The club organises rides for its members on most Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year, with well-led routes designed for riders of all abilities.
Please ensure your bike is roadworthy, you have the clothing appropriate for the expected weather conditions, a tool bag including a spare inner tube and wearing a helmet is mandatory as is a rear red light, and between the clock changes in the Autumn and Spring, you will need to have mudguards on the bike if it is raining, forecast to rain, or the roads are wet. (This is for the benefit of the other riders).
Coming on a Banbury Star club ride will require you to follow current terms and conditions, and to have registered to ride. Non members will be able to join two taster rides prior to becoming a member. You will be expected to arrive at the departure point 15 minutes prior to the ride start time.
Saturday Rides
Saturday has two rides which both meet at The People’s Park at 09.45 to leave at 10.00am. The route and coffee stop is published on the Monday before the ride weekend. Watch the Calendar for the event details under Club Rides category.
Gentle Café Ride [GCR] a route of between 25-30 miles at an average speed of 12-14mph and with a mid-point stop for coffee and cake. This is suitable for riders new to road/group cycling or who want a more social ride. We don’t climb any major hills to avoid people being dropped. This ride is split into sub groups of similar pace and ability.
Intermediate ride [Inter] a longer route of approximately 35 miles at an average speed of 15-16mph, again stopping for coffee and cake. The second part of the ride is longer than the GCR ride. This ride is split into sub groups again of similar pace and ability.
Sunday Rides
Sunday has an intermediate ride which meets at The People’s Park at 09.45 to leave at 10.00am
Intermediate ride [Inter] a longer route of approximately 35 miles at an average speed of 15-16mph, stopping for coffee and cake.
Sunday also has a Training Ride which meets at The Sainsbury’s Local on Warwick Road (B4100) on the outskirts of Banbury that is a Zone 2 ride, covering a distance of around 65 to 75 miles with no planned coffee stop. This is listed under Training Rides on the Calendar
Calendar
Please have a look at the Calendar and search Club Rides and Training Rides to see what rides are planned.
For each ride’s event you will see the event information; Time, Start Location and a ‘Download the Route’ link.
If you are interested, you can Register to Ride
Riding with the Club
The thought of joining a club ride for the first time may seem daunting, especially if your rides have previously been solo efforts, but we’ve all been in that situation before and are here to help. Riding as part of a group is more sociable and rewarding and can also help achieve a higher level of fitness but there are some “rules” that you should be aware of beforehand. The club has put together a booklet setting out our expectation for rider behaviour and etiquette whilst taking part on a club ride as part of a group. It’s essential for all members to understand what is expected of them and to use this to ensure the safety of the group remains paramount.
British Cycling have an excellent guide to group riding which can be viewed here.
