Tour De Penge

The Tour De Penge, Bromley’s biggest family bike ride, takes place on Sunday 13 March. 16 gentle miles starting in Penge and ending in the park in Greenwich for a picnic. Meet 10.00am for an 11.00am departure.

More information here

Family Ride: The Cuckoo Trail Seaside Special

Adam’s latest family ride is a mainly off-road ride on a disused railway from Heathfield to Eastbourne, including riding though a tunnel! The return trip is 32 miles, but you can ride one way or turn back at any point along the trail.

The ride is on Saturday 2nd June, and you can download a PDF with more information about the ride here: June 2012 Ride – Cuckoo Trail

Racing league change of venue and date

Because the recent wet weather seriously hampered our velodrome training sessions at Herne Hill we have decided that it will not be feasible to hold a race meeting on the track at Herne Hill this season.

Instead the final round of the Bromley Go-Ride Racing League will be held at the brand new Kent Cyclopark (www.cyclopark.com). Racing will take place on the tarmac circuit.

The date of the event has changed as a result, and will now be held on Saturday 23rd June, with registration from 12 noon.

The session is a chance for those who want to take part in the final round of the Bromley Go-Ride Racing League on May 19th to get some experience riding on the track.

It’s not just for the budding racers though – everyone is welcome whether or not you plan to race on the 19th.

Registration is from 2pm and the session is free of charge for all members. We’ll be sharing the session with our friends from Penge CC, and will be taking it in turns to use the track.

We have the track for one hour, between 2.30pm and 3.30pm, for a session coached by Herne Hill’s track experts. Then between 3.30pm and 4.30pm you will have the chance to ride the off road circuit.

Track bikes will be provided, and some mountain bikes will be available on the day, but depending on numbers there may not be enough to go around, so do bring your own if you can. Don’t forget to dress for the conditions – it’s likely to be muddy off road!

The address is: Herne Hill Stadium, Burbage Road, London, SE24 9HE (between numbers 106 and 108 BurbageRoad). You can find a map and directions here.

Wet weather arrangements

The Herne Hill track can’t be used if it’s wet, so if the weather is bad on Saturday we’ll only be able to use the off-road course. That may affect the session time, so make sure you’re registered for text alerts to get the most up-to-date information.

Use the car park at the top, near the entrance to the swimming pool – the racing will take place on the oval circuit overlooking the concert bowl.

There will be two races: an individual hill climb time trial and a mass start race (in age categories). The racing will take place on a tarmac surface, so it will make for some fast racing.

As on all racing league days there will be no coaching at Pickhurst on Saturday, and parents must stay with their children unless other arrangements have been made. Because the coaches and club helpers all have specific responsibilities on racing league days, and because the events are held in a public venue, open to non-club members, we cannot look after your children as we would do on a normal Go-Ride session.

It costs £3 to enter (that covers both the races) and if you don’t want to race, then why not come down and cheer on your team mates?

Registration is from 10.00 to 10.30, with the first race at 10.30.

We’ll be back at Pickhurst for the last coaching session of this term on Saturday 24 March.

The mountain bike circuit at Herne Hill is a great environment to practice bike handling on rough and hilly terrain.

It’s best if you can bring your own bike – some bikes will be available on the day, but depending on numbers there may not be enough to go around, so do bring your own if you can.

Bigfoot Go-Ride is paying all the hire charges so it’s completely free for our members – all you have to do is get there!

Meet at 1.45pm for a 2pm start at Herne Hill Stadium, Burbage Road, London, SE24 9HE (between numbers 106 and 108 BurbageRoad). You can find directions here.

Please park in Thornet Wood Road and use the Thornet Wood Road entrance to the school, not the Blackbrook Lane entrance.

It’s not too late to start racing, even if you’ve not entered in any of the previous rounds. It’s a fun friendly atmosphere, and if you don’t fancy racing why not pop down and cheer on your fellow team mates?

