# Cycle clubs in Nottingham?



## oreo_muncher (5 Sep 2020)

I'm looking for a cycling club in Nottingham for road bikes, that is competitive and provides training of some sort to go into competitions. So far I only have seen clubs that focus on social rides and are not competitive. I really want to improve as a road cyclist and start doing races.


----------



## 13 rider (5 Sep 2020)

Velo club Long Eaton might be worth a look they certainly run a TT series . A local bike shop should be a good source of info


----------



## HLaB (5 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> I'm looking for a cycling club in Nottingham for road bikes, that is competitive and provides training of some sort to go into competitions. So far I only have seen clubs that focus on social rides and are not competitive. I really want to improve as a road cyclist and start doing races.


https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/c...de=nottingham&go-ride-club=0&cleared_filter=0

I think my mate is in OVB


----------



## 13 rider (5 Sep 2020)

OVB was the one I couldn't think of see them out and about and they seem Fast and racy


----------



## DCLane (5 Sep 2020)

Which part of Nottingham are you in?

Beeston RC have organised some races at the Harvey Hadden circuit. OVB race as well but are the opposite side of the city.


----------



## oreo_muncher (5 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Which part of Nottingham are you in?
> 
> Beeston RC have organised some races at the Harvey Hadden circuit. OVB race as well but are the opposite side of the city.


City centre of Nottingham.


----------



## DCLane (5 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> City centre of Nottingham.



OVB then would be my suggestion.


----------



## oreo_muncher (5 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> OVB then would be my suggestion.


I looked at the club and it seems quite selective and don't think I would make the cut sadly


----------



## DCLane (6 Sep 2020)

Still worth contacting them - you never know. I've just spent today training with my son's team and I only race in the lowest group on the track.

Alternatives might be Sherwood CC (mostly TT's) / Beeston CC.


----------



## 13 rider (23 Sep 2020)

Are you at Uni in Nottingham if so does the Uni have a cycling club . Just thought of this on today's ride as I was past by the Loughborough students


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

13 rider said:


> Are you at Uni in Nottingham if so does the Uni have a cycling club . Just thought of this on today's ride as I was past by the Loughborough students


Yes, I joined that one, kind of...?


----------



## 13 rider (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> Yes, I joined that one, kind of...?


Will be a good way of finding local routes and getting some miles I


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

Hopefully that'll be useful then - ask about rides on their FB page or group the club have: https://www.facebook.com/uoncycling/ . You're also near Derby velodrome which can be useful for training, if a little different.

My youngest's looking at Nottingham Uni as a possible option in 2/3 years should he go. Mainly because he wants to be able to do track racing over the winter which means Manchester / Derby / London / Glasgow.


----------



## cougie uk (23 Sep 2020)

Just get the miles in your legs. You're not up for racing after starting off two months ago. Enjoy your cycling and see where it takes you


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Hopefully that'll be useful then - ask about rides on their FB page or group the club have: https://www.facebook.com/uoncycling/ . You're also near Derby velodrome which can be useful for training, if a little different.
> 
> My youngest's looking at Nottingham Uni as a possible option in 2/3 years should he go. Mainly because he wants to be able to do track racing over the winter which means Manchester / Derby / London / Glasgow.


Never done track cycling- how do I get into that? How is it different to just road cycling except for fixed gear bikes, not on the road and you have to follow the line- is it just about speed? Would I have to buy my own track bike?


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> Never done track cycling- how do I get into that? How is it different to just road cycling except for fixed gear bikes, not on the road and you have to follow the line- is it just about speed? Would I have to buy my own track bike?



Track cycling's a bit different. It's fixed gear with no brakes, which is why the bikes aren't road legal. Everyone goes the same way round the track and there's black/red/blue lines denoting levels.

Derby will be running taster days once they're fully re-opened: https://www.derbyarena.co.uk/cycling/new-riders/ and they provide the hire bike.

My advice is: 1. Keep pedalling, or the bike will go up in the air/you go down, 2. To go higher up the track you generally have to pedal harder, and 3. Always look before you move.

My son's ridden and raced at Derby a bit although we tend to ride at Manchester instead.


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Track cycling's a bit different. It's fixed gear with no brakes, which is why the bikes aren't road legal. Everyone goes the same way round the track and there's black/red/blue lines denoting levels.
> 
> Derby will be running taster days once they're fully re-opened: https://www.derbyarena.co.uk/cycling/new-riders/ and they provide the hire bike.
> 
> ...


I just looked through the website but can't seem to find the date when you're allowed to go to a taster session, so far it seems like it's only open for people who are advanced and can bring their own bike- if I read correctly?


----------



## 13 rider (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> I just looked through the website but can't seem to find the date when you're allowed to go to a taster session, so far it seems like it's only open for people who are advanced and can bring their own bike- if I read correctly?


