Road Racing

If you’re enjoying the faster club runs and feel the need to vent a bit of competitiveness then why not give road racing a try? CC Ashwell has had many road racers come through the club, from 1st category riders through to entry level 4th cats, the club will help you in your season’s goals. As a member of the Eastern Road Racing League, CCA has priority entry into the regional races. The lower level races (for category 3 and 4 riders only and 2nd, 3rd and 4th category riders only) are highly subscribed and without being a member of a club in the league it’s often unlikely you will be placed in the main field for the race. Being in a club that is part of the ERRL has huge advantages!

Road races are usually every Sunday morning in the racing season and are all run by clubs in the region. The circuits are between 5 and 15 miles long and race lengths vary from 40-110 miles. The competition is tough and riding in a bunch of up to 80 riders at high speed whilst trying to keep an eye on who’s going up the road in the break can take a while to get used to but it’s always a huge amount of fun and the rush of sprinting (safely) for the line or rolling in on your own ahead of the bunch is always worth it. You will get an enormous buzz from just getting to the finish line in your first few races!

Riding with the club regularly in a group and learning how to roll through and corner in a bunch whilst keep everybody safe is an absolute necessity if you’re keen to ride a road race or a crit.

Weekly club rides in the summer will help with your racing skills, the chaingang teaches you how to ride effectively in a break and the time trials will give you the discipline of getting your head down and soloing to victory! Grass track and CX will help your handling and sprinting skills no end and regular skills sessions with our seasoned coaches will give you more of an idea in what to expect. Our positioning gives us access to a few of the regions race circuits which will give you an idea of the terrain you’ll be riding on.

Contact Will on roadracing@ccashwell.com if you’re interested in giving it a go and he’ll help you out with any questions you may have. As a (currently) retired racer he might even go for a ride with you and chat about it. There are also plenty of friendly, experienced racers in the club who will help you out with most queries you may have.