FAQ:
Q: What type of club are you?
A: Lyme Racing Club caters for all types of cyclist. Whether you wish to race or simply ride for fun we can offer just about all varieties of cycling disciplines to the prospective member. Time Trial, Track Racing, Road Racing and Mountain Bike Racing all feature strongly within our club. In addition we have a great many members who ride purely for pleasure and to achieve this end we hold separate weekly Sunday rides for both road riders and mountain bikers.
We are also a GO-RIDE club, which provides coaching for kids and adults. This is for members who are just starting, through to National Champions, you are never to young to learn.
Q: Where are you based?
A: The Lyme Racing Club is based in North Staffordshire. The majority of our membership is based within the Newcastle, Stoke on Trent catchment area although we have active members who live as far afield as Nottingham, Wolverhampton and South Cheshire. By means of our club Forum and Facebook those members based further afield can keep in touch and be an active part of the club just as easily as those who live much closer.
Q: Where do you ride?
A: We normally ride on the multitude of country lanes which we are fortunate to have within Staffordshire and also in the neighbouring counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire. Mountain biking takes place at Cannock Chase and more locally on the trails and bridleways of North Staffordshire. In addition we regularly visit other MTB trail centres, the Peak District and Wales. An idea of where the club runs go to is by looking at the cafe stops that we use.
Q: How fit should I be to join?
A: You don't need to be fit to join the club as we have members who don't cycle. However, you should be ideally capable of riding 20 to 30 miles or 2 to 3 hours without too many problems. The organised club road rides are in the region of 30 to 40 miles in winter and increase to take advantage of the longer daylight hours during the summer months. The organised mountain bike rides are normally within the region of 3 to 5 hours which is dependent upon the terrain encountered. A cafe stop / lunch break is an important and integral part of both the road and the mountain bike rides.
We have a Saturday Road Ride that is ideal if you want to come and see us, this is for beginners, shorter, typically about 25-30 miles with a cafe stop.
In the summer we do a shorter road bike club run from Lyme Valley Cycle Track on Thursdays starting at 6.30pm, this is so the less fit can have an idea of there fitness and the taste of a club run. On these we still do around 15 to 25 miles in between 1.5hr to 2.5hr, so some fitness is still required.
On a regular basis we do a family ride out, which as it says is for the whole family. This may be at Cannock Chase, Westport Lake or somewere else, but will always be fun.
If you are at all unsure on your fitness or have medical issues. please just ask us, but I am sure you could fit in with one of the various sections.
Q: Can I try a ride before I commit myself to joining?
A: We welcome prospective new members to come along to try a ride before committing themselves to joining. After all you test drive a car before buying! Whether you wish to try out our road riding section or our mountain biking section please feel free to contact us and arrange your first ride. Should you like what you find, and most certainly do, then we would ask you to join the Lyme Racing Club before you come out with us again.
And please read the Code of conduct for Club Runs
Q: Do I need insurance?
A: Whilst not compulsory we would strongly advise that you take out third party liability insurance. This can be arranged at very competitive rates through the Cyclists Touring Club or through British Cycling, both of whom we are affiliated to.
Note: The club is affiliated to the CTC and can arrange third party insurance cover for an annual fee of £15.00 or can advise about British Cycling Insurance
British Cyclings' membership comparisons.
If you are under 16 and join our Go-Ride Club you get British Cycling membership for FREE for the first year.
If you join a local Go-Ride club, Silver membership to British Cycling is free (for under 16 and reduced for Junior riders) for the first year so there really is no excuse for missing out on a fantastic pack of cycling goodies!
