Berkeley Omnium
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A women's field in lavender and pink kits lined up at the start of the Berkeley Streets Criterium

Your path to racing

From your first ride to your first race.

You don't need to be fast to start racing. Every racer on a Berkeley start line began as a new rider, and most of them learned on club rides. Here's the path, one stage at a time.

Start at stage 1Skip to your first race
  1. An adult helping a young rider with her bike

    Stage 1 of 8 · New riders

    Get comfortable on your bike

    Before group rides or races, get to the point where riding feels ordinary: braking without thinking about it, shifting before the hill, and looking over your shoulder without drifting.

    What to learn

    • A bike that suits the riding you want to do. Any road bike in good working order is enough to start.
    • A helmet that fits, lights, a spare tube, a pump and water.
    • Basic checks before every ride: tire pressure, brakes, a clean and lubed chain.
    • Smooth braking with both brakes, and shifting before you need the gear.
    • Riding a straight, predictable line in traffic.
    • Building up to longer rides at an easy pace.
    How to start bike racing
  2. A collegiate rider in a Stanford kit and race number climbing on a bike

    Stage 2 of 8 · Riders putting in longer miles

    Get your bike to fit you

    Once rides get longer, small things show up: numb hands, a sore neck, a saddle you can't settle on. Saddle height, reach and handlebar position decide a lot of that, and some of it you can check yourself.

    What to learn

    • What saddle height, setback, reach and handlebar drop mean.
    • Small adjustments you can make and test one at a time.
    • When a professional fit is worth it: a new bike, ongoing discomfort, or a new position for racing.

    Tempo Endurance, sponsor of the junior podium at the Berkeley Hills Road Race, offers professional bike fits and coaching.

    How a bike fit works
  3. A small group of riders on a road below a grassy hillside

    Stage 3 of 8 · Riders ready for group rides

    Ride with a club

    Group rides are where most racers learn to ride close to other people. You meet riders who have raced for years, and you get faster without trying to. Pick a ride that matches your pace, not the one you hope to be on next year.

    What to learn

    • Group ride etiquette: pointing out hazards, calling stops, no half-wheeling.
    • Holding a steady pace on the front, then pulling off smoothly.
    • Riding a wheel at a comfortable gap.
    • Endurance from regular longer rides.

    The Berkeley Bicycle Club runs an introductory ride on the first Sunday of the month for riders new to group riding, and non-members can try up to three official rides.

    Berkeley Bicycle Club ride calendar
  4. Riders cornering hard on the downtown Berkeley criterium

    Stage 4 of 8 · Club riders thinking about racing

    Learn bike handling and group riding

    Fitness gets you to the finish. Handling keeps you and the riders around you upright. Practice these on group rides, in skills clinics and in empty parking lots before you try them in a race.

    What to learn

    • Holding a predictable line, especially through corners.
    • Cornering: brake before the turn, look through it, outside pedal down.
    • Braking smoothly in a group without surprising the rider behind.
    • Keeping a steady gap and riding elbow to elbow without flinching.
    • Calling out hazards early and clearly.
    • Pacelines: rotating through, and what to do when someone gaps you.
    • Descending with confidence: relaxed arms, eyes ahead, speed scrubbed before the bend.
    Fitness isn't the same as race-ready
  5. A string of riders strung out on a climb at the Berkeley Hills Road Race

    Stage 5 of 8 · Riders who want to get faster

    Start training with purpose

    Riding is going out and seeing how you feel. Training is deciding what each ride is for. A few planned sessions a week around work and family beat heroic weekends followed by a week off.

    What to learn

    • Endurance: the long, easy miles everything else sits on.
    • Climbing, and pacing a climb so you still have something at the top.
    • Intervals: short, structured hard efforts with real rest between.
    • Recovery days that are actually easy.
    • Consistency, week after week.
    • Fitting training around work and family, and backing off when you're run down.

