Dirty Wknd member Amy Marks decided to take the leap into crit racing in March , and quickly caught the bug. Through coached 'intro to racing' sessions, hard work and racing as much as she could, she has had a brilliant first season, even gaining her cat 2 licence.
However, if 'crits', 'categories' and 'licences' are all alien to you, her tips on how to get started below should help you on your racing journey. I started racing in March this year and was immediately struck with how supportive and encouraging the community is. Having now raced for 6 months I am able to call some of my competitors my closest friends. Hopefully this blog will give some insight and answer a few of the questions that might be stopping you taking the leap. If you are interested in racing I would say go for it.
It's not as scary as it seems from the outside - I know because I was there just a few months ago! Before racing competitively anywhere in the UK you must register with British Cycling for a race license. This can be a very confusing process and one I did wrong myself initially. Firstly, you must purchase a silver or gold British Cycling membership, and then combine that with a race license.
This will provide insurance for you and your bike in case of any accidents. Once you have got this you will be able to compete regularly, gain points and get category upgrades. Click this link for the British Cycling registration process and follow the steps.
Understanding the categories and points system might seem confusing from the outset, but it's not really something you need to worry about. All you need to know at the start is that everyone starts as Cat 4. So when you're ready to sign up for a race see below the best option is to sign up for Cat 4 only races, so that you're amongst other racers who are pretty new to it.
