CLUB CLASS
WE REVEAL HOW TO START A CYCLING CLUB FROM SCRATCH, WITH HELP FROM THOSE WHO’VE DONE IT
MAKE YOUR CYCLING GROUP OFFICIAL!
To say the least, 2020 wasn’t a vintage year. But amid all the turbulence, cycling actually had a pretty good run, as sales of bikes hit a global post-war high and a whole wave of new cyclists hopped onto bikes for the first time. So if you ended the year as part of a motley crew of sociable riders, how can you turn it into a more formal structure of a cycling club and why might it be necessary? We asked the members behind some of the UK’s newest and most welcoming clubs for their answers…
CLIQUE AND REJECT
New clubs are often founded by those who find an existing club too cliquey. “My experiences with cycling clubs before launching ours wasn’t welcoming,” says Richard Hearne, who founded PRIDE OUT, an LGBTQ+ cycle group in Manchester in 2019. “Unless you were already riding to a high standard or in with a crowd you didn’t really stand a chance. I’d get dropped pretty quickly.”
“When I started the club I’d already learnt that to succeed you need to set out expectations,” adds Hearne. Hearne PRiDE OUT hosts a range of rides from fivemile beginner sessions to 60-mile plus events, and everything in between. “As a general rule of thumb, we ask that riders be reasonably sure they can complete the event based on their current fitness, ability and bike type – and should be able to cycle 25 to 33 per cent further as part of a group compared to on their own.”
EVENT HORIZON
Most cycling clubs start in a similar fashion. “It often takes a specific event to force a club into being,” says Chris Ratcli , who founded the Porn Pedallers cycling club in 2016. Ratcli had been cycling with friends and colleagues from the adult entertainment industry for 10 years before. “We’d talked about forming a club but it was only when we arranged a ride from London to the bergs and cobbles of Flanders, Belgium that things took o . Organising that ride convinced us that we had the makings of a club.”
ON A MISSION
“Ask yourself, ‘What is it you’re looking to achieve?’” says Mani Arthur, who in 2018 founded the Black Cyclists Network (BCN). “For me it’s about encouraging riders of colour to feel like lik they belong in cycling.” Arthur pulled pu together a list of contacts built over ov the years as a cyclist to get his club started. sta Its online platform features ‘The Mission’; Mi a statement of the club’s values. “Our “O aim is to connect cyclists from black bla and ethnic minority backgrounds.” But if you’re looking at starting a club just for you and your friends to go out and ride hard, that’s fine too. “Just nail down d the purpose and what you’re trying to achieve; that will form the foundation of your club values and the rules, your identity as a group and it even feeds into things like your club uniform.”
HEART OF THE MATTER
“Previously we’ve used rides, such as the British Heart Foundation London-to-Brighton to help bring new riders into the fold,” says Ratcliff . “As it’s a fun, supported ride it’s perfect for newcomers. They can ride in a safe, semi-closed road environment and have their cake and tea along the route. We now do an annual ride from London to Amsterdam that’s more like a weekend break with cycling involved. The more experienced among us ride the London-Harwich stretch while others meet us at the port where we put their bikes on the van, cross overnight to Holland and then all take it easy for the 50 miles to Amsterdam with car support just in case.”
OPEN DOOR POLICY
“Focus club communications on making members feel welcome, especially those feeling nervous about the challenge of joining a new social group,” explains Hearne. “We o er one-to-one online conversations and a buddy system connecting new members with an event guide prior to their first ride out.” Otherwise, it’s simply a case of being neighbourly: “Sometimes it’s just about lending a bike to someone who wants to join you,” adds Ratcliff . “Most of us have a couple of bikes - at least! If that person has a passion for cycling then do whatever you can to facilitate it. Clubs live and die by their membership.”
“FOCUS COMMUNICATIONS ON MAKING MEMBERS FEEL WELCOME, ESPECIALLY THOSE FEELING NERVOUS ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF JOINING A NEW CLUB”
RICHARD HEARNE
STYLE COUNCIL
“From the start I knew I wanted to create a global brand that would be for anyone across the diaspora,” says Mani i Arthur. “That fed into the choice of colours. We use the red, yellow and green een that’s synonymous with most Afro-Caribbean national flags. The logo and the mottos written into the jersey not only add to the aesthetic but they give the kit meaning and reflect the values.” ” A keen football fan and collector of team m strips over the years, Arthur sought to give his cyclists a kit others would envy. vy “I wanted stylish kit that emulates the classic look of the vintage cycling era and I wanted to replicate that feeling I had as a kid seeing a football kit I’d want – no matter which team!”
