Grass track Racing 2020

Medway Velo is intending promoting its grass track meeting once again in the summer of 2020, bringing grass track racing to the garden of England on Sunday 16th August 2020.

The event will include a round of the British Cycling National Long distance league, and the unique spectacle of a grass track madison.

The meetings aim to offer an opportunity for everyone to race with events for youngsters, womens, veterans, and racers of all categories, and they are guaranteed to be friendly events, almost like a school sports day.

In order to race in the competitive grass track events a grass track bike will be required; this is last bastion of the steel framed bike in competitive cycling with the latest Holdsworth model from Planet X being a choice for a number of racers.

sallyholdsworth

The gearing is often much lower than on hard tracks, and a range of sprockets can be useful, although travelling with team mates means someone always has something suitable spare.

With regards to tyres most people go for a touring or gravel tyre with a good tread on the front wheel, and a cyclo cross style tyre on the rear. Width can play a part and the Holdsworth frame allows up to 35mm tyres to be fitted.

Possible tyre choices include: Challenge Chicane, Contintenal Cyclocross speed or race, Schwalbe Sammy Slick or CX Comp on the rear, and panaracer gravel king, continental top touring or a Kenda Karv on the front.

Tyre pressure is a bit of a secret among the grass track fraternity but is usually somewhere slightly above or below 50psi /3.5bar depending on the track conditions.

Onboard footage from the Braintree CRC Meeting Elimination race