Sleaford Wheelers: Eat, Sleep, Race, Repeat!

Cyclo-cross is a type of bike racing that takes place in the autumn and winter months. It involves riding a bike on a course that is a mix of pavement, dirt, and obstacles such as hills, mud, and sand. Seasoned racers use special bikes that look like road bikes with drop handlebars, but they have 33mm wide off-road tyres, greater mud clearance and a higher bottom bracket to help with clearance over obstacles. At a local level though, you can use any type of bike, including mountain bikes.

Cyclo-cross races are usually held in parks or fields and are 30 to 60 minutes long. The courses are designed to be challenging, with lots of turns and often requiring riders to dismount their bikes and carry them over obstacles.
Cyclo-cross has a strong community of participants and fans, and cyclo-cross is often thought of as the friendliest cycle sport. Many participants enjoy the challenge of the sport and the opportunity to ride in different types of weather and terrain. It's also a great way to stay active and have fun during the colder months.

Cyclo-cross is a unique and exciting type of bike racing that requires a combination of speed, endurance, and technical skill. Whether you're a seasoned racer or a casual enthusiast, it's a fun and challenging way to enjoy cycling and there are races for every skill level in your local league.

As a club the Wheelers have a keen group of riders who enjoy mountain biking, this is somewhat tempered by the fact we live in Lincolnshire and the local terrain does not encourage the more extreme side of the sport.
Regular rides are organised around the local bridleways and lanes which whilst not overly challenging technically (most could be ridden on a Gravel bike) can be a lot of fun and usually end up at the pub.
Club group rides to Sherwood pines (45 miles away) are also planned a couple of times a year which cover all standards for riding, as well as individuals and smaller groups regularly going over to ride there.

We also have a good relationship with local guide and MTB race organiser Kev from Focus rides who last year ran a Lincolnshire based Cross country MTB race league, with a good number of Wheelers racing in it, it is now the base for our MTB trophies. Kev is also in the process of setting up a bike park near Louth which we hope to make the most of when it’s up and running.
We have a number of riders who race in the National MTB cross country championships and have had some notable results.

Time Trials are often termed the race of truth, they are a sub-set of road racing, and a very British pastime. When the National Cyclists’ Union banned group racing in 1890, the cycling Time Trial was born. A Time Trial is an individual race against the clock, most commonly raced over 10, 25 & 50-miles. Riders are set off as individuals usually at 1-min intervals, courses are usually “out and back”, so for example, 5-miles out, negotiate a traffic roundabout, 5-miles back. The original "secret" coded naming convention is still used today, for example the Sleaford course is coded C10/10 – C - Lincolnshire, the distance in miles, and the number given to that course (of that distance) in the region. All UK club events are regulated by a governing body – Cycling Time Trials (CTT).

Club TTs are held on Thursday evenings over the late spring to late summer period, typically starting when the clocks change in March. Sleaford has two courses, a 7.8-mile course (called ‘the 7’), and a nationally recognised 10-mile course. Both courses start and finish on the A15, for both courses you ride out to the A52 roundabout at Osbournby and back.

What Do I Need to Race?
All that you need is a roadworthy bicycle, a working front and rear light (all year round), and a helmet.

What to Expect?
There is a race entry fee of £4 for club members and £5 for guests, which covers the fees levied by CTT. All of the Sleaford race event staff are unpaid volunteers, they are all doing it because they are passionate about the club. Race entry fees are usually paid when you book in for the race, but there may be an option to pay for the whole season beforehand; details will be confirmed on the SWCC website. The event HQ is in the Horseshoes pub in Silk Willoughby, there is parking behind the pub and along the road outside. The start line(s) are a 5-8 min bike ride from the pub. When you book in you will be issued with a race number which you must fix to the rear of your jersey (safety pins are provided), the race number relates to your start time, you must start the race at the start time given to you when you book in. On completion of your race, you must return the race number to the HQ to show that you are safe and well. If you aren’t pressed for time, the race secretary will read-out the race times once everyone has raced, and it is an ideal opportunity to meet other TTers and the club race staff.

Advice/Further Questions.
There are a number of SWCC riders competing both in the local club TTs and national level events, so if you need any advice or have any further questions, please ask a question on the SWCC socials or website.