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
If you plan to enter British Cycling-sanctioned races then it’s ‘essential clubs have their kit approved by British Cycling before it’s manufactured’. This is to avoid clashes with other team kits and to comply with other regulations relating to team clothing. While a kit is not essential when you first start out, matching jerseys will soon help identify team members and create a bond.
“People want that sense of belonging; they want the identity that goes with having the club jerseys and bib shorts,” says Chris Ratcliff. *(Note: despite not racing in BC events, Porn Pedallers had its registration revoked when the governing body decided its affliated sponsors – Television X– “damaged the image of the organisation.”)
ALL ABOARD!
“You have to be proactive in bringing new members to the club and not just pay lip-service to a policy that says ‘all are welcome’,” explains Richard Hearne. “Be sure to use language in your communications that’s open. In our short time as a club it’s been a learning curve. I’ve met many new transgender cyclists and I’ve had to educate myself in the terms I use to be truly inclusive.”
Reaching out to new groups is something Arthur’s BCN has worked on too. “We looked at the make-up of our club and felt it was very male dominated. So we created club ambassadors of our women members and pushed their stories on our social media posts. It helped bring more female riders on board. You have to ensure people look at your club and think, ‘I want to be a part of that – I can see myself in that group.’”
“WITH THE CLUB, WE CREATED SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES FOCUS AND SELF-DISCIPLINE WITH BIG EVENTS TO TRAIN FOR "THAT NEEDED A FEELING OF TOGETHERNESS’ CHRIS RATCLIFF
MORE THAN A RIDE
“When we started out I saw a group of people who were party animals,” animals ” explains Chris Ratcliff . “But with the club we created something that requires a focus and self-discipline with big events to train for – but that still required a feeling of togetherness.” Entering events provides a target to train for and engenders that team spirit. “We do a Flanders trip every year to the heartland of cycling. It’s an emotional experience, as we visit the battlefields, but it also awakens members to the whole cycling culture.”
CAPTAINS FANTASTIC
“We have 17 ride captains now with a view to having around 25 ideally – but when we began in 2018 it was just me,” says Mani Arthur. “I’ve brought on riders who now volunteer to teach the basics of road riding to others. Over time you’ll identify members who’ll nurture others, giving up their Saturday mornings to lead beginner groups. You can’t do it all yourself – you need to delegate.”
“Once you have a few members on board do a skills audit too,” adds Arthur. Ar “If you have someone who’s an IT specialist put them in charge of the website. If you have a media or marketing ma person, ask them to look after aft promoting the club. Don’t be afraid to ask a – many of your riders will want to give giv something back.”
KEEP IT SOCIAL
“Your social media is vital to building b your club membership,” says Richard Hearne. “We now have chapters of PRiDE OUT around the UK, which have grown out of Facebook pages into functioning as local cycling clubs.” As well as having public-facing Instagram, Facebook and Twitter platforms to entice new members, WhatsApp groups also provide an essential means of communicating club news and catering for all needs. “We run a general club chat through a WhatsApp group,” says Ratcliff . “But there are di erent sub-strands within the group. It’s because one bunch of people are really into their pro cycling and want to chat about the Tour de France, while others just want to ride their bike at weekends. You can easily create sub-groups to avoid people feeling alienated.”
FREE RIDE
Running a club is not without its costs – be it time as a club organiser or actual funding for kit, event entry and insurance. But Arthur advises holding o from imposing ‘fees’ for as long as you can. “We’re two years in to this project and still free to members. In order to become self-sustaining we’ll need to look at the model at some point but if you just think, ‘I’m going to start a club and start charging people money from the o ’ then it’s not going to end well,” he warns. “The key is to build strong relationships with your members. If you are going to charge members further down the line then look to o er benefits in return; negotiate deals with local co ee shops or bike servicers to see if they’ll o er discounts to those who pay into your club.”
“OVER TIME, YOU’LL IDENTIFY MEMBERS WHO’LL NURTURE OTHERS, GIVING UP SATURDAY RIDES TO LEAD BEGINNER GROUPS. YOU CAN’T DO IT ALL YOURSELF”
MANI ARTHUR