Note: this page is a work in progress!
What is Road Racing
Road Racing is racing your bike, on the road (as opposed to mountain biking, cyclocross, or gravel). There are three main types of races:
Criteriums (USAC, Youtube): A short (<1.5 miles) closed course that you do many laps up. Frequently punchy, with many accelerations and breakaway attempts, often ending in a field sprint. Short, fast, and hard; many people like crits for the excitement, relatively short duration (under an hour), and accessibility. Pack handling skills and cornering are a must!
Road Races (USAC, YouTube): Either a point-to-point race, or laps around a loop of roads. The roads may not be closed to cars. These are usually longer events, and they often have features (hills, descents, sharp turns, etc) that define how the race plays out. A Circuit Race is sort of in between a crit and a road race: they have longer laps than a crit, but they are still relatively compact.
Time Trial: Just you and your bike against the clock. You can use a dedicated Time Trial bike for these, or you can use a regular road bike (called “Merckx style”, after Eddy Merckx).
How to get started
Anyone can get started in road racing! All you need is a road bike and a helmet. However, you will likely have a much better time if you join a local club or group ride first. There is a lot to road racing, some of which is in the rulebook, and some of which is in the culture. Talking with other experienced cyclists is the best way to get an understanding of how road racing works, tactics, safety, and more.
USA Cycling has an intro to racing page that is a good place to get started. Make sure to review the rules and regulations section!
Once you’re feeling like you want to start racing, look for local practice races, if there are any near you, or fast group rides. Get used to riding fast, in a group, cornering fast, and maybe getting dropped.
We are recommending all WCA crit races begin the day with a 20 minute practice race, which a great place to get hands-on experience. These should be free or very low cost, and you can double up with another race that day.
How to grow in the sport
We are lucky in the Wisconsin to have two incredible crit series each summer. Tour of America’s Dairyland takes place in the eastern half of the state, and it’s 11 crits in a row with a high level of competition. People come from all over the Midwest and even the country to race ToAD.
Chicago Grit (formerly Intelligentsia Cup) is not in Wisconsin, but it’s another 10 days of crits later in the summer with the same or even higher level of competition as ToAD. If you are looking to take your racing to the next level, these series are great events to target.
If you want to contribute to road cycling in Wisconsin, the best thing you can do is show up to races, and then, if you want to do even more, join a club (or start one!) and host a race. More races mean more opportunities for folks to try out racing, which means more people finding the sport.
FAQ
How do you host a race?
We will have resources available to race directors soon!
Where do I find races?
Check out our race schedule page, or search BikeReg.
What about non-USAC sanctioned racing?
The WCA is a Local Association of USA Cycling, so our focus is on USAC races. USAC races provide insurance to riders, as well as certain organizational requirements for promoters, so you’ll know what you’re getting into. They also provide the competitive structure of the Category system.