Getting Started with Clifton CC
Clifton Cycling Club is based in York and caters for all ability levels and most forms of cycling. We have members who road race, time trial, audax, MTB and just ride club runs! We aim to be friendly and approachable and to help support our members get the most out of their cycling.
Road Rides
| Ride |
Solo speed for one hour/fitness needed |
Terrain and notes |
| Easy Riders social ride |
Steady, suitable for beginners |
Social ride on quiet lanes. Various times/days, any type of bike. |
| Saturday training ride |
17-18mph |
Rolling but fast uphill. No stops, 40-50 miles. See discussion board. (*) |
| Saturday ride, group 'H' |
18-20mph |
Challenging terrain. 85-100 miles with cafe stop. (*) |
| Saturday ride, group 'K' |
15mph |
Varied terrain. One cafe stop in 50-65 miles. |
| Saturday ride, Intermediate Group |
16mph |
Varied terrain. 70-90 miles with a cafe stop at the mid point. |
| Sunday club run |
15mph, but be able to ride 40 miles on your own |
Varied. Up to 80 miles in summer, Easier/shorter in winter. One cafe stop. |
Chaingang (depending on time of year)
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19mph or have done several Saturday training |
Rolling with sustained high speed. No stops, 30-40 miles. Please note, doesn't take place all year round. (*) |
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This is based on the speed you can maintain on the flat for an hour on a calm day
Rides marked with a (*) are not suitable for people new to cycling. Some of these are training rides and may not wait if you get dropped so you must be self-sufficient, the Saturday H ride is a long social ride and every effort is made not to leave people behind but you should have a good level of fitness and be used to riding 80+ miles on varied terrain
On other rides, no one gets left behind
Mountain Biking Clifton has a large (and fast growing) MTB section with regular club rides, weekends away, a Challenge Series and plenty more. See our MTB section or email mtb@cliftoncc.org for more details.
Fitness and Club rides See above table for a quick guide or take a look at the section Road Riding/Social Rides for a more detailed description
Racing Our members take part in most branches of cycle sport including road racing and time trialling. Clifton CC also organise 2 road races, a club hill climb, a 12 event club time trial series and an open time trial. See the Competition section for more info
Challenge riding Clifton organise a number of Challenge rides throughout the year including a reliability ride, Audax events and a Sportive. See our Challenge section
Email info@cliftoncc.org for advice on any of our rides or events
FAQ for beginners
- Do I need an expensive bike? No! People have ridden club rides on all sorts of bikes. A road bike is a good idea for the Saturday/Sunday social rides, but for EasyRiders any type of bike will be fine so long as it's roadworthy
- I've never ridden in a group! Don't worry. Start with one of the slower rides to get used to riding in a group and in no time you'll be going faster, further and with less effort than you thought possible
- Do I need to be a member to come on Club rides? If you are under 18 then yes, you need to join Clifton before you ride with us (current membership rate for U18's is only a fiver though!). Adult riders don't have to join but if you like it and keep coming we'll ask you to join
- Do I need to bring anything with me? On any ride you'll need a pump, spare inner tube (or two), something to drink, spare food (eg energy bar, cereal bar). For social rides with a cafe stop you'll need some money, and a waterproof jacket is sensible for most of the year
- My bike is uncomfortable/I don't know if it fits See our Road Bike Setup page
- What about children?See our Youth/Child policy
Links
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