    A coach can build the plan and adjust it as you go. It helps, and it's optional: plenty of riders race their first season on club rides and a simple weekly routine.

    Meet the coaches
  6. A women's field in lavender and pink kits lined up at the start of the Berkeley Streets Criterium

    Stage 6 of 8 · Riders choosing a first race

    Understand bike racing

    Road races, criteriums and time trials ask different things of you. Categories keep new racers with new racers, and a USA Cycling license gets you on the start line.

    What to learn

    • Road races: longer distances on open roads, often decided on the climbs.
    • Criteriums: short closed laps, lots of corners, fast from the gun.
    • Time trials: you against the clock, no drafting.
    • Categories: new racers start in Novice (Cat 5) and upgrade with experience.
    • Licenses: a one-day license to try it, or an annual one if you're hooked.
    • Registration, usually on BikeReg, and the race flyer's rules.
    • Equipment: a working bike, a hard-shell helmet, and anything the officials require.
    How to start bike racing
  7. Volunteers and racers filling out forms at a sign-in table under a canopy

    Stage 7 of 8 · Riders ready to pin on a number

    Enter your first race

    Choose a Novice field, read the race information twice, and get there early. Your goal is to ride safely, finish if you can, and learn something. The result can wait.

    What to learn

    • Picking a Novice race that suits you, road race or crit.
    • Registering and buying the license the race requires.
    • Reading the race rules, start times and course map.
    • Getting your bike checked and packing the night before.
    • Arriving early: check-in, number, warm-up, staging.
    • Listening to the officials' briefing at the start.
    • Knowing the course, including where the finish and the dangerous corners are.
    • Holding your line and riding safely in a competitive group.

    The Berkeley Omnium has run Novice, women's, junior and collegiate fields, and Berkeley Streets has opened with a Beginner Race Program for newer racers. The registration guide lists the confirmed fields for the next edition.

    Your first bike race
  8. A tight group of riders in team kits, many in pink, on the Berkeley Hills Road Race course

    Stage 8 of 8 · Racers after their first start

    Keep racing

    Every race teaches you something, usually about positioning. Join a team, set goals for next season, try another discipline, and when you can, help the next new racer find their way in.

    What to learn

    • Looking back at each race: what worked, where you lost position.
    • Joining a racing team, and learning to race with teammates.
    • Tactics: when to follow, when to go, when to sit in.
    • Setting training goals for the next season.
    • Trying track, cyclocross, gravel or time trials.
    • Helping newer riders on club rides.
    • Volunteering at local races.
    Find a team

Starting out

Questions new riders ask.

Do I have to do every stage before my first race?

No. Start wherever you are. Plenty of riders come to racing already riding with a club, and some race without ever hiring a coach or getting a professional fit. The stages are there so you know what helps, not as a checklist you must finish.

How long does it take to go from new rider to first race?

It depends on where you start. Someone who already rides regularly can be ready for a Novice race within a season of group rides and skills practice. Someone new to cycling should give themselves longer, and there's no deadline.

Do I need a coach or a bike fit to race?

No. Both are optional. A fit helps if you're uncomfortable on the bike or setting up a new one, and a coach helps if you want a structured plan. Many racers start without either.

Bike fitting vs. coaching →

Which race should a beginner enter?

A Novice (Cat 5) field, the category for new racers. Criteriums are short and close to help if something goes wrong; road races are longer and spread out. Either is a fine first race.

Cycling categories explained →

Can I race the Berkeley Omnium as a beginner?

Yes. The Omnium has had a Novice field for new racers, plus women's, junior and collegiate fields, and Berkeley Streets has opened with a Beginner Race Program on the course. The registration guide lists the confirmed fields for the next edition.

Berkeley Omnium registration guide →

The next Berkeley Omnium

Ready for a start line?

A road race and a criterium on one weekend in Berkeley, with fields for new racers.

Registration opens March 1Coaching & racer developmentBike fitting