UK Cycling Club Review: Leicester Forest Cycling Club

Our featured club this week is Leicester Forest Cycling Club (LFCC). Boasting a membership of over 260, this club accepts all skill levels. Cycling is what they love, but the number 1 goal of riding with the LFCC is to have fun. There’s a little bit for everyone in this club. Some prefer mountain biking, some like sprints, a few people like to push distance to extreme, including Agnès Baudry who participated in the 1400k London-Edinburgh-London Audax. Though I imagine most club members would be much happier with the club’s weekly rides which never skimps out on the all-important mid-ride café break.

Weekly Club Rides

The weekly Saturday rides come in three different flavors. If you’re looking for an easier ride, Group A keeps a speed of 14 mph to 16 mph and goes relatively easy on the inclines. Group B is a little bit more difficult, maintaining a pace of 16 mph to 18 mph and tackles longer routes over tougher terrain. The experienced and well-conditioned group rider will find some kindred spirits in Group C. This group’s speed ranges from 19 mph to 21 mph and often travels distances of over 70 miles. Simon, one of Group C’s riders, shared with us last Saturday’s trip on Strava.

Even the most serious riders make sure to take a café break, which for Simon’s latest ride included a visit to the Cottingham and Middleton Village Store and Café before heading back on the road for the final stretch.

The Sunday Social

If you’re looking for more of a leisurely ride, the Sunday Social Club Ride might be the way to go. Meeting at Bulls Head Car Park Sunday, this is an ideal ride for beginners and those looking to build up to the faster paced club rides. Whether or not you can make the whole 25 to 30 miles isn’t important, the goal of this ride is to reach the café and enjoy the company of your fellow cyclists.

Other Events and Junior Rockets

Looking for something more than just weekly rides? The club will be hosting a number of events this summer including 10 and 25 mile time trials, road races, and a 100k Audax. A full schedule can be found here in the New and Events club page.

The Junior Rockets are the youth extension of the LFCC. Monday Evenings 6:15pm to 7:15pm at New College Leicester, British Cycling Accredited Coaches provided by the LFCC help train 5-16 year olds to become the next generation of great cyclists. All that’s required is a £2-£3 fee, a working bike, helmet, and the desire to learn and improve.

Final Thoughts

The Leicester Forest Cycling Club has something for everyone. Although many of the riders take cycling very seriously, always pushing themselves and other club mates to do better, the LFCC does not discriminate against more casual cyclists. 

As quoted from their website “Our conversations are more likely to be about which cafe we will ride to rather than what our resting heart-rate might be.” With regular events to measure improvement, coaching for the younger cyclists, and weekly rides tailored to various skill levels, the LFCC is a very active and well rounded club.

Would you like to join the LFCC? Want to know more about their upcoming events? Check out their Homepage or Facebook. Maybe you’ve just found your new cycling family.

If you want your cycling club featured in Salt Dog Cycling’s club of the week, email us at info@saltdogcycling.com