There are lots of Cycle Races throughout the year run by several different organisations. Below you will find a brief guide to the main Cycling bodies and links for you to find out about their events and how to enter. You can find out more about the inidividual types of racing by checking the other pages in this section.
British Cycling are the governing body for most Road, Track and Cyclo Cross racing.
If you wish to participate in any BC races you will need firstly to be a BC member and secondly hold a Racing Licence.
There are 3 levels of membership, Bronze, Silver and Gold. To hold a Racing Licence you need either Silver or Gold membership.
BC Membership: http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/mem--Membership---the-full-details-0
Race details: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/Bridge/calendar_future.asp
The vast majority of BC Road Races in our area are organised by Cycling Development North West (CDNW).
You will need to register with CDNW to pre enter their events. Event details and the registration form can be found here: http://www.cdnw.org/road_race_league/road_race_league.htm
They also operate a series of weekly Circuit Races starting in April and held at Preston Arena. There is no pre entry required for these they are enter on the night events: http://www.cdnw.org/SIS_crits/SIS_crits.htm
The CTT organise a large number of Time Trials throughout the UK. As Manchester Wheelers' Club is affiliated to the CTT there is no individual membership required.
There are 2 types of event - Club Events and Open Events.
Club Events
Our Club 10s are held on a Thursday night, however other clubs have similar events on other nights and courses. Usually you can turn up, sign on and ride the event. Entry is generally £1 to £3.
Open Events
These need to be pre entered, a good guideline is to send your completed form to the organiser 2 weeks in advance. To find details of forthcoming events you can...
1. Buy a CTT handbook or ask someone who has one for details, this gives details of events, courses, rules, etc. Order forms for the handbooks are available from CTT website.
2. Check what other club riders are entering using the events page on this website.
The TLI organise open age Road Races and Time Trials in the UK, and are an ideal way to get started on the road racing scene.
The racing is a bit steadier than the BC races and usually run in 2 groups, under 50s and over 50s, however they are very flexible so if you wish to move up a group you can do.
Membership is required, £16 for the year, or you join on a day licence (around £4) if you wish to try out one race.
If you join for the year you receive a handbook which lists all the events for that year. It is best to pre enter races, however you can usually enter on the day.
Entry forms: http://www.theleagueinternational.com/standardentryform2009.htm
The League of Veteran Racing Cuclists is run in the same way as the TLI but for over 40s i.e. Veterans.
Very similar to the TLI racing, you have to be a member (£16 per year); races are £6 to enter.