OVERVIEW- Sunday Series

The Buffalo Bicycling Club Sunday Series Training Races

This is our yearly series of club training races, perfect for getting in racing experience in a low-stakes environment.  To participate, you need to be a BBC member, but unlike a USA Cycling sanctioned race, you do not need a racing license.  These races have a A, B, and C fields.  If you’re newer to the club, you can do the C race for a low-stakes, learn-to-race format, usually chaperoned by one of our more experienced riders to help learn about tactics.  If you’re stronger and ready for more competition, move up to B, and as you get results in the B races and the USA Cycling sanctioned races, you could be ready to move up to A!

General guidelines for fields

  • A Group is Cat 1-3 on your racing license.  Experienced Cat 4’s allowed to move up with club officer approval.  This is our fastest group, so expect high speeds and blistering attacks!
  • B Group is Cat 4/Novice in your racing license or if you are without a racing license but are stronger and more experienced riding in the group than C level and ready to focus on racing tactics
  • C Group is for new members who are looking for their first experiences in how to race on the road, usually chaperoned by one of our more experienced club members.  This group is not scored.

How do you move up in category?

  • To Move up from C to B, you just need to demonstrate aptitude and the ability to ride comfortably and safely in the group so you can focus on racing!  Ask a BBC officer for guidance, but our motto is safety first.
  • The A and the B categories are scored for BBC Sunday Series Club Races.  To move up from B to A, you need to:
    • do Cat 4 sanctioned races and get good results, get 20 USAC upgrade points and get your Cat 3 upgrade
    • OR win the overall B Club Race Series at the end of the year which is an automatic upgrade to A for the following year (while still having Cat 4 on your license)
    • OR be top 3 overall in the B Club Race Series at the end of the year, which is a voluntary upgrade to A for the following year (while still having Cat 4 on your license)
  • Requests to upgrade from B to A for club races require officer approval in writing/email before the event.  Our goal again is safety in the group first and foremost before moving up to the A category.

In the A and B fields, the scores are tallied during the year and awards are given out at the end of the year for the top 3 in each field!  See below for details.  We have 8 of these races during the year.  For more info on each race, including race dates and times, distances, and terrain, head over to our Events Calendar and look up all of the BBC Sunday Series Races!

 

We also need help marshaling the BBC Sunday Series Races!  If you bring a family/friend to marshal for you, we’ll give you $40!  If you yourself marshal a BBC Sunday Series race, we’ll give you 10 points towards your Sunday Series standings for that race!*       (*up to 2 times per season).  Click here to sign up for marshaling

 

What You Should Expect on Race Day:

  1. Please plan to arrive 30 minutes early to get into your riding clothes and get your bike ready
  2. Write down your name on the sign-in sheet when it becomes available, head out on the bike get a few pedal strokes in the legs to warm up
  3. At 10am, we roll out together to the start line.  Some weeks will do a full neutral lap as noted.
  4. We’ll start the A, B, and C groups in waves to race the amount of race laps noted in the Course Description
  5. At the end, make sure you know your finishing place and report it to the event organizer

Sunday Series Club Races Individual Scoring:

This race is part of the club’s two halves of the season with 4 races each. There will be an ‘A’ and ‘B’ field scored at each race, with additional separate scoring below. Points are awarded in each race by finishing place:

1st = 15 points

2nd = 14 points

3rd = 13 points

4th = 12 points

5th = 11 points

6th = 10 points

7th = 9 points

8th = 8 points

9th = 7 points

10th = 6 points

11th = 5 points

12th = 4 points

13th = 3 points

14th = 2 points

15th and after = 1 point

 

First and Second Half of the Season

The Sunday Series Club Racing season will be split into two halves for scoreboards reflecting a first half and second half of the season.  This allows for more focused leaderboard competition and a reset mid-season to start over to compete on a new leaderboard!

 

First half of the season will be:

Second half of the season will be:

You get to drop 1 race from each half-season to determine your overall score (best 4 of 5 in the first half, best 3 of 4 in the second half)

 

Master’s Sunday Series Racing

We are including a version of separate scoring for Masters Men’s 50+ racers!  Master’s 50+ will race in the A field and will be scored against the A’s, but Master’s points will be pulled out into a separate Master’s leaderboard.  How does this work?  If Master’s 50+ riders get 4th, 7th, and 8th in the A race, their 4th/7th/8th place points will go towards their Master’s standings.  They’ll be on the Men’s A leaderboard and the separate Master’s leaderboard.

Women’s Sunday Series Racing

Women racing in the Men’s A field will have the same version of separate scoring as the Men’s Master’s 50+ above.  If women riders get 4th/7th/8th in the Men’s A race, their 4th/7th/8th place points will go towards a Women’s A leaderboard, as well as the Men’s A leaderboard.

Women racing in the Men’s B field will have the same version of separate scoring as well.  If women get 4th/7th/8th in the Men’s B race, their 4th/7th/8th place points will go towards a Women’s B leaderboard, as well as the Men’s B leaderboard.

Marshalling a Race

We always need volunteers to score our races!  If you volunteer to be a scorer/timer for a Sunday Series club race yourself, you’ll get 10 points towards your Sunday Series standings at that race!  You can do this up to 2 times per season.  Sign up to marshal here.

Mentoring the B/C Race

We’re always looking for B/C-race mentors!  If you are an A level rider with experience and would like to help out the B/C race with in-race coaching and work on tactics, we’d love for you to help!  As a token, you will get 13 points for mentoring the B/C race one time during the season.  Use the marshal sign-up link above.