If you are a new member to the club, or just considering taking up cycling as a sport, we hope that you find the information here useful in getting started.
There are many reasons why you may be interested in joining a cycling racing club - from simply wanting to be a part of the sport and improve your fitness, to representing your country at the Olympics. Nomatter what your goals and aspirations, membership with the Club can help you achieve your goals and get more from your cycling.
To start with we would recommend that you:
Many people delay joining and getting involved because they feel they need to "get fit" first. If you are thinking a little along these lines remember that you do not have to start racing straight away. By getting involved and participating in training and bunch rides you will get a better idea as to where you are at and we can help determine whether you are ready to start racing. Also, nomatter how fit you get, there are basic racing skills that need to be acquired and these can take longer to develop than your physical fitness, so the sooner you can start racing the better! And, when you do start racing, we encourage you to try and control your desire to win straight away, and "sit in" riding amongst the other riders to watch and learn.
In order to compete in any club, regional, state or national cycling event, you must have a licence (or temporary one) issued by our national governing body - the Australian Cycling Federation (ACF) often referred to as Cycling Australia (CA). Application for such a licence can only be made through an affiliated club and as a result club membership and membership options are tightly coupled to the ACF licence.
On paying your fees, you will be issued with an official "licence" (a plastic card the size of a credit card) by Cycling Australia and this licence must be carried with you to all races and training sessions as proof of membership and hence insurance coverage.
For those wanting to try before becoming a member and obtaining a full race licence there are a couple of temporary race permits available.
Both Club Membership and the ACF licence is based on a calendar year: from 1 Jan through to 31 Dec.
For those joining toward the end of the calendar year, the next year's licence (and club memebership) is made available from early October and this will enable you join and race the remainder of the current year and the full coming year.
The ACF also typically offer a six month licence which is valid from the 1st July throught to 31 Dec, and the club passes this option on to members.
Details of our Membership Fees are available from our page on joining the club.
The Club Membership Fees are collected by the club, the club keeping a portion (average of about 20%) and the rest being paid to the state governing body (CycleSport Victoria) who in turn keeps some and pays the rest to the ACF.
Our web page on membership benefits provides a summary of what you get with Club Membership.
Our races require a significant number of assistants to run them safely and to also meet the requirements of the local councils, shires, police and Vic Roads. To make sure that we adequately staff each race, the club expects all members to willingly assist via a duty roster system.
For further details on the applicable fees, obtaining a registration form and becoming a member please see How to Join the Club or Renew your Membership.
Your official Race Licence will specify the "category" in which you belong (you must specified this on competing your licence application). The "category" is based on the your age at the END of the licence period.
All the categories are listed under our information on Joining the Club and membership fees. The categories provide a range of age groups for both men and women in the ranks of Juniors, Elite (cycling's open category), and Masters.
On entering an event you must ensure that you enter the appropriate race and/or competition according to your category.
The Blackburn Cycling Club always runs separate races for Junior categories however the other categories are usually combined at local and regional events and the races then "graded" based on rider's abilities.
The Club Championships (and championship events in general) are an exception as these are always run by category.
The rules of cycle racing are documented under Cycling Australia's Technical Regulations. Unfortunately printed versions of this document are not readily available however the PDF versions available can be printed (either on your own printer or take to a print shop such as Minuteman Press).
It is EXPECTED that you are familiar with the Technical Regulations before you compete. Ignorance of the rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any violation.
Initially we recommend that you don't buy the best of equipment. When you have more experience and knowledge you may wish to upgrade equipment. The best of equipment is certainly nice to ride on and will generally wear better and be more reliable however there is a great trade off between durability and lightness.
Most of the "off the shelf" road (and track) racing bikes will meet the requirements in the Technical Regulations however you should still check!
The most frequent violations are related to the gearing restrictions imposed on Juniors, and the use of aero bars.
The club has a stock of club bikes that are available (primarly for juniors) to borrow. Most of these bikes can be configured as either track bikes (no brakes, and a single fixed gear) or as a road bike (brakes with single gear with freewheel). The bikes are perfectly suited for track use and on the road on flat criterium courses (such as at METEC).
In the Junior categories the size of the gears are limited for primarily two reasons: to minimise the stress on young developing bodies (particularly knees) and to emphasise and assist with the development of correct, smooth and fast pedalling technique.
The official restrictions are to be found in the Technical Regulations but are replicated below:
| M19 - 7.93m | M17 - 6.50m | M15 - 6.00m | M13 - 5.50m | M11 - 5.50m |
| W19 - 7.93m | W17 - 6.50m | W15 - 6.00m | W13 - 5.50m | W11 - 5.50m |
The gearing limitations are specified as a "roll out distance"; i.e. the maximum distance the bike travels over one full revolution of the pedals and cranks.
To measure the rollout distance:
Generally, handlebars shall be of the standard or "classic" style. The use of handlebar extensions, aerobars etc may only be used for specific time trialling events.
At Club and Regional hosted events there is no restriction on the clothing other than that it must cover the shoulders (i.e. no singlets). In general, clothing should not be baggy as it can be a safety issue and it also creates considerable wind drag slowing you down! It is also recommended that a T-Shirt be worn under a cycling jersey as added protection in the case of a fall.
At State Open and National events you must wear either plain clothing (i.e. without any advertising) or your registered club or sponsors uniform. For further details please see the Technical Regulations.
Although any solid shoe will do, most riders use specific cycling shoes that have cleats attached to the sole that clip into the pedals. The sole of a cycling shoe is made of a very stiff marterial that distributes the pressure from the pedal across a broader area of sole of the foot. Although not manadatory the purchase of Shoes/Pedals and Cleats are probably more important than quality of bike!
There are number of pedal and cleating systems now on the market however the simple slotted plastic type work well with our club bikes. A club coach or official, or your local bike shop, will be able to help in this matter.
Cycling knicks are padded with an internal chamois to prevent chafing and are made (supposedly) with flat seams out of the area that you sit on! Note that underwear is not typically worn with cycling knicks as the seams in the underwear defeat the purpose of the knicks. At least a couple of pairs of knicks are usually required to allow for washing after each use to help avoid saddle sores etc.
Cycling Tops (usually in polyester) are very comfortable whilst being close fitting and have pockets in the back to hold rain jacket, food etc.
Is mandatory!
Recommended for novice juniors (and may become mandatory).
The following gives an overview of most of the costs involved: