It’s almost that time of year again when the Slipstreamers Community comes together to host the Hillingdon round of the British Cycling National Youth Circuit Series. For 2016, this will be on the 17th July (yes, it’s a Sunday), and we hope to see as MANY of our members racing and/ or volunteering to help us make it a race-day to remember.
After we hosted the 2014 round of the series, we didn’t think it could get any better… Roll on 2015, and based on the feedback and reviews we received from everyone involved – even the weather played along! – thanks to our amazing Volunteers, we surpassed even our own expectations. One only has to revisit the 2015 post-race report here with reflections from some of our adult and young volunteers, as well as a few reports from those who raced, to truly appreciate what a great day it was!
Needless to say, we plan on making 2016 bigger and better, so read on for more…
The Races Format
Races will be run in accordance with British Cycling rules, and all riders should ensure they are familiar with these, particularly around gear ratios – if you have any questions, please just ask! The current race schedule is as follows:
- Race 1 – Under 8: 5 laps
- Race 2 – Under 10: 6 laps
- Race 3 – Under 12: 10 laps
- Race 4 – Under 14 Girls: 50mins +5 laps
- Race 5 – Under 14 Boys: 50mins +5 laps
- Race 6 – Under 16 Girls: 60mins +5 laps
- Race 7 – Under 16 Boys: 60mins +5 laps
Have You Entered Yet?
Entries are open on the British Cycling website here and will close on the 17th June 2016, so if you haven’t signed up yet what are you waiting for? You can also access the bookings via the Slipstreamers Calendar page here.
This is a fantastic opportunity for those of you would have never raced at this level to do so against some of the best in the country, and more importantly on your home circuit! Of course, if you really don’t want to race, another great way to get involved is as a young volunteer on the day.
Call for Slipstreamers Volunteers!
Obviously, major events such as this can only happen with the efforts of the people who give up their time before and during to make them happen! As ever, this year we need Parents, Friends, Young Volunteers and even Members who aren’t racing to come forward and help us on the day. We can’t do it without you, so please do make yourselves known to the Admin Team – remember, you don’t need to hang around the whole time, and if you can only spare an hour we’ll take it! Helpers we will need on the day include:
- Marshals for some of the races. You don’t need to be available all day or do all of the races, just let us know when you are able to help and we’ll slot you in.
- Car Park Attendants to keep the parking lot under control and guide riders/ spectators to the overflow parking and alternative entrance to the field.
- Runners to ferry race results between the judges hut and admin team, and help with any odd jobs as they come up.
- BBQ Chef/s to look after the barbecue and ensure people are getting fed as required.
- Catering Helpers to help with making hot drinks and assisting the catering team as required.
- And anything else that comes up at the time!
If you’d like to volunteer for any of the above roles, or even just be a general helper, please get in touch or talk to us and we’ll ensure you are assigned to the right person for further details. Even just an hour or two of your time will make a difference, and will help us ensure the 2016 round of the Nationals runs better than previous years and is a great success!
Further Updates…
Keep an eye on the News Hub and of course watch Twitter regularly. As we ramp up to the Nationals in July we’ll create a dedicated section on the website with all the information you need to know. In the interim, do come and join us at our Monday night Summer Youth Race Series – all are welcome and this is not just open to Slipstreamers!
As usual, keep an eye out on Twitter and the News Hub for any updates, or do feel free to email us.