Charlottesville Bicycle Club

The Charlottesville Bicycle Club is a loosely-organized group of cycling addicts and somewhat saner folks dedicated to riding as often as we can the hills, valleys, and occasionally the mountains of Albemarle and surrounding counties.

The Club is primarily a road cycling group. However, in the colder months (November through February) roughly half the rides are on gravel roads and require a mountain or hybrid bike.

Joining:

Becoming a member is as easy as it gets: just show up (on time) for one of our Saturday or Sunday rides (see the Ride Schedule). If you want to get formal about it, sign up for our email list (below). Club rides are free and open to all. If you ride with us, you of course do so entirely at your own risk.

Requirements For Riders:
All riders are required to have a helmet; a rear-view mirror is recommended. You are also expected to have a road-worthy bicycle in good repair and adequate fluids. Many rides, but not all, will include the opportunity to stop at a store to replenish supplies.

You should if possible be prepared to fix a flat tire and perform other minor repairs. If you are new to cycling and are not comfortable with these procedures, don't let that stop you. However, you might want to talk to a more experienced member before the ride so the group is prepared to help if necessary.

Finally, we expect you to be able to ride at an average speed of at least 13-14 miles per hour over 25-30 miles or more. If you aren't yet at that level, or aren't sure if you are, see the New Rider Information page for suggestions.

Safety On The Road:

The club considers safety to be our very highest priority. Please review the Safety Information before you join us for a ride.

Bike Club Jerseys:

The very professional artwork for the club jersey was done by Mike Powers of Probe, Inc. here in Charlottesville. Most of the jerseys have sold, but we still have some extras in most men's and women's sizes. Contact Bill Lowe (wlowe@ms-systems.com) if you are interested.

Email List:
In addition to the Ride Schedule posted here, we send out an email each week (usually on Friday) detailing the Saturday and Sunday rides, complete with links to their respective maps and cue sheets. Members use the list for other notices and discussions as things come up.