meeting a few of you lot recently, Ive decided Id like to join Rollapaluza cc so I can put down a club name when I get a racing license as soon as poss for some Wed night racing.
I see I can simply join online. What I really want to know is, is there some strange initiation process that isnt mentioned on the website, or that any of you know better than to mention??????

you should be able to get a jersey off Winston at HH training.
i'm planning on joining too, but i haven't seen Winston at saturday training for a while.

join online, relatively short on jerseys right now, plenty of size 9s though and I think a fe 8s and maybe one 10, there is a size chart on the club site....

Mmm can you join Rolla and Groupetto? or are they arch rivals?