FAQ

How do I join?

You can buy membership for one or three years on the British Cycling website here, and you can read more about joining and the benefits of membership here.

What do you do?

CUCC is a friendly club that caters to all abilities from beginners to national level road racers and time triallists. We organise weekend group rides, mid-week turbos, social events, track sessions and races. Finally, there is an annual training camp in Spain just after Christmas.

I'm a fresher who wants to start/continue cycling – what should I do?

Sign up to our mailing list, follow our Facebook page and join the WhatsApp groups (links at the bottom of mailing list emails). Look at our calendar to find out what we do. Then when you get to Cambridge visit us at the freshers fair. You can meet us at the fresher's TT on the first weekend of Michaelmas Term (sign up to the mailing list for further details). After that, join us on our group rides every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00am at Brookside. If you have any questions contact the committee.

I've just come to Cambridge and want to race. What do you offer?

A lot. CUCC is a very strong road racing club and competes frequently in local, student and national events year-round. There's a wealth of information on this website about what we get up to, or you can get in touch with our racing captain on the Committee Page. The first thing to look out for is our fresher’s TT in Michaelmas, followed by our hill climb. There are often a few club members headed to London at the weekend for some crit racing and the race captain keeps us up to date with local road races and time trials.

OK, so when and where do you train?

Group rides usually leave from Brookside at 9:00 on Saturday, and Sunday and we have turbo sessions during the winter. To keep up to date with training join the WhatsApp chats and sign on to the mailing list here. (Links to join the WhatsApp chats are at the bottom of every email.) There are normally two rides: a black ride which is a bit faster and a red ride, and also Touring rides that go a little slower with the aim of actually seeing things! See our Training & Events page for more information and a guide to group riding which details CUCC's conventions and ground rules.

Hmm, I've ridden a lot but never really raced. Are 'beginners' catered for?

Yes! Any riders wishing to race are appreciated, regardless of experience. In Michaelmas term we normally have a presentation outlining how to start racing, whether it is time-trials, road racing, track races or cyclocross you are interested in, and our race captain is more than happy to guide newcomers at the start of their racing careers.

Well, to be honest, racing isn't my thing, can I just go out and ride with someone for company locally?

Yes, of course. 'Just' going for a ride is fundamental to the sport. Going out, either on or off road, in the local area is very pleasant and a great way to keep fit. If you don't fancy the higher speeds of the road groups, our touring secretary is the person to get in touch with. If you fancy a chilled out ride off road then contact the MTB Captain and the MTB WhatsApp group.

I like the sound of all this, but I'm worried I'm not fit enough

That's always something that can be improved upon. If you're road riding, then it would be advisable to go out with the slower groups to start with until you can gauge where you stand a little better. Turbo sessions run mid-week throughout the winter help you improve your fitness while the weather is poor in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Right, so road riding's not my thing, but I do want to race mountain bikes. What do you do?

Despite the local terrain, there is a very strong group of mountain bikers within CUCC. We compete at a number of events from traditional XC races, to Enduro rides (winter and summer series at Thetford forest nearby, and others in Wales for example) to Trailquest (mountain bike orienteering) to 24hour teamrides (Red Bull Mountain Mayhem, Shimano Sleepless in the Saddle). CUCC is represented at the BUCS student champs each year in DownHill. We also have an annual race against the Dark Side (Oxford) mountain bike club.

Do you ever get together, out of lycra?

We have been known to...! Throughout term, there are formal dinners (typically 2 or 3), pub trips and post-race meals. We also have the Christmas dinner and Annual dinner black tie events.

All this is cool. One snag, I have a valuable bike - how do I prevent it from being stolen?

Cambridge is renowned for its bike crime, and our advice is to use it only for training or racing, not general riding about town. Even if it is locked up securely, it would come as no surprise if someone nicked your saddle/wheels/handlebars or just vandalised it. Investing in a strong lock is always a good plan if you haven't done so already as is checking up on your insurance. To find out about the bike storage facilities (or lack of them) at individual colleges please contact a member of the committee.

You may be surprised that you may be able to get your bike covered by your parents' existing house insurance policy (if you're an undergrad), and on your contents insurance (if you're a postgrad or undergrad in a house of no more than 3 people; the Prudential or Marks and Spencer's contents insurance is good for this). If you're sharing a hostel then it is unlikely that any insurer other than Endsleigh will touch you for anything let alone a bike. In these circumstances, your only option may be through people like British Cycling or Cycling UK.