It’s fair to say the K4/20 course is our most popular time trial and has been the location for some epic battles in the past few years, who can forget the Quarterman v Bigham battle of 2019, or the very lucky few who witnessed Hamish Bond (double Olympic gold rower) turning up on a Wednesday evening when we’d actually cancelled the race due to a clash with the football WC and saw him set the unofficial all time course record, blagging the Strava KOM in the process by averaging over 30mph.
Fast forward a few years and we’ve come out the other side of Covid lockdowns and we’re back for more K4/20 fun but with a few tweaks to be able to run the event. The first K4/20 of the season is traditionally a two-up event and the good news is that the powers that be have given their blessing for this to resume. It’s highly likely this event will attract a capacity field so early registration is vital to ensure one of the coveted starting spots is secured. This is the order of racing priority we will assign for all who register for our 2021 races:
1) Banbury Star CC members who’ve paid the TT supplement
2) Banbury Star CC members who’ve not paid the TT supplement
3) Team Cherwell members
4) Members of other clubs who have raced a TT with us last year
5) Everyone else
And within each of those categories, entry is determined based on the time you register to race so the earlier you do it the higher your chances of being able to take part. If you’re a two-up team of mixed priorities, entry will go to the highest rated rider of the two.
Race Registration
Only riders who have registered will be able to race, for this season we cannot accept on-the-evening entries. The link to register is at the bottom of this page. Registration opens at 6am on Thursday and closes at 5pm on the MONDAY (not Tuesday) and we will be sending out an email on Tuesday evening to let entrants know if they have been successful (in case of over subscription) and also their start number. This is our most popular course and we are likely to fill all 60 starting places very quickly so early registration is strongly recommended. Don’t forget to state who you are riding with if you’re doing it as a two-up.
For 2021, our Wednesday evening time trials will be conducted under the umbrella of The League International rather than CTT. The biggest change introduced by this change is the need for all riders to hold TLI membership which must be taken out before registering to ride. No “on the line” membership can be taken out as you will have to enter your membership number into the registration form.
Race HQ
Race number collection starts from 5.30pm in the layby on the A422 Stratford Road located approximately 500m after the exit of Wroxton village when heading northbound and closes at 5.40pm with the first rider off at 6.01pm. Please note there are no toilets available here. It is mandatory for all riders and officials to maintain a 2m social distancing gap from everyone else at all times. No competitor cars are to be left in the layby, you must pay, collect your race number and then drive on.
Please remember that a working rear light is mandatory, no light equals no start and this rule will be strictly enforced. We also strongly recommend a front light is used by all riders as some of the course is covered with trees and you should take steps to make yourself more visible to other road users.
Additional Parking
For 2021 no competitors are allowed to park in Ludlow Drive but as an alternative we have secured the use of the car park at Wroxton House Hotel with kind permission from the owners and there will be a £1 charge which is payable at the same time as race fee payment to cover our costs.
Race Officials
Timekeepers: Oli Wright, Roger Gollicker
Pusher: n/a
Marshals: TBD, Team Cherwell
Race Route
After a standing start, the course takes riders on a 3 mile gradual incline up the Warwick Road where prevailing headwinds call for careful energy management to avoid peaking too early. A left turn is then made at the National Herb Centre, if you suddenly find yourself doing 45mph you’ve missed that turn and have gone down Warmington Hill instead. Follow Camp Lane to its end where you reach the highest point on the race and again turn left at what is the top of Edge Hill and then be prepared for a road of two halves, the wonderful smooth tarmac before the village and the surface dressing afterwards. On reaching the A422 Stratford road competitors turn left where that previous outbound headwind will hopefully make for a very fast tailwind all the way to the finish line in Drayton. Of course it wouldn’t be a Banbury Star time trial without a sting in the tail and that’s provided by the short, leg and lung buster of a climb out of Wroxton just before the end.
Course records
| Date | Name | Time | Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 2022 | Josh Newbould | 00:26:10 | M | BSCC |
| 15 May 2019 | Dan Bigham | 00:24:42 | M | Non-BSCC Team Ribble Cycles |
| 15 May 2019 | Charlie Quarterman | 00:24:42 | M | Non-BSCC Holdsworth Zappi |
| 16 Jun 2021 | Naomi de Pennington | 00:30:14 | F | BSCC |
| 30 Aug 2023 | Jessica Rhodes-Jones | 00:28:42 | F | Non-BSCC Aerocoach |
| 30 Aug 2023 | Sam Martin | 00:29:11 | M U18 | BSCC |
| 31 Aug 2022 | Peggy Simpkins | 00:31:55 | F U18 | BSCC |
| 12 Aug 2020 | Daniel Roberts | 00:30:57 | M U18 | Non-BSCC |
| 5 Aug 2020 | Millie Couzens | 00:31:03 | F U18 | Non-BSCC |
| 30 Aug 2023 | Sam Martin | 00:29:11 | M U16 | BSCC |
| 18 May 2022 | Isabelle Boyes | 0:33:52 | F U16 | BSCC |
For this season we will have a new road bike category for competition, any road bike can be used but to qualify neither it, nor the rider can have aero aids such as tri-bars, disc wheels, pointy helmet or a helmet with a visor etc.
Entry fees
For 2021 all riders who have to pay will do so by contactless means at the race HQ before collecting their number (debit card, credit card, Apply Pay, Google Pay, Android Pay), no cash or IOUs accepted!
Banbury Star members who’ve paid the TT supplement payers: no charge
Banbury Star members who’ve not paid the TT supplement: £1
Team Cherwell members: £2 which is paid by your club
Other guests: £2
Car park: £1 irrespective of club
Registration
To manage the demand for our events and provide a smoother, faster sign-on process all competitors must now pre-register to take part
By completing this form you must read and then carry out what you are signing up to. We expect the highest standards of rider behaviour throughout the event to ensure that not only do you not compromise the image of Banbury Star CC and our sport but in addition you remain compliant to the rules/regulations and Covid Risk Assessment issued by CTT and also the Coronavirus legislation regarding gatherings.
When you register using the form at this link you will receive an auto reply emailed to you using the address you enter to acknowledge your registration. If you don’t see the email then a) look in your Junk/Spam folder, then b) register again and then if you’re still having trouble c) contact the club
Registration form link – click here to enter the time trial