At our core we are a road cycling club so a road bike with drop handlebars is a must for most of our rides and activities. An increasing number of our members have started to ride off-road so we now offer a monthly gravel ride and ad hoc mountain bike sessions which may take place at Swinley Forest (where you can also hire a bike) to mix things up.
Club Road Rides
The highlight of the week is our Saturday club rides. We aim to offer a selection of speed groups to cater for everyone so typically we have groups from 22-28 kph. Our Saturday club rides depart from Colicci Cafe, Roehampton Gate Car Park, Richmond Park at around 8:15 am (or a bit later in the winter) or Lions Gate, Bushy Park at around 8:30. We deliver a ride briefing, ensuring everyone feels welcomed and is aware of the planned route before setting off. Exact details of planned routes, speed groups, etc. are always posted on Stack Team App a week before.
We offer a variety of routes to cater for as many people as possible. Distances vary according to the weather and the time of the year, but we aim to ensure variety, so there’s something for everyone. To give you a flavour of what we offer:
Our Club Rides alternate with Ride Captains Choice weekends where our Ride Captains offer their favourite routes. This is a wonderful opportunity to try some different roads and hidden gem café stops.
You can see some of the routes we follow by clicking here.
Gravel Rides
These take place as a minimum once a month with each one organised by a different member of the gravel group. Start time, location, distance and technical difficulty are up to the individual ride captain thus ensuring a variety of terrain, start points and length.
Away Days
At BellaVelo we love any excuse to get on our bikes so our away days which include our “fish and chip rides” to the seaside are firm favourites with our members. Some away days include optional train travel home.
Members organise and share a wide range of trips and activities which have included trips to the Isle of Wight, The New Forest, bivvy weekends, glamping and cycling holidays abroad through companies such as Mellow Jersey and Glorious Gravel.
The Bluebells Ride
A popular spring ride celebrating the start of summer cycling and the glorious bluebells in the Surrey Hills
Ride of the Falling Leaves
This is one of our popular whole club rides which normally takes place in the autumn before the clocks go back and the weather gets too cold. It takes its name from one of the cycling ‘Classics’ and the route we choose is one which is as rural as possible, where we can enjoy seeing the changing colour leaves.
The Rapha Women’s 100km
This is held in September and is a ride promoted by Rapha that encourages women all over the world to ride 100km together, on the same day, in support and solidarity – for both women and for the love of the sport and what it represents. This is one of our best attended annual rides with around 60 Bellas out on the road that day.
One More City
One More City is a cycling campaign which raises money to fund research into secondary breast cancer which affects so many women and some of our own members in particular. This is our only ‘mixed’ ride of the year where members can bring partners and friends and which has a social after the ride. We operate a ‘pay to ride’ policy with a suggested donation of £10 per head with all funds raised going to OMC. This ride usually takes place in mid-October.
Club Road Rides
The highlight of the week is our Saturday club rides. We aim to offer a selection of speed groups to cater for everyone so typically we have groups from 22-28 kph. Our Saturday club rides depart from Colicci Cafe, Roehampton Gate Car Park, Richmond Park at around 8:15 am (or a bit later in the winter) or Lions Gate, Bushy Park at around 8:30. We deliver a ride briefing, ensuring everyone feels welcomed and is aware of the planned route before setting off. Exact details of planned routes, speed groups, etc. are always posted on Stack Team App a week before.
We offer a variety of routes to cater for as many people as possible. Distances vary according to the weather and the time of the year, but we aim to ensure variety, so there’s something for everyone. To give you a flavour of what we offer:
- Short winter series – 50-70 km loops, often non-stop to prevent cold hands and feet!
- Spring and summer rides – a mixture of longer (80-100 km) and shorter (50-70 km) loops, with both flat and hillier rides available.
Our Club Rides alternate with Ride Captains Choice weekends where our Ride Captains offer their favourite routes. This is a wonderful opportunity to try some different roads and hidden gem café stops.
You can see some of the routes we follow by clicking here.
Gravel Rides
These take place as a minimum once a month with each one organised by a different member of the gravel group. Start time, location, distance and technical difficulty are up to the individual ride captain thus ensuring a variety of terrain, start points and length.
Away Days
At BellaVelo we love any excuse to get on our bikes so our away days which include our “fish and chip rides” to the seaside are firm favourites with our members. Some away days include optional train travel home.
Members organise and share a wide range of trips and activities which have included trips to the Isle of Wight, The New Forest, bivvy weekends, glamping and cycling holidays abroad through companies such as Mellow Jersey and Glorious Gravel.
The Bluebells Ride
A popular spring ride celebrating the start of summer cycling and the glorious bluebells in the Surrey Hills
Ride of the Falling Leaves
This is one of our popular whole club rides which normally takes place in the autumn before the clocks go back and the weather gets too cold. It takes its name from one of the cycling ‘Classics’ and the route we choose is one which is as rural as possible, where we can enjoy seeing the changing colour leaves.
The Rapha Women’s 100km
This is held in September and is a ride promoted by Rapha that encourages women all over the world to ride 100km together, on the same day, in support and solidarity – for both women and for the love of the sport and what it represents. This is one of our best attended annual rides with around 60 Bellas out on the road that day.
One More City
One More City is a cycling campaign which raises money to fund research into secondary breast cancer which affects so many women and some of our own members in particular. This is our only ‘mixed’ ride of the year where members can bring partners and friends and which has a social after the ride. We operate a ‘pay to ride’ policy with a suggested donation of £10 per head with all funds raised going to OMC. This ride usually takes place in mid-October.