ABOUT US

Where are we based?

Our members are spread out all across London, and even into Essex. This is unusual, as most cycling clubs are based on people starting rides from their local area. We were founded in East London and still hold lots of our sessions there, but we now have activities across the city. Velociposse is registered in the British Cycling Eastern Region.

We hold training sessions in East London (usually near or in the Lee Valley Velopark) or in South London (at Herne Hill Velodrome). We have road rides that go out of London, alternating from starting points in East and South London, off-road rides in Epping Forest, and we also do relaxed ‘chat laps’ sessions at Regent’s Park. Richmond Park is also popular among members but we don’t have any official club activities there - yet.

riding And Racing

As a small club with members spread out across the city, it has taken us some time to be able to offer regular organised rides, but as of 2021 we can offer several options!

We have a monthly organised club ride going out of London, alternating north/east and south, for those comfortable on a road ride – currently just one ‘no-drop’-paced group, but we hope to be able to offer a pacier / more relaxed group split soon. We have a monthly Regent’s Park intro session (summer only), which is open to all women and non-binary people (not just members) with any kind of cycle to come along and learn the basics of group riding at a relaxed pace. Several members prefer off-road riding and take part in a weekly gravel ride into Epping forest on a weekday evening in the summer. Members also arrange many ad-hoc rides via our club group chat. (If you’re looking for more regular led rides, we recommend checking out Breeze rides, Rapha women’s rides or our friends at Dirty Wknd.)

We take part in amateur (and sometimes not-so-amateur) racing: road races, road crits, track races, fixed crits and time-trials. Some of us do cyclocross, audaxes and ultra-cycling.

Training sessions

Our weekly skills sessions are traffic-free, and designed to improve your bike handling, cornering and coordination. No point going fast without the control! They’re run by some of our club members who are qualified British Cycling coaches. No pressure, lots of fun. These are a great option as a taster session to find out if the club is the right vibe for you.

Covid Update March 2021: We will be re-starting sessions in April! We’re adhering to British Cycling guidance around social distancing and small groups. It’s best to check Instagram for the next available dates and times, pre-booking will still be required. To find out more about how we have adapted our skills sessions, click here to find out more.

Our vibe

It’s chill, fun, friendly and supportive. There’s no pressure to race but lots of encouragement if you’re up for it. We’re welcoming to new joiners and we’ll give you as much advice and info as we can, whatever you want to try. Plus, plenty of shits’n’giggles to be had in our skills sessions (although we’re serious about improving skills, speed and confidence!) Our unique club environment is a welcome change, for our members, from the traditions and rules of what has been a male-dominated sport.

We acknowledge that cycling can be an elitist sport, and we’re doing what we can to change that, and improve representation for minority groups. We have a diversity and inclusion working group who are dedicated to ensuring the club is accessible for women and non-binary people of colour, trans women and non-binary people, and is disability-friendly.

WHERE WE STARTED

Velociposse began as an all-women's track cycling team, founded in 2015 by Jess Hayes and Matt Butt. In 2017 we reformed as a club – open to all women, with more focus on participation and different cycling disciplines. It’s mostly down to Eeva Sarlin that this was possible. We are now completely member-run, with a small committee to make decisions and organise all the stuff we do. We’re always evolving.

What is Femme Brutale?

Femme Brutale was our slogan and featured on our kit up until 2020. It meant different things to different people, but the common thread of women shredding the patriarchy, challenging stereotypes and generally being bad-ass was a draw to the club for many. We no longer use it as our slogan: as our membership grew it became clear that many of us didn’t identify with the term ‘femme’. We still might refer to each other as ‘brutales’, so if you see that and have no idea why, this is the reason!

Huge thanks to…

Cycling Grants London, for a three-year TFL-funded grant from 2017-2020 which helped us hold training sessions and events to encourage women’s cycling. It also allowed us to train some of our members as British Cycling coaches, which has been instrumental in setting the foundations for our unique and supportive club environment. We’re so grateful for this funding.

Milltag, who make our lairy and distinctive kit, and provide excellent design support as we tweak and update the concept each time!

We’ve also received incredible support from Aventon. The generosity of founder J.W. Zhang means it’s been much easier for our riders to take part in track and fixed crit racing. We can’t thank him enough!

Photography: Sam Holden