About York Wednesday Wheelers
York Wednesday Wheelers is a “Member Group” of Cycling UK (formerly known as CTC). That means it is a local group of Cycling UK members, with our activities being funded by a grant from Cycling UK. All full members of York Wednesday Wheelers must therefore be members of Cycling UK. Once you are a member of Cycling UK, there is no additional fee to join York Wednesday Wheelers.
If you are not a member of Cycling UK, however, you are very welcome to take part in up to three trial rides. If you wish to continue riding with us after three trial rides you must join Cycling UK. Other benefits of Cycling UK membership include third-party liability insurance and a bi-monthly magazine, access to legal representation, and discounts at some retailers.
Before your first ride
If you are considering riding with York Wednesday Wheelers, please see the page Riding With Us. Before your first ride, please register your contact details, even if you’re unsure whether or not you will formally join the club. This is essential for insurance purposes. You will also get occasional emails from us about rides and other York Wednesday Wheeler activities. See our statement on data privacy for more details. You can unsubscribe at any time.
What are our rides like?
Runs generally consist of two or three legs (of between 60 and 90 minutes each) interspersed with stops for elevenses and lunch, during the longer days of summer there is generally an extra afternoon stop. If you have a sweet tooth that means three guilt-free cakes! Cafe/pub stops are published in the Rides Calendar.
Up to five rides set off from Exhibition Square each Wednesday: Ride 1 leaders will aim to achieve an average speed of 13 to 15 mph, Ride 1A an average between 12 and 14 mph, Ride 2 and Ride 3, an average of about 12 mph, and Ride 4 an average of between 10 and 12 mph. Routes vary in length. In the summer we travel a total of anything from 50 to 100 miles, in the winter when the days are shorter 40 to 70 miles. As you might guess from the average speeds, Rides 1 and 1A usually cover the greatest distance, Ride 4 the least and Rides 2 and 3 somewhere in between. See the Rides Calendar for details of specific rides.
You can vary the length of the ride by making your own way to the designated elevenses or lunch stops. You can depart at any point and make your own way home. When you are about to leave the ride, please try to inform the leader directly, or by passing a message up the peloton, see Riding with us.
After looking at our runs list, you may still think the distances are too great, don’t worry! You’ll be amazed how quickly your fitness improves with regular participation – as long as you don’t try to do too much too soon.
You will generally be riding in a group of between 10 and 20 riders – you will be surprised to hear that more people turn up when the sun is shining!
Please consult the Riding with us page for advice about how to make every ride is as enjoyable and as safe as possible for all.
York Wednesday Wheelers 