Next week is the penultimate round of the Orwell StickyBottle.com Women's Crit League, and the only featured road race. We've a few special requests, so for details of the night, and some tips and advice, read on.
Sign-on
Sign-on will be in the lay-by opposite the Blue Gardenia pub on the N81 - http://goo.gl/maps/oNvis It will be open until 18.50 - any riders arriving after that time will act as marshals. The race is off at 19.00 sharp.
Please don't park in the pub car park, and be considerate of local residents when parking (and racing!). We're running things on a budget, so there'll be no portaloos available. Go before you leave home! Public urination will be penalised with disqualification.
Racing
For those who haven't raced on open roads before, the rules of the road still apply. Anyone seen repeatedly riding on the wrong side of the line will be disqualified. Check for overtaking car traffic if moving out of the bunch.
The marshals will do their best to stop traffic back from the junction, but it's not always possible and drivers are not always co-operative - so be very cautious on corners. Obey any orders from marshals, such as to slow down - they're trying to keep you safe.
Basically, use some common sense. It's not worth endangering yourself and others to gain a few places in the bunch. Stupid/reckless riding will be not be tolerated.
At the finish, if you didn't get a place, please keep riding through and home. This allows us to clear the area and let traffic flow – again, keeping the residents happy is paramount to the continued success of the league. Please return to the finish line if you think you placed - it's good practice to make sure your name was noted.
Format
The race will be one big chase pursuit. Similar to the most recent Corkagh Park round, the slower groups are given a headstart, while the faster groups have to chase. Number of groups and handicaps will be decided on the night, depending on numbers. It's in the interests of each group to work together - to either stay away from the chasing groups, or to catch the groups ahead.
There will be points for the B riders in the overall, but we've yet to decide how to allocate them.
We will have a photo finish camera at the line - if you have open racing numbers, please wear them. We are trying to source other numbers for use with the camera, but will probably only have a limited amount.
Circuit
Starting from Brittas, riders will turn left off the N81 through Manor Kilbride, then right onto the loop. After 5km, turn left to cross the northernmost bridge on the lakes, and left again on the far shore to go over the finish line. After crossing the line, the race drops down the hill and over a small bridge, just before the speed ramps we turn sharp left for the second lap. This is a very sharp turn, be extremely cautious! http://goo.gl/maps/ea2sQ
The plan is for three times over the bridge, then finish: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/405424356/
Current standings
Available here: http://www.orwellwheelers.org/images/docs/crit-lg-2014-r4.xls
