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Questions that we’re often asked about joining our Sunday Club Runs, Fast Tuesday group rides, or riding Time Trials are listed below. Please take a look before submitting your question as you’ll hopefully find the answer here.
Yes – all you have to do is add your name to our sign-up sheet so we know you’re joining us.
You don’t need to be a member and we don’t expect you to join before riding – you’re welcome to come out with us a few times first. All of our club riders rely on members of the club volunteering and we encourage people to join the club if you want to ride with us frequently.
Well you do have to be a member first! Once you are, you will get a few chances each year to order from Bioracer (our supplier), and in between you can get some from the small stock we hold locally (details here).
Our Sunday club runs are a social group ride and we don’t leave people behind. If you decide you want to cut your ride short we only ask that you let someone know so that we’re not searching for you. Our club rides page has more information about distance and pace for each group and intro rides on the first Sunday of each month are a good way to see how you feel and then work up from there.
This varies by group and the time of year. Usually group 1 and 2 will ride between 50-60 miles and our introductory rides are around 35 miles long. All groups will stop at a cafe about half way around.
We meet near Bristol Bridge, on the side of the road with our bikes ready to ride. We meet at 8:30am between March and October, and at 9:00am between November and February.
The routes are available on our sign-up sheet. Alternatively you can view them on our RideWithGPS page here.
It is helpful to have some experience of riding in groups to help ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable ride. If you are new to riding in groups we recommend our introduction rides on the first Sunday of each month which are a good way to see how comfortable you are riding in groups before trying. You can find more information about riding in groups here.
No! Some of our strongest members started riding with us on inexpensive bikes which weren’t at all flash. You will probably have a reasonable road bike (i.e. with drop handlebars and usually clipless pedals), hybrids and mountain bikes are likely to make it very hard work for you unless you’re an extremely strong rider.
For our group club activities we do ask that you wear a helmet.
Anyone aged 12 and over is welcome to join our Sunday rides, but if you are under 16 then you will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult known to your parent or carer and they are happy for them to be responsible for you. If you are 16 or 17 then you can ride unaccompanied. All riders under 18 must provide a signed parental consent form. For a copy of the form or if you have any more questions then you can speak to our club’s welfare officer.
Yes, e-bikes are welcome in all club groups.
Yes – for more details about rides specifically for women contact our women’s officer.
This is our fast paced group ride which operates as a ‘pace line’. The group aims to ride fast together, which is different to our Sunday rides. The ride is referred to as a ‘drop ride’ whereby if a rider falls behind, the group doesn’t wait and will carry on without them.
The speed of a group will vary depending on who is in it, but the aim is to provide riders with a challenge so you may need to drop off the back of the group and that’s fine!
All you have to do is add your name to our sign-up sheet so we know you’re joining us.
Our sign up sheets can be found here.
No, everyone is welcome to join Fast Tuesday rides.
It’s hard to answer this as the pace of each group can vary. Riders that are unable to continue at the pace of the group can drop off the back and we regroup at the top of Portbury Hill to ride back into Bristol. The best thing is to try it and see how it goes.
We use the same route for Fast Tuesday each time, which is around 27 miles, though that includes a warm up and cool down as well as the part used for riding faster. The Strava segment for the paceline section is here, plus we ride to the start of that together from The Create Centre car park. After regrouping at the end we ride down Clarken Combe back into the city, although people tend to disperse after Portbury Hill.
We meet in the Create Centre car park at 6:30pm on Tuesday nights between April and August.
For this type of ride you need to have experience riding in groups, as you will be following the wheel of other riders very closely at speed. Safety is the most important aspect of the ride. If you are new to riding in groups on the road then the Sunday club rides may be a better option to become familiar with group riding.
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An event where you are timed over a set distance, usually 10, 15, 25, 30, 50 or 100 miles. There are also time-based events lasting 12 hours or 24 hours.
Road bikes are becoming more and more common in time trials, so you don’t need to look like an alien with a pointy hat and strange bike! Many events now cater for road bikes as a separate class, but you can ride pretty much whatever you want – road bike, TT bike, mountain bike, you name it!
If you’re in any doubt, the regulations about machine, clothing and helmets are in regulations 14, 15 and 16 here, or just drop us a line and we’ll help out.
Entry for ‘Open’ events is done through the Cycling Time Trials (CTT) website. You need to register there to enter an event, but it’s free – you onlyneed to be a member of an affiliated club (which BSCC is).
Click on ‘Events’ then ‘Open Events’ and you’ll see a set of filters you can apply to narrow down your search.
We are in ‘West’ (U), and races just over the bridge are in ‘South Wales’ (R).
‘Club’ events are often, but not always on the CTT site as well. We can help you find the local ones that aren’t.
‘Club’ events take place on weekdays evenings, and you can normally turn up to ride these without any sort of entry in advance (with occasional exceptions). For our own Chew Lake ‘Classic League’ TT on Wednesday evenings you just need to be there in time to sign on and get ready before 7pm. We suggest by 6:30pm.
‘Open’ events (those organised via the CTT site, with an HQ and often on a weekend) usually close at midnight on the Tuesday of the week before the weekend of the race, so 12 days ahead. The earlier you can enter the more it helps organisers, because if everyone leaves it until the last minute there’s a chance the event might get cancelled.
If you’re riding a lot of events you might have two (or more) events entered before the first one takes place – something to keep on top of.
A few days before the event the organiser will put a start sheet on the relevant event page of the CTT website. You should get an email telling you it’s there.
The start sheet will include all the event details, the HQ location and your start time.
At the HQ you’ll need to sign on and collect your number. Your number needs to be clearly visible from behind, attached to your back, below waist height.
Pay attention to the details in the start sheet as occasionally the race start is some distance from the HQ. You don’t have to ride from the HQ to the start, but you do need to go to HQ first to collect your race number and sign on. At some events it can be a good idea to drive somewhere closer to the race start to get ready. As a minimum, you need to be at the start ready to race at your allocated start time.
It’s best to arrive at the start about 3-4 minutes before your start time. If you want to wear something more than what you’ll race in the timekeeper will normally take jackets, bottles, etc, back to HQ for you after the event.
At the start you will often get the option to be supported by a ‘pusher-off’ so that you can clip both feet into the pedals.
The timekeeper will give you a series of time checks before 5-4-3-2-1 GO!
The hard bit! Obviously you need to pace your ride so that you can do your best time.
You do need to have studied the course in advance – Google Streetview can be a great resource, and if there isn’t a map of the course on the event page it can be worth searching for “Strava” and the course code.
On the day, the organiser will have placed a good number of direction arrows on the course. Occasionally they go missing or aren’t clear, so it’s worth knowing your way round.
At the finish you will usually see some form of black and white chequerboard, and someone sitting with a clipboard in a camping chair (or sometimes in their car!) As you pass the finish SHOUT your number to help the timekeeper record an accurate time for you.
Don’t stop! Bothering the timekeepers is really annoying for them, and could lead to you being disqualified.
Head back to the HQ to return your number, sign out, and usually enjoy post-race banter accompanied by drinks and cakes. You will almost always be able to see your official time on the day, although you might have to wait a while for the timekeepers to return.
Sometime between the day of the event and a few days later, the organiser will upload the full results to the CTT website. They will also appear on your CTT profile page. If you’ve set a PB that will also feed into the ‘Personal Bests’ section on your dashboard.
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Bristol South is an inclusive cycling club. We welcome all new and prospective members – please see our club runs page to find out how to join us and feel free to get in touch with any questions. We look forward to riding with you.