Chelmsford Youth Cycling Club
Instagram - @cyccmtb We encourage parents although it's not necessary. We have members who race and others who ride just for fun.
In 2009, local cyclists supported by Chelmsford Borough Council ran a one off series of weekly off-road cycling sessions leading up to the annual Eastern League Cyclo-cross race held in Springfield. When the course was finished, the children wanted to keep cycling with the group that had developed and so the cycling club began, informally, eventually becoming established as Chelmsford Youth Cyclin
g Club and affiliated to British Cycling, the UK governing body. The club meets every Saturday morning throughout the year, whatever the weather, with rides varying from 3-4 hours including a cake stop at a cafe. Although we cater for a range of abilities these rides are often demanding so we advise a reasonable level of fitness, as we cover around 15 miles of challenging terrain. Our most common riding locations are Writtle and Danbury, although we also cycle further afield at places such as Langdon Hills, Surrey Hills and the Bedgebury Forest among others. Although a youth cycling club, parents are welcome and we have many families who are active members of the club. Parent volunteers at the club include several qualified British Cycling coaches. Anyone taking responsibility for club activities is regularly CRB checked and we have a dedicated Club Welfare officer who leads on Safeguarding. We're interested in all kinds of cycling; although club rides are focused on mountain biking and almost all are off road due to the extensive network of trails available around Essex. The club encourages and offers support to those who want to race. Currently we have members racing up to national level in cross country, downhill and endure, but there are a number of grass root events available for novice riders in the Eastern Region.