2024 membership fees are due now!
We feel sure you like the look of Penzance Wheelers, and we’d love to have you as a member. As well as coming along on our rides, trying your hand at racing or just enjoying being part of the team, we’d simply ask you to lend a hand once a year at any club event.
Here’s what you get:
Organised weekly rides.
Access to the Penzance Wheelers Facebook page.
Regular social events.
Access to a dedicated page on our kit supplier’s website, where you can buy club jerseys, jackets, gilets, bibshorts and other clothing.
Annual club dinner with invited speaker from the world of cycling.
Allows you to race in CTT events.
We are affiliated to all the major UK cycling bodies some offer discounted membership to affiliated club members - this also means that our social rides are covered by Cycling UK affiliated club insurance - please check their website for more details Cycling UK insurance information
It costs just £15 per year, and there are several ways to pay:
Via our club page on the British Cycling website: Click here.
By bank transfer: Email us for account details.
If you have any enquiries, click the button below to email our Membership Secretary.
Insurance
We strongly advise you to take out third-party insurance. This will cover you in the event of a range of mishaps on the road. The best way to get yourself insured is through:
GROUP RIDING
Cycling is easy. you just throw your leg over your bike and off you go, don’t you?
Well, no. There are many unwritten rules, techniques and traditions associated with cycling in a group. And for good reason. Like everything else, it’s an art that must be learned.
And the place to do that? A cycling club. That’s why you’ve turned up for the Wheelers ride on a Sunday morning.
You learn proper bunch riding in three ways: by listening to more experienced members,
by watching what happens during the club run, and by practicing. The necessary skills are acquired through many miles of riding in a group.
As a weekly event, the club run is the centre of club activity. It’s a group ride, and taking part obliges you to conform to the group ethic.
Sitting on a wheel: This is where you get the most protection from the wind. Do not allow a gap to open between you and the rider in front of you.
Turns on the front: You are expected to ride through and do your turn at the front. Sitting on at the back will gain you no respect from other riders. Always ride through and help with the pacemaking.
Shouts and signals: We use language and hand signals to ensure the safety of the group. Riders at the front should shout back information to the bunch regarding obstacles and dangers. These include potholes, dangerous surfaces, tight bends, animals, pedestrians, oncoming traffic, and so on. You are responsible for the safety of everyone in the group and not just yourself. Be aware that your actions affect the riders around you. Riders at the back should shout a warning when traffic approaches from the rear. 'Car up' means a car coming from behind, 'car down' means a car coming from in front.
No showboating: When you come through to do a turn at the front, maintain a consistent speed. If you come through too hard and a split forms, that’s crap cycling. Soon the whole group will be spread all over the road and everyone will be pissed off. Leave your ego behind. The opportunity to show everyone how fit you are comes in a race, not on a club run.
On a hill, keep your effort, rather than your speed, consistent.
No half-wheeling: Match your pace to the rider alongside you and do not stick your wheel in front of his/her front wheel. Your hubs should be level. You’re a Penzance Wheeler, not a half-wheeler.
Pace: You are part of a group and must maintain the general pace. Give others a helping hand if they are struggling, and accept one graciously if you’re not feeling so good yourself.
It is the responsibility of every rider to ensure individuals are not dropped. This means slowing at the top of hills so that the group can reform. Check around, look behind, keep your eyes open. If you’re the first to arrive you shouldn’t need to unclip, put your foot to the ground and wait. You just need to ease the pace and soft-pedal until everyone in the group has got back on.
If you have to stop because of mechanical difficulty or any other reason, shout out. The others will then stop to make sure you’re OK and to help you out.
Accept constructive criticism and learn from it. If you feel the need to advise somebody, do so constructively and politely.
Finally, remind yourself that Sunday is when the club is on show. It’s in our interest that we ride skilfully as a group. This is especially important with regard to car drivers. None of us is above improvement no matter how long we’ve been a cyclist.