bicisport Racing

The Alberta Bicycle Association or ABA is the Provincial Sports Organization (PSO) affiliated with the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) which operates under the world governing body known as the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and is the local governing body responsible for the licensing of racers and sanctioning of cycling races in Alberta. In association with race organizers, the ABA hosts a full schedule of cycling races from April though to November. For more details on both ABA-sanctioned and local races, check out the links below.

Midweek Mayhem Weekly Crit Series
Calgary Bicycle Track League (CBTL - Velodrome)
Canada Olympic Park (COP) MTB Races
Alberta Bicycle Association (ABA)
Crankmasters CC Race Schedule

Mountain bike (MTB) races take place on dirt, gravel and off-road trails. Bikes are designed to handle the rigors of the terrain and usually have a very high strength to weight ratio. This includes tires that are designed to maintain traction, while still offering light-weight performance and reduced rolling resistance. Bikes may vary from 18 lbs to 40lbs, and virtually all incorporate some type of suspension system. A MTB racer, new to the sport starts in a beginner category, and based on results, works their way up to the ‘sport’, ‘expert’ and ‘elite’ categories.

Down Hill:
Downhill racing is cycling’s version of downhill ski racing. It’s all about huge descents, speed, danger, technical ability and state of the art equipment. Downhill bikes are designed to handle large impact forces, and accordingly incorporate the latest in suspension technology. Race courses are designed to maximize the technical skills needed for riders to maintain speed while clearing obstacles and negotiating tight turns.

4 – Cross:
4 – Cross mountain biking is similar to 4 – Cross Snowboard racing. Four bikes line up at the top of the course, and exit the start gate together. The first bike across the line wins. The course includes jumps, berms, and technical cornering.

X – Country:
Cross country mountain bike racing involves riding the bike both up and down hills through extreme, undulating terrain. The X-Country MTB racer must posses a combination of endurance fitness and superb technical riding skills. Courses tend to be set up so that the racers must complete a fixed number of laps before finishing. Typical races last from 1 to 3 hours and tend to be slightly less technical than the extreme DH courses. X-Country mountain bikes are designed to be strong, yet very light weight, and usually incorporate a dual suspension system where both the front and rear of the bike are designed to absorb the punishing forces of race conditions.

Road bikes are sleek, stiff, and lightweight. They have narrow-scale tires, inflated to at least 100psi, to minimize rolling resistance. They also feature the drop-style handlebars, integrated brake /shifter levers, and can weigh as little as 15lbs. Racers new to the sport begin in “Category 5” and based on the results of their racing, they work their way up to Categories 4-3-2-1. Generally speaking, “Category 1” is reserved for racers who are either professional or National Team members and possess significant international experience and strong race resumes.

Road Races:
These races generally take place on highways, use either a point-to-point or circuit course, and vary in distance from 40 to 200km, depending on the ability level of the racers. Race courses usually incorporate hills and corners to challenge the riders, and the degree of difficulty is often compounded by weather conditions. (heat, wind, rain, sleet) Tactics play a huge role in road races. This is due primarily to the fact that it is 30% more efficient to draft behind other riders. As such, both the timing and willingness of riders to attack, mark-attacks, or counter-attack becomes crucial to the outcome .

Criteriums:
These events are spectator-friendly as they take place on a closed circuit (usually1 to 2km in length) and involve multiple laps. Races are usually set to last for a fixed period of time, (40 to 70 minutes) followed by a set number (3 to 5) finishing laps. Criteriums are therefore fast and exciting. A good ‘crit’ racer must possess excellent bike handling skills, strong sprinting abilities, short-recovery fitness and a fearless demeanor.

Time Trials:
“The Race of Truth.” Each racer is timed individually, and the fastest rider wins. Race distances typically vary from 5 to 40km, and race courses may be flat or hilly. All competitors compete on the same racecourse, however their individual start times are staggered by 30 to 60 seconds. Drafting is not allowed.