That might be down to covid rules . When I did a starter session there was a dozen of us .


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

@oreo_muncher - it isn't open at the moment for taster days. I'd suggest bookmark it and keep an eye on their page.

You'll either like track or you won't, as it's personal. Many go for a taster experience once and never return. Others stay and get accredited to ride frequently and/or race - only once you're wanting to race do you actually need your own track bike.


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> @oreo_muncher - it isn't open at the moment for taster days. I'd suggest bookmark it and keep an eye on their page.
> 
> You'll either like track or you won't, as it's personal. Many go for a taster experience once and never return. Others stay and get accredited to ride frequently and/or race - only once you're wanting to race do you actually need your own track bike.


How long does it usually take to get the accreditation? Why do some people like it and some hate it? What are the chances of me liking it?


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

13 rider said:


> That might be down to covid rules . When I did a starter session there was a dozen of us .


What are the chances of me liking track cycling?


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> How long does it usually take to get the accreditation? Why do some people like it and some hate it? What are the chances of me liking it?



Accreditation can take between a month and 6 months usually - I started mine and took a break to prepare for the All Points North audax but took about 5 months in total. I'd had a taster session in 2014 and then not ridden track again until 2018 when I got frustrated by standing and watching my son race but being unable to take part.

Personally I like it in terms of no lap being the same. Whilst it's 200-480 metres in an oval depending upon track venue length the lines you take, navigation, speed is different. Manchester's tight and fast, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Derby are a bit bumpy, Knowsley is grippy, Scunthorpe's long with a frequent crosswind. Last Saturday at Knowsley in the wind I needed to take wider lines as I'd got a 60mm deep front wheel - the wind was catching me in in turn 4, but it meant a cross/tailwind in turn 2 and along the straight.

Some don't like the feel of the track. It's intimidating at first; remember you're riding up steep banking which differs between tracks. Portsmouth/Dublin's is almost flat, Scunthorpe/Newcastle-under-Lyme are about 15° as they're outdoors, Derby and Manchester are 42° but Glasgow is the steepest at 45°. The idea that you're going round a 'wooden wall of death' as my 16 year-old describes them can be off-putting. Your brain's screaming at you "don't do that, it's dangerous". And if you don't show the track respect it can be.

Once you're started though confidence builds. And you always start riding at the bottom - only going higher when you're confident to and going fast enough.

This is worth a read: https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/1026/in-praise-of-velodromes And this is him at Manchester earlier this year leading a points race; he rides a Langdale Lightweights bike who are in Nottingham:


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Accreditation can take between a month and 6 months usually - I started mine and took a break to prepare for the All Points North audax but took about 5 months in total. I'd had a taster session in 2014 and then not ridden track again until 2018 when I got frustrated by standing and watching my son race but being unable to take part.
> 
> Personally I like it in terms of no lap being the same. Whilst it's 200-480 metres in an oval depending upon track venue length the lines you take, navigation, speed is different. Manchester's tight and fast, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Derby are a bit bumpy, Knowsley is grippy, Scunthorpe's long with a frequent crosswind. Last Saturday at Knowsley in the wind I needed to take wider lines as I'd got a 60mm deep front wheel - the wind was catching me in in turn 4, but it meant a cross/tailwind in turn 2 and along the straight.
> 
> ...


Haha why is the track described as a 'wooden wall of death'?


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> Haha why is the track described as a 'wooden wall of death'?



It's his description from when he first started as a 'novice' rider aged 12 in 2016. Standing at the bottom of the banking as a child it looks almost vertical. And very intimidating, even to an adult. Yet after his first session his request was for a track bike for Christmas so he could go racing once accredited.

He's not the fastest or strongest, partly due to being on restricted youth gears, but in track racing tactics matter a lot more.

The majority of track riders don't race though, they just enjoy riding it.


----------



## 13 rider (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> What are the chances of me liking track cycling?


Impossible for me to say . I did a starter session which someone bought for my birthday which was fun but a lot of stop starting as it's getting used to fixed gear . I then did the second level which was more riding but a bit more serious as your riding in formation and I didn't enjoy as much and that was the end of my track riding . The thought of being in a bunch on a track scares me but wouldn't mind doing timed laps and other solo events .


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

13 rider said:


> The thought of being in a bunch on a track scares me but wouldn't mind doing timed laps and other solo events .



I struggled with this all the way through accreditation. It's got better with experience although when things get rough in a race I'll often back out.


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> I struggled with this all the way through accreditation. It's got better with experience although when things get rough in a race I'll often back out.


What do you mean by it gets rough in a race?


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> What do you mean by it gets rough in a race?



Racing's not just all nicey-nicey. At the lower levels of track racing it is, mainly because the riders are new / older and don't take the risks. At my son's level there's elbows / barging / cutting up although most are experienced enough to handle it when this occurs.

