Frequently Asked Questions

Immediate answers to questions people have asked before and probably will again

We are…

British Masters Cycle Racing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Insurance

3rd party liability insurance cover outside the UK
BMCR 3rd party liability cover does NOT extend outside the UK.
In our experience (and we’re not insurance experts) to obtain third party legal liability cover whilst aboard there are three main alternatives.
1) Check your household contents policy. Some policies give such cover for any accidents you or your family may cause in a personal capacity, which includes pleasure cycling.  You are advised to check carefully to see whether “racing” would be excluded.
2) British Cycling membership provides cover whilst cycling aboard up to £20m plus legal costs https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/bc-Racing-and-Riding-Abroad—Top-Tips-Before-You-Travel-0
3) Specialist cycling policies, such as Bikmo provides £2m cover plus costs. https://bikmo.com/uk/cycle-insurance/policy-benefits/

Membership/License

Does my age category change on my birthday?

No!  Categories are determined by your year of birth, not your date of birth.  This is to avoid having people change categories during the racing season.

Does my BMCR license cover other events?

BMCR organises cycle races in the UK under its own rules, and  BMCR licenses are issued solely to support races under BMCR rules.  Those seeking to compete in an event not organised under BMCR rules will need to get advice from the organisers about the license requirements for that event.

How do “BMCR Regions” work?

In 2024 we reviewed our regional structure for the first time in many years.  This was prompted by the fact that many regions have been struggling to fill their quota of “regional roles” and, over the years, some have effectively closed or merged.

We concluded that, whilst the administration of membership is now done centrally (through RiderHQ), our regional network remains vitally important.  It provides a local and personal structure through which we can encourage and support race organisers; this is not something that is best done from a centralised function.  It is also a structure which can support a broader representation (at least from a geographical perspective) in BMCR decision making.

In the review we reduced the number of regions from ten to seven with all seven regions represented on the NEC.  This meant combining regions 1&2, 3&4, and splitting region 8 between regions 6 and 10.  With many people used to the old numbering system, we maintained the seven numbered regions as follows, and we simply do not use 1, 4 and 8.

Region 2          North of England and Scotland

Region 3          North Wales and Merseyside

Region 5          East & North Midlands

Region 6          West Midlands and Central & South Wales

Region 7          South East Midlands and East Anglia

Region 9          London and South England

Region 10        South West England

The two key roles in each region are regional race co-ordinator and regional representative on the NEC.  Most regions no longer maintain the other historic roles (registrar, secretary, treasurer etc) which were required for administering membership.

The regions are defined by the post code of a member’s  address.  For those members who do not have a UK post code, a virtual “Region  0” is set up on the system.

I have lost my license, can I get a new one?

We do not re-issue licenses as a screenshot of your BMCR membership details from the RiderHQ website is an acceptable alternative. In the event that race organisers hold licensees as a deposit (e.g. for issue of race numbers or transponders) you should be prepared to deposit cash or a credit card as an alternative.

When will my license arrive?

Licenses get printed in batches and are posted to your home address (the one on RiderHQ). During the early part of the year, the batches are three weeks apart, so you may have to wait up to a month to receive your license.

Race Entries

What if the race is already full and I get put on the waiting list?

If the first come first served places have gone, you might be asked to join a waiting list. This enables organisers to allocate places based on other factors (such as previous results for a Championship or Stallard event) or their record of volunteering to help other events. You will not be charged an entry fee on joining the waiting list. You will be notified by the race organiser if you are allocated a place and the entry fee will then be payable.

When do race entries open?

On Rider HQ entries open eight weeks before the event at 5pm. So an event on a Sunday will open at 5pm on the Sunday eight weeks before the race.

Volunteering

Is volunteering compulsory?

No!  It is recognised that not everybody is in a position to give of their time. However, BMCR is totally dependent on volunteers, both to run the organisation and our races. So volunteering is an essential part of our culture. Volunteers are hugely appreciated and get priority when race entries are oversubscribed.

What help do race organisers need?

There are lots of roles including: car drivers; marshalling; first aid; catering; signing-on officials; finish line judges; timing equipment operators; results processors; etc.

What help does BMCR (as an organisation) need at the moment? (May 2024)

Technology Lead
We are looking for somebody with IT experience who could manage the BMCRs technology strategy and support the BMCR website and our relationship with RiderHQ.