Junior Road
2022 Junior Road Season:
Junior Club Road Cycling has come to an temporary end this year. Due to NZTA and Council requirements, it has become too difficult to run events on the road at this time.
During the winter of 2023 there may be some small events held in the build up to the North Island Schools Road & Track champs. Please check in on the schools page for any updates.
Bunch rides
Regular group rides for Juniors are currently on hold. If you have a group of kids keen to go for rides on the weekends, please get in touch with the PNP Coach on the link below.
Rental bikes
There are currently 20+ road bikes available for rental to riders starting out in this sport. These bikes range from the very small to large bikes. Most are set up with Junior gearing for CyclingNZ racing rules and each come with their own saddle-pouch with spare tube and tyre levers. All you need is a pump to go with the bike and you’re set to go. These bikes are Club owned, but are rented out on very affordable and negotiable terms.
The PNP Club owns a collection of cycling shoes and pedals that may set you up for your first training ride. We try our best to offer this equipment for you to try out on a trial basis to see if this is a sport you would like to invest in. Please make enquiries to see if a bike is available for you to try out. We expect riders to join the club as part of the rental service.
Winter Spin Classes
During the winter months, from the start of Term 2, indoor spin classes will commence. The days and times are as follows:
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Tuesdays 5.30-6.30pm: beginners/intermediate roller interval sessions. Coach: Gary Gibson
The roller sessions are primarily about keeping cycling fit over winter and to help with your training for the Schools road cycling season.
Indoor Training on Rollers or Wind-trainers
Here are a selection of different training programmes you can use at home, indoors on a wet night. There are three interval programmes, each of different intensity, plus a recover session for the day after a hard ride. Please download these pdf’s, print them out and stick on your wall, next to your indoor trainer. While these are designed for use on rollers, you can easily adapt them to suit a wind-trainer. Obligatory loud music is a must while training.
Contact
Contact Gary, the Junior Coach: Tel 021 173 4406 or juniors@pnp.org.nz
“Track cycling gives you the speed and skills for riding on the road; and road cycling gives you the endurance to race on the track.”
My Channel
Criterium Guidelines
Safety
Helmets must be Standards approved. Gloves aren’t mandatory, but are highly recommended. Bikes should be checked and safe for use – gears must work properly. All bikes must have high-pressure tyres for these events (approx 100psi). Low-pressure Mountain Bike tyres and tubes with knobblys will not be allowed. If you plan to use a Mountain Bike, please ensure it is converted for road useage.
Junior Gearing (CyclingNZ Agegroup rules)
Each Junior bike will be checked for gearing: Before your race, be sure to get a “roll-out”.
U15 maximum gear roll-out is 6.61m
U17 maximum gear roll-out is 7.00m
U19 maximum gear roll-out is 7.93m
Junior Gearing (CyclingNZ Schools rules)
Individual Events:
Year 7-8 ............. 6.61m
Up to U16 .......... 6.61m
U17 ................... 7.00m
U20 ................... 7.93m
Team Time Trial Events:
Year 7-8 ....................... 6.61m
U16 (Junior Teams) ..... 6.61m
U20 (Senior Teams) .... 7.00m
Starting a race
Sometimes races start with a period of riding “under control”. This means that the field will ride around the course a bit slower than racing speed where no-one can attack (a car will be in front). This is to let the field have a look at the course and in the case of lower grade races, let the field get used to each other. This will be for one lap. If you’re not sure, ask the start line official. Don’t be shy. If you didn’t hear it, chances are the others didn’t too.
Mechanicals or punctures
If you have a mechanical problem – a puncture etc, you can usually take two laps out to fix it and then rejoin the same position you were in. There will be a designated area for changing wheels over and you must ride to this area to change your wheels. Helpers are allowed in the “Pits” area with spare wheels. You cannot change wheels once the call for “two laps to go” has been announced.
Getting dropped (left behind)
If you’ve been dropped by your bunch and lapped, you can rejoin the bunch and try to stay with them. If you have been lapped, you should stay at the back with 2 laps to go and stay out of the way of the finishers. An official will call you out if they deem it necessary, however you can finish if you are well away from the final sprinters. This is for safety reasons only.
It is illegal to ride with another grade. If you’re riding D grade and C grade comes past overtaking your bunch, you are not permitted to jump across into the C grade bunch. (Sometimes, due to time requirements, there may be two races going at the same time).
Sprint laps
During your race, to liven things up, there will be sprint laps. These are to gain overall sprint points for the race or series. You will know when it is a sprint lap, when you cross the start-finish line, a whistle will be blown to tell you to sprint the next time you go past the finish line. After you sprint, the race continues. There may be spot prizes for some of the sprints – if you are not sure on the day, ask the race organiser.
Finishing
If you’ve been dropped by your bunch and lapped, you can rejoin the bunch and try to stay with them. If you have been lapped, you should stay at the back with 2 laps to go and stay out of the way of the finishers. An official will call you out if they deem it necessary, however you can finish if you are well away from the final sprinters. This is for safety reasons only.
It is illegal to ride with another grade. If you’re riding D grade and C grade comes past overtaking your bunch, you are not permitted to jump across into the C grade bunch. (Sometimes, due to time requirements, there may be two races going at the same time).
Getting dropped (left behind)
Criteriums are not usually about distance, but about time + two laps. Your race will be for a set amount of time, then you will be told “Two laps to go”. When you cross the finish line with one lap to go, you will hear a bell ring.
U13 grade: you will ride approx 15 minutes + 2 laps
U15 grade: you will ride approx 20 minutes + 2 laps
U17 grade: you will ride approx 25 minutes + 2 laps
U19 grade: you will ride approx 30 minutes + 2 laps
Women’s grade: you will ride approx 30 minutes + 2 laps
These times will be confirmed on the day. Times are variable on each event and are subject to change depending on weather conditions. Some grades may be combined depending on numbers.
Individual Points system for Series winners and Sprint Winners. Also points system for School teams.
Points and prizes
The winner of a criterium is the first person across the line. Prizes will be available for podium finishers (first 3) depending on numbers entered and availability of prizes. On top of race winners, there is also a “points” winner:
Points are awarded on Sprint laps and the final sprint. The standard points allocated in sprints are: 1st = 5pts, 2nd = 3 pts, 3rd = 2pts and 4th = 1pt.
We will tally the points on each grade throughout the series and offer a prize to the total points winner over the series in each grade. We will also tally the points awarded to each rider from the school they are representing and total them over all of the grades. The School with the most points will be awarded a token prize or trophy.
Contact
Mark Sherlock – Junior Convenor: Tel 021 481 562 or mark.sherlock@bayleys.co.nz