Our five minutes with are a little bit different this week with 10 questions tackled by various members of the Velo Club Cumbria.
I had the pleasure of meeting up with a founder member Gerard McCarten recently so thought it would be nice to talk to the current members about cycling at the club and in the area.
Why join a cycling club like Velo Club Cumbria?
Lots of riders join a club to share their hobby with others, they are able to share in the experience of other riders and get networking opportunities to enhance their cycling hobby.
VC Cumbria has riders of all ages both male and female with different abilities and differing discipline interests spanning social riding, non-competitive events and competitive events.
The wealth of experience in the club can open up opportunities for new riders to explore cycling in areas they previously may not have been aware of. Over the years members have had success in many competitive events both in the UK and further afield.
Sharing your hobby with others is a great motivator and enhances the pleasure cycling can bring.
Can you tell us a little bit of the history of Velo Club Cumbria and how it was formed?
Velo Club Cumbria was established over 50 years ago to promote cycling in the county. It was formed by a group of riders who were already competing in road races and time trials across Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire.
Over the years riders have gone on to retire from active cycling with new younger riders coming through, learning the ropes and adding modern thinking about events, training, equipment and experience etc. to keep the club fresh and up to date with current trends.
The club takes pride in encouraging and embracing modernisation and change.
Tell me about some of the leading riders at the club since it was formed?
Club members over the years have achieved success in many competitive disciplines. The club has an awards evening at the end of each season to celebrate achievements made by its riders taking part in various events.
Competitive cycling is structured to ensure age and ability are as evenly matched as possible giving the improving riders the ability to progress up the ranks as their ability develops. One example recently is that the club had a rider who won the veterans national hill climb championship.
Another is that of a club member who won the Ladies category in a recent Lakesman Triathlon. We also have a veteran who won the British Best All Rounder three times in his 60s. Club members have also taken part in sportive rides in Spain and Cyprus and in the Etape du Tour in France.
What is the current membership? Is that expanding or decreasing and generally what is the state of competitive cycling in Cumbria?
We currently have over 40 members, with a core of around 25 who regularly compete in events and/or take part in club rides. Our overall membership has fallen rapidly in the last five years, when we typically had 80-90 members.
There are a variety of reasons – the club demographic, increasing traffic volumes, fewer younger riders joining the club and (inevitably) the COVID pandemic impacted our numbers although we are slowly recovering.
It is not a local phenomenon; it is reflective of national surveys carried out in 2021 and 2022 by both British Cycling and Cycling Time Trials.
The club has a healthy balance of riders – young and old, male and female, competitive and social riders, riders born in West Cumbria and riders who have moved to the area and have found the club welcoming for them.
There is a season of events planned by VC Cumbria which starts at the beginning of March with a reliability ride. There is a trip to Spain in April for a week of cycling ahead of the time trial season and riders arrange ad-hoc weekends away in the North of England and Scotland and to bike races abroad.
The club has riders who compete in triathlon , road races and cyclocross, weekend group rides and organised rides such as Lands End to John O’Groats. There really is something for everyone.
What sort of competitive programme do VCC set out each year and are there inter-club events throughout the county?
VCC runs competitive time trial events most Tuesday evenings throughout the summer months. These are races against the clock, it is the rider’s time that matters finishing positions are based on their times.
These are open to any rider belonging to a CTT-affiliated club from anywhere in the country, let alone county. They are run on approved courses, mostly in the A66 corridor between Clifton and Keswick.
These events are usually 10-mile or 25-mile distances and we also include a couple of local hill climbs. For longer distances (50-mile and 100-mile) we use national races at these distances being held in or near Cumbria as rider numbers are too low for one club to run these events.
VCC also puts on three open events a year. These are a 10-mile and a 20-mile Time Trial and the Whinlatter Hill Climb (from Braithwaite village). These events attract entries from quality riders from across the UK and are often used by top riders to fine tune their performances prior to competing the UK nationals.
For example, Andrew Feather from Bath (who won our Whinlatter Hill Climb event last October in 6m39s) went on to win the UK National Hill Climb (for the third time!) on the old Horseshoe Pass in Llangollen one week later.
But whilst VCC runs these competitive time trial events, they are a relatively small part of what VCC has to offer.
The majority of our members are what I would call ‘social’ riders, taking part in rides (and café stops!) in the local and wider countryside in the Cumbria at weekends and during the week.
These range from a few riders getting together for a couple of hours ride (and perhaps even a beer!) on a nice summer’s evening, to rides at the weekend of 40-60 miles and sometimes much longer rides for those with time and good legs.
These ad-hoc or semi-organised rides are one of the great benefits of being in VCC or any other club.
In addition, a cycle race circuit opened some three years ago at Harraby in Carlisle giving riders the opportunity to ride Criterium races in a safe environment.
VCC was heavily involved in starting the circuit up and riders from Cumbria, the North East and Scotland regularly race there. VCC riders have pitted themselves against other club riders in the county in British Cycling ranked races.
A racing bike costs considerably more now than it used to. If someone wants to take up the sport seriously, what do they need and how much does it all cost?
You don’t need a specialist bike to start racing. You can get a pretty decent road bike for a few hundred quid second-hand these days, with a carbon frame and good gears and wheels. Of equal importance to a reasonable bike is a good helmet and cycle clothing. They really do make cycling safer and more comfortable.
One benefit of being in a club is the shared knowledge of bike maintenance, the loan of tools for repairs and inside knowledge of what kit is good and what kit to avoid, the availability of good used bikes and spares and other second hand equipment.
Plus the ‘in the know’ knowledge of other riders that can save the ‘buy twice’ scenario. Cycle to work schemes and local bike shop discounts for club members reduce the cost significantly.
Are there some top cyclists in VCC/around the county who have the opportunity to test themselves against top cyclists?
Cycling, unlike some sports, allows people the opportunity to race against the best. For example, several years ago when (the now Sir) Bradley Wiggins came up to Levens Bridge and smashed the course record for their 10-mile time-trial course, VVC had at least six riders competing in the same event.
We are also lucky that the National Championships in various cycling events are regularly held here in Cumbria and VCC members frequently compete in these.
It is important to remember, though, that VC Cumbria is all about encouraging a rider to enjoy riding their bike and get the most out of it they can.
Competitive riding starts with trying to beat your club-mates, how far a rider wants to go with racing depends on themselves. They may set their sights on a local road race or a county event or national event, it all depends on their own level of ability and interest. The advantage of being a club member is that competition becomes available if a rider has the interest. The club helps and encourages competitive participation.
Does VCC have a training programme to encourage and coach youngsters who are coming into the sport?
While there is no specific training programme, young riders joining the club benefit from the experience and advice that the more experienced riders can share, helping riders develop bike handling skills and road craft.
They share training programmes and have access to trained coaches who can help them to develop their own specific training plans for their own particular goals. The club gets great pleasure in seeing a young rider join the club and go on to develop into a strong and successful rider.
Do we have such a thing as a county championship for riders or is that not part of the season’s programme?
We do not have a county championship as whilst cycling events are run in different regions across the country, riders from anywhere in the country can enter any of them.
Competitive cycling is structured locally, county, nationally depending on the discipline and how far a rider wants to compete. The starting point is local club events to develop the ability level.
If a generous benefactor left a shedload of money to VCC how would you spend it?
If we got a big donation it would be great to put on a local closed road race, with multiple ability category starts. Failing that, to bring back to life the old Cockermouth Road Race which was open road but with official motorcycle escorts and race support vehicles. Unless these things happen massed start racing will be confined to Zwift in the future.