Stage Races:
In Alberta most stage races take place over 2 to 3 days, and involve a combination of the above road-race events. The ‘GC’ or General Classification refers to a competitor’s overall position in the event relative to the other participants in their category. The GC format can either be “Total-Time’, where the cumulative time for all events determines the winner, or “Omnium”, where points are awarded to racers for their ‘placings’ in each event, and the racer who accumulates the highest points total is declared the winner. The Tour de France is “Total-Time” GC stage race, and usually takes place over 21 days.

Track bikes are effectively road bikes with no brakes and no free-hub (direct drive, riders cannot stop pedaling). Racing takes place on a banked track called a velodrome. Velodromes are oval-shaped and are typically 250 to 330m in length, with Calgary’s being 400m. Calgary’s track racing is organized and run by the Calgary Bicycle Track League, otherwise known as the CBTL.

Sprints:
A racer takes 2 laps to build-up his speed, and then he uses the track’s banking to accelerate to top-end speed. The last 200m of the ride is timed, and the fastest rider wins.

Match Sprints:
A cat and mouse affair. Racers are paired base on their performance in the flying 200m event, and race two at a time. Their start positions on the track (upper or lower track start position) are determined through a random draw. The race is short, only 2 to 3 laps depending on the length of track. Various strategies may be employed, but essentially it is a cat and mouse game where the riders watch one another carefully, looking for any opportunity to unleash the element of surprise. If a trailing or leading rider can execute a ‘surprise’ acceleration and create enough of a gap to eliminate drafting effects, they are usually able to ride to the finish uncontested. However this is a risk-reward maneuver. If the attempt is made and a gap is not created, the chasing rider will likely be able to draft the lead rider and unleash their conserved energy to slingshot around and pull away to victory. Matched sprints are usually contested on a ‘best 2 out of 3’ basis.

Pursuit:
The pursuit is a short time-trial, and the distance can vary from 2000 to 4000m depending on the age and gender of the racers. For expediency, (time efficiency when conducting a track meet) individual riders will start on opposite sides of the track, and both will be timed independently.

Kilo / 500m:
A short pursuit or time trial. Men ride 1km, and women ½km. This race is short, and the effort very intense. The fastest time wins.

Points Race:
This event involves racing for a set number of laps and points are awarded on a sliding scale, to the top five riders every 5 to 8 laps. The eventual winner is the rider who accumulates the most number of points throughout the race. Points racing involves tactical riding, coupled with endurance and sprinting ability.

Scratch Race:
This race typically covers a distance of 5 to 15km, and the first rider across the line wins. The pace will vary from quite slow to very fast. Drafting and pack riding skills play a major role in the outcome.

Keirin:
A group of 5 to 8 riders is drafted and paced behind a motorcycle for 2 laps of the velodrome while they gradually build up speed. The motorcycle then accelerates away from the racers and exits the track. The racers are left to complete one lap of the track at very high speeds. These races are fast and exciting, and riders with strong sprinting abilities usually win. This event is not for the faint of heart.

UCI Omnium:
This is a multiple race event, where points are awarded (reverse scale, winner gets 1 pt, 2nd-place gets 2 pts, etc) for a rider’s performance in each event. Events include flying 200m, scratch race, 3km pursuit, and a points race. Riders must complete each event before being allowed to start the next. When all events have been completed, the racer with the lowest points total wins.

Cyclocross bikes are very similar to road bikes, but are effectively a hybrid. They incorporate a unique design, in that they have a higher (off the ground) bottom bracket for better clearance, knobby tires for better traction and a different brake caliper design to offer more braking power and quick removal of wheels for repair or replacement. The racecourse consists of a mix of off-road, grass, gravel, sand and even paved roads, with at least two locations where you have to dismount the bike and run up a steep hill and/or leap over wooden barriers. Courses are usually set up to be multiple-lap and spectator friendly, and races last anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes. These races take place in fall and early winter after the regular road and mountain bike season have ended, and are very popular in Europe. True cyclocross conditions include cold - wet weather, mud, snow, and more cowbell than you’ll ever need.