Group Rides

[Ayseven]

I'll be in England late August, early September. I am nervous about long distance rides alone, since I have never ridden in the UK. My travel partner has cancelled. Can anybody suggest charity rides or group rides for around 100 k - anywhere? I can get to the start by train.
20 -22 km/h average.

Rich
Canada

[rjb]

When you arrive or if you know where you will be, contact a local cycling club and they will generally let you join them for club runs and the like. Most clubs are very welcoming and will accommodate new riders even for a short term.

[iandriver]

Sportive rides are pretty popular in the UK, tend to be expensive for what that are, but if your only visiting briefly, may well be a simple solution. Websites like https://www.sportive.com/sportive-calendar list them.

[mjr]

KLWNBUG will probably be riding that sort of distance from King's Lynn about that time of year, Saturday or more often Sunday, starting a mile from the train station, but destinations are only announced at the end of each month and we're slower, 16-17km/h including regrouping stops. It's definitely not a sportive. We ride as a loose consensus group with no one left behind (not even accidentally for a few years!) but it's no chain gang. If you'd like a ride to the sea side or cliffs or one onto the flat flat fens (mini Saskatchewan?), let me know which and date(s) and I'll make a note to try to persuade people the month before. If not, no worries!

[MrsHJ]

At the weekends look at audax UK for rides (I prefer the BP ones which will be around 100-120km) and tend to be very scenic in different areas of the country. You will need to enter by say a week in advance- check the instructions as I haven’t done one for a while.

https://www.audax.uk/choose-a-ride/calendar-events/

[Ayseven]

That is all excellent news! I will book my trip and call around once I am closer to the dates. Starting in London. Getting to Paddington or wherever, to begin a trip somewhere should be straightforward.
Thanks everyone!
R

[ANTONISH]

+1 for audax-usually inexpensive you can get a turn by turn route sheet and usually there is a GPS route which you can download.

[st599_uk]

Audax UK Rides are usually very good, with local knowledge choosing the routes, tea stops, cake stops etc.

Even with a day membership, it'll be less than £10 for a day out. They aren't races. Just check the distance - they start at 50 km, but go up to 600 km+.

https://www.audax.uk/choose-a-ride/calendar-events/

They get more events in the calendar as the time gets closer.

[mjr]

Audax UK Rides are usually very good, with local knowledge choosing the routes, tea stops, cake stops etc.

Even with a day membership, it'll be less than £10 for a day out. They aren't races.

They also aren't group rides. Groups may form, but more often not. And even if they do, anyone with an eye on getting their sticker will leave you if you have a problem, mechanical, whatever.

The routes vary with the skill of the organiser too. Some are great but others see nothing wrong with putting you on a main road riding into the setting sun for miles.

[Ayseven]

Thanks for that. I don't need babysitting or anything. I go faster than some, slower than others just because I feel like enjoying things. I am not ever racing anybody.

Always up for a brief stop though, as long as it involves eating or sitting somewhere nice (to a point...).