Registration starts at 10.00 with the first race due to start at 10.30. The races should be over by midday.

It costs £3 per rider to enter, which covers two races – an individual time trial and a mass start race. Riders will race in their age categories as usual. We ask parents to stay on site to supervise their children, as the coaches will be busy running the event so won’t be able to provide the same level of supervision as normal.

We’ll be back at Pickhurst for the last coaching session of this half term on Saturday 4 February.

The sessions will be held on Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st December from 10am to 3pm at Bethlam Hospital in Beckenham. The sessions are open to Go-Riders aged from 8 to 16, and the cost is just £7 per session. This is a fantastic opportunity to get some quality coaching from an experienced coach and bike racer.

You’ll need to bring your own helmet and mountain bike or cyclocross bike, a packed lunch and appropriate clothes. You need to book in advance by emailing jasoncattermole@britishcycling.org.uk or by calling 07534 281267.

Click here to download the course flyer.

Click here to download the registration and parental consent form.

It’s not too late to start racing, even if you’ve not entered in any of the previous rounds. It’s a fun friendly atmosphere, and if you don’t fancy racing why not pop down and cheer on your fellow team mates?

Registration starts at 10.00 with the first race due to start at 10.30. The races should be over by midday.

It costs £3 per rider to enter, which covers two races – an individual time trial and a mass start race. Riders will race in their age categories as usual. We ask parents to stay on site to supervise their children, as the coaches will be busy running the event so won’t be able to provide the same level of supervision as normal.

We’ll be back at Pickhurst for the last coaching session of the term on Saturday 10 December.

More experienced and fitter riders will be able to tackle the full 8 mile off road route under the supervision of a coach and helpers. Other coaches will supervise two more groups tackling an intermediate route and the shorter family route.

Parents are very welcome to join us on the ride, or can explore the pinetum, cafe and lake, or take non-riding children to the various playgrounds. More information on Bedgebury can be found here: http://www.bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/

The session will start at 11.00am and we will aim to finish by 1.30pm, in time for lunch.

To help us plan the coaching sessions we need to know in advance who is coming. To do this please complete our online form here.

Details of the meeting point, mobile numbers for use on the day etc. will be sent to those who register to tell us they are coming.

A few practical points

• You’ll need to bring a bike that you can ride off road.
• If it is muddy then road tyres will not be suitable for use on the red route circuit.
• Bike hire is available if needed – ring Quench bikes on 01580 879694.
• Riders should bring a helmet, gloves, a drink, snacks, and a spare inner tube in case of puncture.
• You should assume that you will get muddy and dress accordingly!
• The coaches will have the final say over which riders can go on which of the three rides, depending on ability, equipment and the ratio of coaches to riders.

Transport information

• Bedgebury is about an hour’s drive from Pickhurst.
• For SatNav users, the postcode for Bedgebury is TN17 2SL, or a Google map can be found here.
• Parking at Bedgebury is £8. If you do not want to stay then we may be able to arrange to meet children at the gate and escort them into the site, saving on parking fees.
• Some helpers and parents may have spare spaces for children and bikes. If you need transport (or have spare capacity) let us know on the registration form and we will try to match you up.

There will be no session at Pickhurst that day

We need all our coaches to supervise activity at Bedgebury, so there will be no session at Pickhurst on Saturday 12 November. If you are unable to come to Bedgebury then we will refund you the £3 coaching fee that has been paid for that session (plus any sibling coaching fees) at the following session on Saturday 19 November.

Registration starts at 10.00 with the first race due to start at 10.30. The races should be over by midday.

It costs £3 per rider to enter, which covers two races – an individual time trial and a mass start race. Riders will race in their age categories as usual. We would ask parents to stay on site to supervise their children, as the coaches will be busy running the event so won’t be able to provide the same level of supervision as normal.

We’ll be back at Pickhurst for normal coaching sessions on Saturday 15 October, then off for two weekends either side of half term.