Rapha Cycling Clubs

Two in Londinium, one quite close to my gaff. Rapha seem to organise a lot of events but there is an air of "being up their own bottom" when l looked at their website. Not sure whether to fork out for an annual membership as unfortunately there are few traditional clubs here.

Is there anyone on the forum with anymore information?
Not a Giro Hero!

Comments

  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Are you in London?
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
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  • Hi Ben,

    Yes, Londinium is my manor. Two choices Spitalfields or Soho.
    Not a Giro Hero!
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    edited July 2020
    Well I'm not a member of either and haven't been (they both do great coffee though), but there are plenty of club choices in London.

    What did you mean by "traditional"?
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
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  • A club that has been around for ages. Used to ride with the Finsbury Park and Paddington CC but it would take me ages to get to the club run point in Potters Bar.

    Hence the attraction of Rapha which is close.
    Not a Giro Hero!
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    It depends how you define "ages", I suppose. But CC Hackney, Islington CC, CC London or Central London CTC come to mind... they're pretty well established and traditional clubs.

    Might be worth a go?
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • joe_totale-2
    joe_totale-2 Posts: 1,333
    Surely most club runs from Rapha would involve riding through central London to Potters Bar/Crystal Palace where the other, traditional clubs meet before then riding some of the lanes?

    There's also Islington CC who meet in Holloway which is an awful lot closer, they may not be a traditional club but they've grown incredibly quickly since starting.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    CC London..? Club rides from Finchley, I think. I'm not with them, just aware of them...
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686

    CC London..? Club rides from Finchley, I think. I'm not with them, just aware of them...

    That's them. They meet at a cafe opposite the Bald Faced Stag, I think.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • joe_totale-2
    joe_totale-2 Posts: 1,333
    edited July 2020
    There's Peckham CC who're a new club but seem like a friendly enough bunch. They meet in Peckham so not actually that far from Soho/Spitalfields.

    IMO the geography of Kent/North Downs is more interesting to ride in that anything to the north of London, I think this is the area that Peckham ride in.
  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    Another shout for CC London. Got a lot of mates who ride for them - well organised, well run club.
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • CCL bookmarked. Thank you muchly.
    Not a Giro Hero!
  • teisetrotter
    teisetrotter Posts: 342
    Yep riding out through Crystal Palace is the quickest route to the countryside in London and the countryside includes the north downs, the sandhills of surrey and kent and the wealds of Kent and Sussex. Lumpy enough, very pretty and more lanes than you can point a bike at.

    Brixton, Peckham, BigFoot, Catford, Penge and Dulwich all have clubs with regular rides from Crystal Palace (there are stacks of mini-groups as well) and there is a massive bike shop/cafe called Cadence where many meet-up. Dulwich is the biggest club and probably has the widest choice. There are also open multi-club rides & races anyone can turn up to:
    Tuesday Crystal Palace Crit's in the Park for CAT3 and above
    Wednesday summer Chain gang from Elmers End a smash fest around the Downs 7pm - 9pm in the summer with normally 3 - 4 speed groups
    Wednesday winter road bike training sessions at Herne Hill Velodrome
    Sunday meets from Cadence at 9am with two speeds 23-25kph and 27kph

    That is in addition to the individual club runs on Saturdays and Sundays. Dulwich run about three different versions on a Saturday and a Sunday for longer, earlier, shorter and faster rides.

    Lastly, I know a lot of people in RCC. It is a good club. They have some mad early morning stuff I think Tuesday from Soho is a stupid early climb fest in N.London around Alexandra Palace and things like Swain's lane. Then some weekend rollouts.

    If you want to get to the rides out that way it's an easy roll out from Central London or trains to Crystal Palace from Victoria, London Bridge and the Thames Link line.

    In conclusion, go south-east and you have more choice than probably anywhere else on the planet