Thank you. The origin of this thread was/is who remembers Don Louis so sorry to have taken it in an alternate direction but here I am 63 years old, living in the south of France, itching to get over next year and to ride again at both CP and HH.
The evening crits at CP sound interesting, so what are the categories, who are the organisers, how do you make an entry, will my French licence be valid, etc. When I rode in the mid 60s the events were handicapped, Juniors and 3rd cat amateurs went first, followed by 2nd cats, and finally 1st cats and any professionals/independents that happened to be there. My first races were as a junior and we always got caught. When I started as a 1st cat we went eyeballs out from the start to catch the small fry and then settle down for the sprint finish. Is it still like that?
So the track at HH hasn't changed too much, amazing. Is it still raw concrete? The banking isn't steep for a track- the real difference at HH is the width. Other tracks I've ridden have wider banking so you can go high and get a real dive to drop onto a wheel of a teammate. The facilities at HH were kind of primitive as well as far as I remember. I need to find a track bike and relive the sensations.
Just so you know I ride between 500-600 miles per month, mostly road, I compete in at least 12 cyclosportives per annum, etc. Here in France the over 60 category is extremely competitive. The winner usually averages about 23mph over 60-65miles and it is often the biggest category. Long live active retirement!
Really interested to hear more info and comments.