How To Set Up A Cycling Club

By Andrew on February 3, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

By Sam Whalley

Are you a keen cyclist looking to set up a cycling club? Whether you’re wanting to increase your fitness or make new friends, a club could be the perfect solution. Joining a new club can be daunting and people often let their nerves prevent them from giving it a go. Running a dedicated trial session is a good way to encourage potential members to give it a try. This could include a shorter or easier route, allowing people the opportunity to see if they enjoy cycling in a social setting without having to dedicate a lot of time or effort.

It also gives you the chance to see if you enjoy the responsibility of running the club. If you do, here are some tips on how to get your club up and running:

Research insurance and admin

Setting up an official club comes with responsibilities, and it is important not to overlook these.

You will first need to establish the type of group you are going to set up, a few examples include: a single Dads cycling group, a mountain biking group, or a social cycling group.

Once you have decided this you should research sports club insurance to determine what you need and the cost implications.

As well as insurance, there will also be other associated admin with being club chair, for example, storing members’ details and potentially managing associated payments such as membership fees or equipment rental.

If this seems like too much admin or responsibility, you may be better off joining an existing cycling group.

Select and trial some routes

Now that you have completed the necessary admin, it is time to start planning your routes. If you are an experienced cyclist, then it is likely that you already have several routes in mind. Make sure to do a test run of these routes before taking your cycling group on them.

It is worth noting that you may have people of ranging abilities wanting to join your club. If this is something you are comfortable with, then you will need to have a variety of routes to suit different abilities and fitness levels.

If you receive lots of interest then it may be that you run different sessions based on the capabilities of people within the group.

Advertise

It may be that you have already generated interest from friends and family, but advertising your club is an effective way to recruit new members.

Using a mixture of digital and physical marketing will help generate the most interest.

Post about your club on social media including pictures from rides you have been on to attract people’s attention. Once the club is up and running, there will be plenty of scope for more content.

Distribute some flyers locally too, detailing when the rides are and any entry requirements. Consider where potential members are likely to be to make sure the marketing material reaches your target audience. For example, it could be good to request permission to advertise in a local gym.

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