Entry is now open for this year’s Inter-Club League. A series of 18 races, taking place on a variety of circuits in Dublin, Wicklow, and Meath, the league is open to members of Blanch Wheelies, Clondalkin Cycling Club, Lucan Cycling Road Club, Pinergy-Orwell Wheelers, Sundrive Track Team, and St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club.
Featuring shorter circuits and smaller bunches when compared to weekend open-races, the league is one of the ideal starting points for any anyone interested in trying racing, an opportunity to learn your craft in a relatively safe and sociable environment.
Whatever your level, the league should have something for you. Participation ranges from those who like to dabble and enjoy the odd race, right up to riders competing in national events.
Calendar:
Each race has been added to the club Google calendar (right hand side of home page). If you don't subscribe to the club calendar, a link to a separate calendar is available on the forum.
Grading:
Riders are graded in four categories in the league, from slowest to fastest: Limit, Semi-Limit, Semi-Scratch, Scratch. All newcomers riders should select Limit when entering the league. Upgrades are awarded on the basis of performance and are at the discretion of the organisers. Anyone who earns 18 points will get an automatic promotion to the next group.
Points
League points will be awarded to the top six finishers (11,10, 9, 8, 7, and 6 points respectively) in each race of every round. If there are four separate races on a night, four sets of points will be awarded. To encourage participation, 5 points are awarded to every rider who starts a race.
An updated league table is usually published after each race. At the end of the league, your worst three results (excluding championship events) will be deducted from your final total. This is to allow people to miss some races for holidays or illness.
Club Championships:
Orwell runs its club championships in road events as part of the League. We award trophies and medals for the top Orwell riders in championship events: 10 mile TT, 25 mile TT, Hill Climb TT and Road Race Championships. The Orwell club league trophy will be awarded to the top Orwell rider in the Inter Club League.
Obligations:
Entrants should be aware that by entering the league they will be required to marshal at least two races. On average, each race needs about 20 marshals to be run safely, which means that everyone racing must contribute. By entering the league, you are agreeing to marshal races, no matter how many races you end up riding.
Once entries close a marshal roster will be drawn up and shared among entrants. If you don’t show up to marshal, you will receive an automatic one year suspension from the League. If you can’t make your assigned marshalling night, you can arrange a swap with another league member but you'll be responsible for your replacement showing up.
The league is jointly administered by the member clubs, with each club delegating two reps to the organizing committee. The Orwell reps are Dick O’Brien and Damien Long. Major decisions, including rules and disciplinary matters are taken collectively by the six organising clubs.
Communications:
While in previous years, communications were handled through a Facebook group, this year we will introduce a new WhatsApp community for the League which will feature announcements about each week’s race and sub-groups for marshal swaps and race chat. If you’re entering, we’d encourage you to join it. A join link has been posted on the club league thread in the Orwell forum.
Eligibility:
To enter the league, you'll need to be a current Orwell member and have a 2024 Cycling Ireland limited competition or open competition licence. If you’ve already taken out a licence for the year, you can upgrade it using the Cycling Ireland portal.
Under 16 riders may join the league but they must be accompanied to a race by a parent. Parents are encouraged to follow road races in their car, at least until they’re sure their kid is comfortable in the bunch and familiar with the circuits.
Associate members of Orwell, i.e. members who are registered with Cycling Ireland with another club as their primary club can enter the league but must race wearing their Orwell kit.
Enter here: https://eventmaster.ie/event/x7oLtPyS91
Further information
We’ll post more information on the forum thread as and when it comes up. If you’ve any questions about the league, it’s probably the best place to ask. It’s a good idea to subscribe to the thread if you don’t already subscribe to the racing forum.
