Join the club - if you can find it

To the uninitiated, the world of the club cyclist must seem pretty weird and forbidding. It sometimes still feels that way when you are one. Look at what it involves: odd clothes, strange rituals at unsociable hours, greeting fellow members in public with discreet flicks of the hand . . . it makes masonism seem socially inclusive.

Suppose you've become a keen cyclist and want to find like-minded people to ride with. How would you even know where to start finding a club? A quest such as this can seem an arcane pursuit within one that is arcane enough already.

There's something very British about the inaccessibility and "unto-itself-ness" of the cycling club. So much sign-posting in this country is inadequate for the same reason: you are just supposed to know where to go - or, says the subtext of the non-existent directions, you have no business going there at all.

It's more shyness than unfriendliness, perhaps, but even when we join a club or society, we seem to do so ambivalently. I was struck, recently, with the contrast when I joined a Sunday "club run" in France. As each rider arrived before the start, he (it was "he" exclusively, I'm afraid) would shake the hand of every person there - a scene no doubt repeated in every small town in France. That would never happen here. A nod and a murmur suffices, thank you.

There is one way that British cycling club culture improves on the French: at least our jerseys aren't cluttered with ads for the local supermarket or garage. We can't get the sponsorship.

Possibly I exaggerate. And perhaps I describe a world now disappeared. Several of the clubs I grew up with just 20 years ago are virtually defunct. The ones that have survived have had to find ways of turning themselves outwards and recruiting new members. My old club, the Velo Club de Londres (many British cycling clubs founded around the turn of the century are prefixed "VC", consciously following the French example) does a fine job coaching young people at Herne Hill velodrome in south London, and has also cultivated some of the best women racers in the country.

Another local club, the Dulwich Paragon, has gone a different route, away from sport, finding new members by organising easier, social rides. These have the additional merit of starting and finishing at the Cafe St Germain, atop Crystal Palace, where you can taste the best croissants this side of Calais. Or Croydon, certainly. Like others, the Paragon has also got into running charity rides and cyclo-sportives, such as the Ride of the Falling Leaves the weekend after next.

But some things never change. Go on a club run today and you will still encounter some old boy who'll tell you you are doing it all wrong. That would be me.

· To find a local cycling club, go to

Bike doctor

All your cycling questions answered

Dear Matt
Our daughter, aged 10, hasn't learned to ride a bike. She still has stabilisers on her bike and as there will be a cycling proficiency course at her school next summer, I need some advice on how to get her riding confidently before then. We don't have a garden and the local park bans bikes, so practice would have to be in the school car park. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Mrs Robin Kelly, via email

First, do consider booking a lesson or two with a qualified cycling instructor. It won't cost much and, in my experience, children take instruction much better from someone who isn't their parent. For a trainer near you check out the CTC website (

The good news is that if your daughter is using her bike regularly, even with stabilisers, she is probably closer than you think to riding unaided. If you can, try to find a grassy area to practise on: it's much nicer to fall on and also slows down the steering response of the bike, making it easier to balance. Then all you have to do is run behind holding the saddle!