Cyclo-Cross Race Reports on Britishcycling.org.uk

 

News Posted: 28 Feb 2008

Link: 2008 Cyclo-Cross Conference Minutes

 

Following positive feedback on a discussion of the subject at the 2008 Annual Cyclo-Cross conference, here is a brief guide to the benefits of sending race reports to www.britishcycling.org.uk and guidance on how to do this.

 

Race reports from all disciplines are always very welcome. Here are a few key statistics to illustrate the potential benefits of providing reports for the website:

• The British Cycling website receives up to 20,000 visit per day, over 100,000 visits per week and up to 2.5 million page impressions (i.e. individual pages viewed) per month.
• Cyclo-Cross reports are amongst the most popular content on the site, with the National Championships report receiving over 25,000 visits and World Championship and National Trophy reports well over 10,000 visits.
• Perhaps more significantly, for local leagues and organisers, reports from this level of events can receive up to 3,000 visits, depending on the quality of the report.

We commit to putting reports and results on the website as soon as possible - often within an hour or so of receiving them and almost 100% within 24 hours. Content is often uploaded during the weekend, as well as weekdays. We will always provide links back to regional league websites and event/series sponsors' websites as requested. Other content, including race updates (changes of venues etc), blogs and general articles are also very welcome.

 

Your Report - A Brief Guide to Good Practice

• 1/ Results: these are always the first priority - it's what the riders want to see most of all. If you do nothing else, please send in complete results from the event.
• 2/ Reports: there's no need to provide a comprehensive report, but even a brief summary of the key aspects of the day's racing will be welcomed by competitors. If you get time to write a longer report, a summary of as many categories as possible soon builds up into a good report. A brief description of the course and underwheel and weather conditions adds interest. Rider quotes are the icing on the cake.
• 3/ Images: not as difficult these days with the advent of digital photography. Unless you've got an SLR, action shots are probably out of the question, so get creative and get shots of riders waiting at the start and any post-race podiums. There are also lots of photographers with good kit just turning up to races and snapping for their own pleasure. Network with them (as a race organiser, it is also good to have a handle on who is taking pics at your event for child protection reasons -  a log of names and addresses is a good starting point and underlines your commitment) and see if they wills end you/us some images post-race. The image galleries on the British Cycling website include links back to photographer's websites and emails, so many welcome the chance to sell or even give away their pics. To email images, either reduce the size of them (700 pixels along longest side is ideal) or limit email size to less than 7.5mb per email.
• 4/ Links and logos - don't forget to tell us your league website address, so riders can find out about future events and if you've got series sponsors, they will welcome the exposure of a couple of thousand views on the website!
• 5/ Send them in asap - don't sit on race reports and results, get them to us as soon as possible. We'll edit them and knock off rough edges where necessary. Send your report etc to philipingham@britishcycling.org.uk larryhickmott@britishcycling.org.uk and to results@britishcycling.org.uk - we'll do the rest!

In summary, we always welcome race reports and other race related content for the website. There's growing evidence that good quality race reports are the best way to market your events and increase the number of riders. And sending your reports to us and asking us to link back to your series/league website also increases traffic for you. Call us on 0161 274 2082 if you want to chat through any of the above.