About us
Our Club
The Club was born in 2005, when local cyclists Stewart Forbes and Keith Russell decided they enjoyed riding together and formed Horsham Cycling. Since then we have grown to be one of the largest clubs in southern England, with over 250 members. (See Club history)
We are member-led, relying entirely on our volunteers to lead rides, arrange activities and help at events, with an elected committee to do the behind-the-scenes work.
We are affiliated to British Cycling, Cycling UK and a number of race organisations and follow their codes of practice.
Our in-house magazine Chainline includes articles by members on anything to do with cycling.
The Club's charity of the year 2023-24 is Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex, to which we donate on behalf of our members.
Our rides
Our Sunday morning group road rides are at the heart of the Club, offering 8 speed groups from Social to Sporting, and occasional offroad/gravel rides. We also run shorter Saturday morning rides with 4 groups. This allows us to offer a group for most levels of rider - we're not just for the whippets.
Each group is led by an experienced leader. We have a no-drop policy, meaning no rider will ever be left behind. Group size is limited to 10 riders.
Most rides include a roadside 'banana break'. Members often meet afterwards at a local café to exaggerate the day's exploits.
We arrange several social events and trips away during the year, allowing us to combine cycling with 'team bonding'!
Please note: the Club does not provide insurance cover for its members. We strongly recommend members take out at least 3rd-party liability cover. See our guide to insurance.
Our members
We welcome riders of all ages, although those under 18 need parent/guardian permission (more details).
The only criteria for joining our rides are the ability to keep up with at least our slowest group (see ride criteria); the confidence to ride in a group safely and considerately; and of course a serviceable bike.
We ask all members to abide by our Club rules and policies.
We use the Spond app to organise rides and communicate with members. More details will be given on joining.
As everyone knows, Club kit makes you go faster. We encourage all members to fly the flag by wearing our quality clothing, which is subsidised by the Club. Click here to view the range.
Racing
The Club runs a full calendar of time trials over the summer on local courses. Our Club events are open to all members, plus guests from local clubs. Most races are Club oriented, but we also organise open events which attract strong fields. Our various affiliations also allow members to participate in a wide range of races run by other clubs.
For road racing we are affiliated to the Surrey Cycle Racing League. This allows members to race in any Surrey League race. As part of this affiliation Horsham Cycling organises and hosts two events on behalf of the Surrey League.
Our hotly-contested Hill Climb competition is held in the autumn.
We award a number of trophies for Club racing (list here).
In winter we organise virtual races on the Zwift platform, competing with other teams worldwide.