Hillingdon Winter Series

Anyone racing at Hillingdon this weekend?

http://www.imperialracingteam.com/imperialracingteam/index.htm

I will be the fat bloke at the back of the Cat 4 race in London Dynamo kit. Looking forward to it; though slightly apprehensive as i've never raced before.

If anyone fancies it, you need a racing license which you can get from British Cycling provided that you are a member of a recognised cycling club. I got mine this morning over the phone. Dead easy.

Good luck Willo!

I'll be doing a few after New Year...once I'm back from 3 weeks MTBing in sweet sunny South Africa....oh yeah!

i raced most of the summer there, even in summer the wind was terrible. good luck, c4 is straight forward, just keep moving to the front and tuck in the pack.

off the bike at the moment, trying to get back into running, might have a go after christmas.

Will be happy enough if I don't get dropped first time out!

as i said, keep in pack and stay away from rear, and you won't get dropped. at worst you will have a couple hard laps then it will slow down and you can recover.

what he said, avoid dangling at the back, you're much better off staying in the front third!

Any tips on going round that first big corner at the bottom of the hill. I remember the one time I rode at Hillingdon (a duathlon), I found it relatively tight getting round (but then I was on tri-bars). Or does it just sort itself out....

the corners were made that you don't pedal strike even going 20+mph around corners ;) . just follow pack and keep out of wind!

Yeah, but I want to pedal 30mph around that corner..
Nothing like a bit of pedal strike and a wobble to scare people off your wheel..

yep been there and done that twice in the same race....ahem, do they make incontinence racing shorts?

Must have been trying as it was a good clout, and I've been round there zillions of times, same bike, same me, someone been titling the tarmac?

Too bliddy cold in winter for me- frozen assets for sure

It's only an hour in the cold.. can't be that bad can it? Tarmac is still too nice to race there :)

Well, that was a hoot! Started probably 2/3 back out of 80 or so Cat 4s. 35 mins plus 5 laps. Very very crowded throughout, and lots of jokers putting the brakes on going into the corners causing havoc. Missed a big crash (narrowly) about half way through which took 4 riders down, but had to go like stink once I got round to catch up the pack. Pushed through to the top 10 up the hill with 5 laps to go. Momentarily led after the bell, and then got spat out over the last half lap, not helped by getting stuck behind someone who had been lapped and not being able to get round them - note to self: don't get on the inside on the last lap.

I'm guessing I finished about 30th.

Chuffed!

Well done!

80 riders on a 1.4k circuit must be pushing the limits? Oh, it is pretty wide I guess..

80 riders, and i'm guessing 60 had never raced before.. Made it interesting!

80 riders on that circuit is a littel hairy I reckon, well done for sticking it out and d'you see what I mean about being better ofdf up front now? Means you miss all the havoc and reduces the number of people braking in front of you.

Well done and see you there in the New Year

good work. lesson learnt never lead out last lap!! always stay top 10 and on the outside, ready to go.

Never lead any lap until there's 10m/50m/100m to go.

I made that mistake my first race there and went rapdily backwards from 1st to 8th in the final 100m...DOH!

Much better race today - probably 30 - 40 starters so plenty of space unlike the last time I went out. 3 went off of the front early which helped to keep the pace relatively high and made sure that the pack was stretched out. Of the three early leaders, two got swallowed up early on the last lap, while one stayed clear which was unbeleivable given the wind today.

I stayed towards the back as i'm recovering from a mother of a cold and didn't want to push too hard today. Kept with the pack and started pushing forwards with 5 laps to go. Stayed out of trouble and I'm guessing I finished 15th or so which was pleasing.

Next race for anyone who is interested is at 11.00am on Boxing Day for the Category 4s. I'm hoping to be there, though there is some negotiation to be done with wife and kids...

always a few crashes in the 3/4 races at hillingdon and once you drop off the back you will get lapped as the wind is always strong... i agree with the above, bust a lung and try to get tucked up front as the crashes seem to happen in the last 3rd. Anyone done the surrey league ones at MOD chertsey? Iv never seen so many people go down in the finishing straight!

Crashes were pretty uncommon back in Melb.. what are you lot doing?!

As for the guy staying off the front for most of the race, either the chasing bunch were useless or he was sandbagging, riding in a grade below what he should be.

who knows... but there were 60 plus people in some of those races all cat 4 all with little experience riding in packs. hard not so shed a tear at the end looking at all those cervelos with snapped forks or rear triangles...

As for the guy staying off the front for most of the race, either the chasing bunch were useless or he was sandbagging, riding in a grade below what he should be.

The chasing bunch were useless!! I had a chat to him afterwards - he was a student at Loughbourough Uni who rides with the university club. Said he got to go out three or four days a week. Nice kid.

I know this is an old thread but would like to know if anyone is up for doing the winter series this year? I need to get training and it would be good to meet others to hit the Hillingdon circuit when its not being used for events.

Probably for first 3. Will get other LFGSS.cc involved...