Joining a cycle club - the guide for beginners and amateurs

Sportives aren't all about hard cycles, it's a great excuse to get a crowd together who fancy a challenge, perhaps even in fancy dress! The benefits of cycling with a club are well known and even when you aren't up for a tea room ride, they'll be plenty of 'friends' dragging you out of bed on a Sunday to remind you why you cycle. It's serious, honest.

Take your daily commute to a new level by getting into Sportives and meeting new people. Get involved in led rides where all you need to do is turn up. The only thing will be to get

So is anything critical other than a bike and some kit?

• Book an event to attend where you can point all your mates to the necessary comms
• Know the start and finish locations and checkout whether there will be some good food and drink or you might need to book your party into a local pub
• Start a kitty - everyone puts in £20 and someone nominated runs the pot to avoid squabbling over bills, etc
• Discover some scenery you didn't even know about
• Get involved with other riders, they might have done the event before or have some local knowledge that might benefit either prepping for a big hill, or the best vantage point for a view or a post-race beer
• The planned events might have options for shorter rides if it all feels like too much cycling and not enough time with your friends and family joining in
• Events are usually timed, so you can use it as a warm up or training for a more competitive forthcoming race
• Don't forget your medals for taking part and check those goody bags for anything worth while
• Book your next one, get more people involved and search for a few in a new area
• Get yourself some cycle insurance beforehand