ARE YOU READY TO RACE?

So you've been cycling for a while and now you're eager for a competitive challenge but are you ready? Tom Couzens sets out everything you'll need to get started

- Tom Couzens

Seeing as you're reading CW, you probably consider yourself a reasonably fit bike rider. But are you fit enough to hold your own in a race? Many riders automatically assume that racing is beyond their ability level - before they've given themselves a chance or considered the many beginner-friendly forms of racing available these days. Others have the opposite problem they're over-confident and jump into a race before they're really ready. So how can you make a calm, objective judgement and correctly answer the question: Are you ready to race?

I still remember my first race: arriving at the Milton Keynes Bowl in a Team Sky jersey with road tyres fitted onto my 'cross bike. It might not have been a great look, but the experience got me hooked. The reason my racing debut was such a positive one was thanks to Bicester Millennium, my local club at the time, which had given me the bunch-riding skills and confidence I needed to get started.

Entering your first race can feel like a very big, intimidating step, but it can open up possibilities that deepen your passion for cycling in ways barely imaginable beforehand - as I've found out. From the nervous excitement on the start line to the adrenaline thrill of sprinting past the chequered flag just like your idols on TV - racing conjures up feelings and emotions that you just don't experience in everyday life.

Before you rush to the British Cycling or CTT website, though, it's important to take a step back and ask yourself again: are you really ready to race? To help guide you in answering this question, I spoke with Jake Hales, head coach with Ride Revolution. Hales has a master's degree in sports science, as well as more than a decade of racing experience at the highest level of the UK domestic scene, including professionally for IG Sigma Sport. Suffice to say, he knows a race-ready rider when he sees one.