Road bicycle racing encompasses various competitive disciplines of road cycling. At amateur levels, racing is held primarily on either paved roads (often open to traffic but with rolling road closures / traffic management) or on designated closed circuits. There are two common competition formats, the first of which are mass start events such as road races, held on public roads, or criteriums (crits), held on closed circuits. Riders start simultaneously (though sometimes with an ability based handicap) and race to a set finish point. The other common formats are time trials and hill climbs, where individual riders or teams race a course, alone, against the clock. There are also stage races or “tours”, held over multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively. However, these are much less common at amateur level.

Road racing at Chorley Cycling Club is actively encouraged! We have a team of experienced riders of different ages and ability levels, who compete weekly during the racing season and train together during the off season. As a club, we organise races over the year, from road races to hill climbs, with plenty of other local races on offer. We also organise a club race day for members only, to create some healthy internal competition and to encourage others to give racing a go, if they haven’t already!

Most of the racing we do is affiliated by British Cycling, though we occasionally see riders competing in TLI events (where categories are age-related). If you want to know more about racing, have a read of this page on the British Cycling website.

We’re always delighted to hear from any potential new team members! If you are looking to get into racing with a fun and competitive bunch, Chorley Cycling Club race team is the place for you! We encourage development for all ages and abilities!

Want to know more? Please contact our race captain!