iCycle – Winter riding 2026
Autumn and Winter are approaching!
It has been great to see so many riding across all the rides over the last few months and to see new members joining us………..welcome on board. A big thanks to everyone for their ongoing support and in particular to our ride co-ordinators, without whom the rides would not happen.
The clocks change on Sunday 25th October so starting on Sunday 15th November we will shorten the ride distances for each ride and where needed will move the start times to reflect the light and potential weather. These will be as follows:
|
Ride
|
Start Time
|
Distance
|
Start point
|
Ride Co-ordinator
|
|
Short Sunday Ride
|
9am
|
35 to 40 miles
|
La Piazza
|
Richard Batting
|
|
Sunday Club Ride
|
9am
|
45 to 50 miles
|
La Piazza
|
Danny Pelligrin
|
|
Long Sunday Ride
|
9am
|
50 to 60 miles
|
La Piazza
|
Roger Penn
|
|
Mid Week Ride
|
9am
|
35 to 40 miles
|
Various
|
Peter Lambert
|
|
Friday Ride (Road)
|
9.15am
|
30 to 35 miles
|
La Piazza
|
David Leonard
|
|
Friday Ride (Gravel)
|
8.45 am
|
20 to 30 miles depending on weather/terrain
|
Various
|
Dave Munday
|
|
Saturday Ride
|
9.00am
|
30 to 35 miles
|
La Piazza
|
Danny Pelligrin
|
Mudguards and lights
The iCycle policy is that mudguards on road rides are mandatory from 1 November to 31 March. The minimum requirement is for a rear mudguard, where the tail extends to the axle level or below.
If you arrive to join a club ride with no, or inadequate mudguards, you may not be welcomed by your group! NB: Mudguards are not required for gravel rides.
iCycle also strongly recommends the use of both front and rear lights, not only in winter, but throughout the year.
Group Speeds
Road rides:
The group speeds remain unchanged for road rides. These are:
Fast: Aimed at those who expect, in normal summer weather, to ride at 19+mph
Fast Intermediate: For those aiming at 17-19mph.
Intermediate: For those aiming for 15-17mph.
Social: For those aiming for 13-15mph.
Gravel rides:
We are now running more gravel rides, again, with larger numbers. To help this and keep it safe there will be 2 speed groups, a Fast and Fast Intermediate. While we set a new ride template up for the website you will need to sign up in the road ride speed groups of fast and fast intermediate.
Fast: aimed at those aiming over 12.5 mph in normal summer weather.
Fast Intermediate: aimed at those cycling between 10 and 12.5 mph in normal summer weather.
If the ride leader decides the group is too big to ride safely then it will be split based on speed, at the beginning of the ride.
Group sizes
As the club has grown group sizes and numbers riding have increased. Whilst this is great to see, going forward our recommended group size is a maximum 12. This is for the safety of all riders. It is important to agree the groups at the beginning of the ride and ensure everyone is clear. This is most pertinent when there is an opportunity to combine two speed groups and we end up with a large group of more varied speed. We feel it is preferable for our own safety and that of other road users to, when possible, lean towards smaller groups of 6-8, rather than groups that are over 12. If the group decides to ride as a group larger than 12 then everyone needs to agree it prior to the start.
Signing Up
When you sign up you select your group speed you will have visibility of others who have signed up for the ride and in which speed group. Please ensure you sign up for the speed you want to cycle at so your speed matches the group you have selected. We have a no drop policy on all rides.
However, if you are in the fast or fast intermediate group and struggling to keep up, remember there may be a group riding behind you on the road and you may wish to drop back to join them. Please communicate this to the group before you drop back.
Ride changes
In exceptional circumstances the ride may be amended at short notice (<48hrs) to take account of anticipated challenging weather conditions. If you sign up early, please check the day before and morning of the ride that there has been no alteration to the routing. It is important you are signed up to the rides WhatsApp group in case late changes are discussed.
Please remember
- All members ride and make the decision to ride at their own risk
- We encourage all members to take out personal insurance for their own protection