In a velodrome taster session you're all far apart from each other. In the accreditation process it's closer but still non-contact. Only occasionally has someone at my level been physical and a word from the commissaires tends to stop it.


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Racing's not just all nicey-nicey. At the lower levels of track racing it is, mainly because the riders are new / older and don't take the risks. At my son's level there's elbows / barging / cutting up although most are experienced enough to handle it when this occurs.
> 
> In a velodrome taster session you're all far apart from each other. In the accreditation process it's closer but still non-contact. Only occasionally has someone at my level been physical and a word from the commissaires tends to stop it.


😅Ha, thanks for the warning. I'm quite small and a light weight, so I think I would tip over if someone tried barging me or elbowed me. Any predictions when the track will allow the taster sessions to go ahead- do you think I'll have to wait till 2021?


----------



## cougie uk (23 Sep 2020)

Some light viewing...


View: https://youtu.be/XFmBETH5uVU


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> 😅Ha, thanks for the warning. I'm quite small and a light weight, so I think I would tip over if someone tried barging me or elbowed me. Any predictions when the track will allow the taster sessions to go ahead- do you think I'll have to wait till 2021?



He can handle himself and he's 5' 7" and only 53kg. You're more balanced that you realise and it's only on the limit where issues arise as in the video above posted by @cougie uk . I've never had an issue with others in taster / training sessions and only the odd few in racing.

Manchester's just opened up for taster sessions and Derby tends to be 3-4 weeks behind. It's worth giving them a call. And this is what a Derby taster session is like - much gentler. Until someone appears comfortable they don't go above the bottom/black line:


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

cougie uk said:


> Some light viewing...
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/XFmBETH5uVU



That looks so painful!!!!!! Do you think they got seriously hurt?


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> That looks so painful!!!!!! Do you think they got seriously hurt?



The first one's from the madison, which is the most dangerous and oddest event. And probably most of them will have got wood burn (track road rash) plus other injuries. My son's been injured in madison when another pair mis-timed the change and one was flipped up onto my son's head - cue a big crash and concussion for both. One of his team-mates broke her leg in January when a lapped rider swung up without looking and the lead group hit her - I was about 2 bikes behind the lead rider who simply had nowhere to go.

Most injuries from the track are minor. Honest


----------



## ColinJ (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> Haha why is the track described as a 'wooden wall of death'?


You have obviously never heard of a '_wall of death_' then. Scary things... This will tell you everything you need to know!


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> The first one's from the madison, which is the most dangerous and oddest event. And probably most of them will have got wood burn (track road rash) plus other injuries. My son's been injured in madison when another pair mis-timed the change and one was flipped up onto my son's head - cue a big crash and concussion for both. One of his team-mates broke her leg in January when a lapped rider swung up without looking and the lead group hit her - I was about 2 bikes behind the lead rider who simply had nowhere to go.
> 
> Most injuries from the track are minor. Honest


Why is it odd and dangerous? Flipped onto someone's head!!


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

ColinJ said:


> You have obviously never heard of a '_wall of death_' then. Scary things... This will tell you everything you need to know!



I don't know how people get into this sort of stuff!!


----------



## ColinJ (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> I don't know how people get into this sort of stuff!!


Watch the video... She wanted to get a job with horses and typed in '_horse rider_' at the job centre, and it came up with '_wall of death rider_'...


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> Why is it odd and dangerous? Flipped onto someone's head!!


----------



## HLaB (23 Sep 2020)

cougie uk said:


> Some light viewing...
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/XFmBETH5uVU




View: https://youtu.be/rltqF-HT9iU


----------



## oreo_muncher (23 Sep 2020)

HLaB said:


> View: https://youtu.be/rltqF-HT9iU



That really made me laugh Can't believe the guy run to the finish line.


----------



## Big T (26 Sep 2020)

What sort of competitions are you looking to do? Road racing? Time trialling? Cyclocross? Track?
There are a number of clubs based in and around Nottingham and some group rides where several clubs take part.

One of the best training rides is known as the Parrot. It meets at 9.45am on a Saturday morning at Lowdham, near the Magna Charta pub. They will go out and do 60 miles at 20+mph average. You do get some big hitters on this ride - James Shaw, who is riding the World Road Champs on Sunday often goes out, as well as a lot of the local road racers.

If you are looking for TT’s then Sherwood, Mapperley, Nottm Clarion and VC Long Eaton all hold evening TT races during the summer and have members who race TT’s. For road racing - OVB, Ashfield, Beeston RC or Beeston CC, or Ilkeston CC all have members who do road racing. Many of these clubs have riders who race cyclocross during the winter.

Things are a bit up in the air at the moment with Covid. Many clubs are restricting numbers for club rides and there’s not much racing going on.

There are a couple of clubs based in West Bridgford who have training rides for different abilities - West Bridgford CC and Velo Club Bridgford, though they are not that interested in racing.


----------

