Bike racing 2015!

Races
1

Hi everybody,
SO, it’s almost race season! Rather than copy paste the exact post or restate everything, I’ll just link you all to this lovely post by Eric from last year:
http://mcgillcycling.com/forum/races/so-you-want-race-your-bicycle-2014-edition
Lots of important info in there about how to buy a license, what the different types of races are, etc.

The ECCC (Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference) calendar can be found here:
http://collegiatecycling.org/eccc/wiki/index.php?n=Calendar.Current
The ECCC is great for ALL levels of riders, whether you’re super serious or have never even watched a bicycle race before (seriously, there’s an intro category designed for people who have never raced before and want to see what it’s like!)
After that finishes up, we’ll move on to the FQSC races for the late spring and summer.

We’ll likely be going to all of the ECCC weekends except the first one (or maybe two) and any races in Pennsylvania.
Each weekend will get its own post as the races get closer.

If you have any questions at ALL about racing this year, let me know!

Also, sign up here if you think you’re interested in racing! (This is in no way binding, it’s just for us to get an idea of how many people are interested.)

Get pumped!

2

sweet, thinking of being here in May too

3

C’mon, I want to see some more new people!

4

You should offer incentives like cookies. Every racer will get a cookie.

5

^ok guys, there are cookies at stake

6

lol keith does it for the cookies

7

isnt that a limp biscuit song?

8

Keith, just keep on rollin’ partner

9

ECCC racing starts officially for us the weekend of the 28th in Boston! Get pumped!

10

For FQSC licences, will McGill be registering as a team, or should people sign up as “Independant”?

11

McGill will be registering as a team!

12

Looking for general unbiased advice : should I consider FQSC racing or am I too weak and it’ll be no fun?

13

Cat 3 is still pretty hard, I got dropped in a flat race last year. They race with the juniors, some of whom are ridiculously strong.

14

Fabien, you should come to the first ECCC race in Boston on the 28th! There’s a cat 4/5 field that would be nicer than FQSC shenanigans. Also those weekends are super fun.
https://www.bikereg.com/boston-beanpot-2015

15

Last year I got dropped/finished DFL or close-to-DFL in a bunch of FQSC races. This year I’m less fit. If you know how you compare to me, do the math. The Quebec circuit is harder than the ECCC.

16

It’s not just about fitness but race strategy. There’s no other way to learn that than to race.

17

I think we are making FQSC racing sound really scary. The races are actually really fun but the level is fairly high to start with for first time racers.

18

Okay, thanks for your feedback!

I can’t race in ECCC though, I’m not affiliated to McGill. :frowning:

19

No no, that cat 4/5 race I’m talking about is a special category for non-collegiate riders! Some races have that (not common, but this one does).

20

Question for francophones with legal expertise (basically you, Naamerlan):

There is a new licence classification for master’s racers (M5) who have never raced before (I’m taking this to mean they have never purchased a UCI licence before).

http://www.fqsc.net/sites/default/files/reglementation_maitres_2015_2.pdf

The M5 licence is offered at a reduced fee ($90), and is intended to allow the racer to gauge their ability before upgrading to a “full” master’s licence.

My questions are:

  1. Can one race in the ECCC with an M5 licence?
  2. Is one obligated to upgrade from M5 to a full licence during the 2015 season, or could they stay at M5 for the season?

I’m trying to save money.