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Hillingdon Evening Crits Begin

Posted: 5th April 2011 | Source: Stuart Benstead | Event Details

Evening criterium racing at Hillingdon Circuit starts on 5 April and continues every Tuesday until 16 August. This BC West Thames (BCWT) organised series then continues for the next four Saturday afternoons from 20 August. They will also be promoting the Hillingdon GPs for men and for women on 15 May.

For the first three weeks of the Tuesday programme it starts with youth racing for all ages from 6.30pm, with the two senior races starting at 7pm. Subsequently the races start 15 minutes later as the evening light get longer. Distances are controlled by the available light for safe racing.

The two senior races are run concurrently, starting 45 seconds apart, with one for E/1/2/3 categories and the other for 3/4 categories.

There is a £10 one-off registration charge, half for youths, which purchases the numbers to be worn for the whole season, plus a £10 entry fee for each race, or £3 for youths. There are cash prizes for each senior race, while the youth races are run on a season-long points basis. There are prizes for 3rd cat riders on a race-within-the race basis.

While the upper race qualifies for the C+ range of ranking points, this year the lower categories race will not qualify for ranking points, but still for prizes, as the organisers regard the BC points system for 4th cats to be unsafe in situations when races exclusive to that category are held. This race is now open for 3rd cat riders opting to race at a lower level rather than with the higher ranked riders and not worrying about points but just enjoying the racing experience.

The staffing of each evening is helped by mainly local clubs to support the regular team of officials specialising in signing on, First Aid, photo finish, and a rota of a team of commissaires, with two central organisers i/c the total operational and financial side. It is interesting that some of the roles are covered by volunteers who are not cyclists but with family connections to cyclists.

Stuart Benstead, who organises the events with Bob Spencer, said:

"This will be our 15th year of operation and it has grown and grown to a point where last year we had 400 registered riders.

"It is interesting that so many new riders are coming from the professions and indeed proving the oft quoted maxim that ‘Cycling is the new golf'. Canary Wharf merchant bankers, doctors, airline pilots, national newspaper journalists, lawyers, IT banking specialists, and architects, are now adding to the many skills always to be seen in race line-ups.

"With this expansion of interest in the sport by slightly older newcomers in mind, BCWT is pleased to provide the basic guarantee and link up with Bill Butterworth and Team Quest in the promotion of the fortnightly over-40 age Masters Races on Wednesdays, to which he has added women-only races on the programme. Bill will be putting out further information in due course. In the meantime details of all the Tuesday and Wednesday racing at Hillingdon can be found on the BC website and general information on the Hillingdon Circuit is on www.hillingdoncyclecircuit.org.uk"