Friday 22 January 2021

VC Jubilee Cycling Club

Cycling Activities

COVID-19 UPDATE: ALL CYCLING ACTIVITIES ARE CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

VCJ has a wide array of activities to offer the young cyclist. At every step there is qualified coaching and a structured approach to developing skills, talent, fitness and enjoyment. As a development club, it is our hope that young riders will come through the ranks to ride for Brighton Excelsior or maybe even go on to ride for the country. Learning to get the best out of a bike at an early age is more important than the discipline itself. Mountain bikers like Chris Froome and Cadel Evans have gone on to win the Tour de France and track riders like Mark Cavendish (also a former MTB boy) and Bradley Wiggins have excelled themselves on the grand tours. Click on the headings below to see which activities appeal to you.

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Track Cycling

How to Get Into Track Cycling in Sussex?

VCJ has a number of track bikes which can be borrowed by young riders who want to try out track cycling, we also have qualified coaches to help you with getting into track or enhancing your current skills on a track bike. One of our riders, Amy Smith, recently became UK women's Madison Champion, an amazing achievement. Contact our track coordinator admin@brightonexcelsior.co.uk if you’d like to get involved. Our local cycling track is Preston Park Velodrome where racing takes place on Wednesday evenings in the summer from 7:00-8:45pm. VCJ also helps to run training sessions there on Friday evenings. During the winter we organise trips to indoor velodromes at Lee Valley (Olympic Park) and Calshot Park in Southampton.

2016-17 Velodrome Training details here.

The success of British track cyclists like Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton and Laura Trott - to mention just 4 multiple World and Olympic champions – has captured the imagination and inspired a generation. Track Cycling has been around since 1870. Racing takes place on indoor or outdoor tracks called Velodromes. These usually have banked corners so riders can maintain a high speed when cornering.

Track bikes have fixed wheels, which means that when the bike is moving the pedals move with it. They have only one gear and no brakes. Bikes also have dropped handlebars and can be used with disc wheels.

Track racing has many different types of races the most common are:

Scratch - Bunch race over a number of laps, 1st across the line wins

Points - Bunch race with sprint laps for point ever 5 or 10 laps, Rider with most points wins

Sprint - Small races over a small number of laps, 1st across the line wins

Devil - Bunch elimination race, last across the line every few laps is out

Pursuit – an individual or team start on opposite sides of the track and race over a set distance

More elaborate events like Keirin, Madison and the multi-discipline Omnium add spectacle and excitement to major televised competitions.
Mountain Biking

Mountain Biking - Please check the club calendar before attending your first session.

Weekly MTB sessions run by our youth section, VC Jubilee, start from AOAC every Saturday from 9:00 for 3 hours and comprise of a mix of skills coaching and riding. Once a month the session moves to Stanmer Park in Brighton for a change of scenery and some different surfaces. Stanmer Park is also the location of the annual Big Dog mountain biking event where VC Jubilee run the Little Dog races for youth riders. These are youth training sessions but senior Brighton Excelsior members race in local events such as the Southern XCs and Brighton Big Dog as well as other endurance and team events across the county. If you want to get involved in MTB please email mtb@brightonexcelsior.co.uk to find out more information.

Background

Mountain Biking is still a relatively new discipline. The bikes were first developed in the mountains of California and only went into mass production in the 1980s. Mountain bikes or ‘MTBs’ are great all round machines which perform well on any terrain so they are a great choice of first bike for youngsters. The rider sits in an upright position, has 2 brakes and a wide selection of gears. Tyres are quite wide for extra grip, there are disc brakes and most bikes have some form of suspension either front only [hardtail] or full front and rear.

Mountain biking has only been a mainstream cycling discipline since the late 1980s. Races have several formats but they are generally either classed as Cross Country [XC] or Downhill. The first cross-country UCI World Cup series was held in 1989. The Downhill World Cup started two years later and the Dual Slalom World Cup was launched in 1998. Mountain biking made its first Olympic appearance in Atlanta in 1996.

Event Types

Cross Country events are held on a mix of open and closed, technical and hilly terrain. Downhill races are shorter with no climbing involved. Both feature downhill slopes incorporating technical sections, burns, drop offs and other obstacles. Side by side slalom events have evolved into ‘4 Cross’ which see 4 riders tackle a downhill course at the same time. Enduro rides are like longer XC rides with more emphasis on downhill and in ‘Fox Hunts’ a large field of amateur riders try to catch an elite ‘fox’ with no fixed route across rugged, open terrain. So there is plenty for the ambitious mountain biker to aim for.
Cyclo-Cross

Cyclo-Cross - Please check the club calendar before attending your first session.

Cyclo-cross (CX) is a traditional winter cycling sport but it can be done all year round. It is excellent exercise which carries on whatever the weather.

VCJ run mixed age group (includes adults) training sessions from September to February at 6:30-8pm at Water Hall Playing Fields , Brighton, BN1 8YR.

CX is a very accessible form of bike racing where beginners can find themselves racing against national champions. An event consists of several laps around a 1.5–2 mile course featuring various surfaces which can include woodland trails, grass and tarmac. There are generally some steep hills as well as obstacles which require the rider to dismount and carry their bike. Like its powered equivalent, motocross, cyclo-cross can get very muddy but it’s excellent fun and makes its riders very skilful.
Road Cycling

Road Cycling

Brighton Excelsior supports road riders at all levels, from people getting into the sport right through to competitive riders at regional or national level. Older VCJ riders are welcome on the Sunday club runs and also get to race on closed circuits like Hove Park. Jack Churchill, is pictured on the right completing the Paris Roubaix étape before reaching his 16th birthday.

Further Information

Road cycling has been around ever since the invention of the bicycle. By the 1900s bicycles had pneumatic tyres, equally sized front and rear wheels and the familiar diamond frame shape. With the inventions of the chain and gearing system, cycling on the roads around Europe had become incredibly popular. The first Tour de France took place in 1903 and clubs like Brighton Excelsior began to spring up with riders going out on regular club rides.

There are various types of event which can be categorised as races, time trials and personal challenges. The elite level of racing involves team tactics and requires the skill to ride effectively in a pack or “peloton”. At lower levels the events may be more individual in nature but the same skills are required. VCJ riders pick up skills from a variety of disciplines which equips them even better for road racing and general cycling enjoyment.

In time trials [TTs] the rider is up against the clock and the quickest time wins. Brighton Excelsior run an open TT series throughout the summer, to which VCJ riders are welcome. Youth riders can be accompanied by an adult for safety as required.
Time Trials

Time Trials

Youth riders are welcome to take part in Brighton Excelsior's TT series. Check out the Brighton Excelsior Time Trial Calendar

Time trials are races against the clock, generally ridden over standard distances. Riders race individually, normally setting off at 1 minute intervals, with the intension of covering the distance as quickly as possible. Standard time trial distances are 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles with even longer events testing how many miles a rider can clock up in either 12 or 24 hours. The time trial is not called the ‘race of truth’ for nothing, it is a pure test of speed with no opportunity to ‘hide’ or ‘rest’ in a bunch of other riders.

How do I start time trialling?

A good introduction to the time trial is the club’s evening series held on Tuesday evenings between April and July each year on a variety of local courses measuring 5, 10 and 16.5 miles. Club members can enter on the evening for a small fee and new riders can just turn up and try one out. These events offer riders of all abilities the opportunity to test themselves against the clock. The series is run as an informal introduction to time trial racing and also as an opportunity to meet up with other riders. Check the club’s TT Calendar for the next event.

What equipment do I need?

There is no need to buy specialist equipment to start off with; many riders continue to ride evening series events on standard road bikes. As your speed increases things like aerodynamics start to play an important part so more advanced riders may opt for a time trial or triathlon specific bike. These are lightweight with sleek riding positions, adapted handlebars and specialist wheels. As the spec increases the equipment starts to get more expensive but these bikes aren’t the most comfortable for other riding so it’s best to wait until you’re sure you want to invest. A compromise solution is to buy "clip-on" aero bars which allow you to temporarily adapt your riding position at a fraction of the cost before you decide to commit to a more expensive purchase.
Sportives

Sportives

It’s great fun to take on the challenge of a sportive with other club members. Brighton Excelsior riders take part in various events around Sussex and further afield and VCJ riders can sometimes participate for free with a paying adult depending on the specific event's rules. It's a good way to rack up some miles in a relatively safe environment.

Sportives or cyclosportives to give them their full title, are long distance organised events, which involve completing a given route within a particular time limit, typically ranging from anywhere between 40 and 150 miles. Sportive routes usually take in the most challenging roads in their area, with long, steep climbs and descents, testing both riding skills and fitness.

Sportive rides are generally run for profit by professional event organisers and therefore most rides benefit from a package of rider support that might include transponder timing, generous feed-stations, breakdown recovery, certificates/medals and a fully signed route. Also, many event organisers have developed multiple route options such as ‘Short, Standard and Epic” distances meaning that a wide range of riders is catered for.

Some are quite expensive, so you need to be selective. The ones organised by Wiggle and Evans are free for Under 16s accompanied by a paying adult and they usually charge less for the shorter rides. In contrast others are £25-£30 per rider - So you would expect some pretty decent goodies and organisation for that. Entering well in advance or in groups will often work out cheaper.