Cambridge University Cycling Club

We cater for all University members, providing access to all cycling disciplines from beginners to elite athletes.

As well as competing in BUCS races, we regularly organise social and touring rides which allow beginners to improve their fitness and to discover the countryside around Cambridge and beyond.

News about training, races, and results will be posted here. Check out our calendar of upcoming events on 'Training & Events'.

Sign up to the club mailing list here.

Looking back through some more of this summer’s adventures

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Congratulations to all our riders who smashed Everest rides this summer. This involves riding up and down the same hill until you have completed 8,848m of elevation, all in one (challenging) ride. First up was Touring Sec Tim Welsh in Hampshire, completing 108 reps of Liss Climb (for a total distance of 355 km), at the start of May. The next week saw Tom Hale in Gloucestershire complete 58 reps of Stanway Hill for a total of 324 km. Then in August Patrick Elwood took on the challenge in Hertfordshire, completing 158 reps of Robins Nest Hill (total 379 km). All incredible efforts, getting about as much elevation in one day as they would in a month's worth of riding in Cambridge!

Special mention also has to go to alum Emma Pooley, who after her effort in Switzerland holds the world record for the Everesting women’s record. A few weeks later she also completed a second Everesting ride, this time on gravel!

Patrick Elwood

Tom Hale

Tim Welsh

Summer women’s round up

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This summer has been a very strange one. At the beginning of lockdown we were wondering whether we’d be following the likes of Spain and Italy and not being allowed to exercise outdoors. There would have been a lot of Zwifting and nothing very interesting to write in this article but luckily that didn’t happen! During the ‘exercise once a day’ period of lockdown people were cautious and didn’t venture far from home. But since the restrictions have eased, the CUCC women have been doing lots of cycling related adventures and even some racing. Read on to find out what they’ve been up to.

Lucy Harris tackling some tough climbs in the Alps

Lucy Havard on her huge tour of East Anglia

Emma enjoying a proper English summer on the Suffolk Coast

Lucy Harris has been adventuring in the Alps and tackling some seriously tough climbs, including the infamous Mount Ventoux. Lucy Havard has also had some pretty epic days in the saddle, including a one day 325 km tour of East Anglia. As well as doing vast amounts of swimming, running and some rowing Emma Andrews has also been doing lots of exploring on her bike and finding some beautiful beaches, villages and café stops in the Suffolk countryside.

Lucy Havard smashed it on her first 25m TT

Elspeth speeding along on her way to a 10m TT PB

Anne-Marie also PBing at her local 10m TT

Once TTs started up again Elspeth Grace, Lucy Havard, Anne-Marie Bowring and Ffion James were quick to get going. Lucy did her first ever 25m TT in an impressive 1:05:24, which put her in 4th place. Elspeth has also been putting in a huge amount of miles with several 100+ mile days, including a DIY audax which involved lots of climbing in 5 counties (Herts, Beds, Bucks, Cambs, Essex) and some seriously quick 10m TTs with 23:31 being her PB for this summer. Ffion, who has just graduated, is starting to prepare for the racing season again (and keeping fingers crossed that it will go ahead). She’s aiming to retain her national cyclocross series title and race internationally in Belgium, all with her eyes set on the 2022 Commonwealth games!

We’re looking forward to welcoming new women into the club in October – please get in touch with women’s captain Anne-Marie Bowring (amib3@cam.ac.uk) if you’ve got any questions.

Ffion’s eager for the XC season to start so she can get back to more of this!

Extraordinary Full Blue awarded to Ffion James

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Congratulations to Ffion James (Girton) who has been awarded an extraordinary Full Blue for her magnificent racing efforts whilst at Cambridge. 

Alongside her degree in Natural Sciences, whilst at Cambridge Ffion has represented Great Britain multiple times in cyclocross, including at prestigious World Cup events and the European Championships. In the 2019/20 season, Ffion’s most impressive results included winning the elite National Trophy series in cyclocross, as well as finishing 2nd in the U-23 category at the UK National Cross Country Championships, directly behind a multiple world champion. 

Whilst representing Cambridge, Ffion won MTB Varsity 2018 (by quite some margin) and led Girton to a huge win at 2019 Cuppers. She was also part of the team that took a magnificent bronze at the 2018 BUCS Team Time Trial championships, and placed 7th at the BUCS 10 Mile championships in 2019 (on a borrowed bike quite a few sizes too big!). 

Throughout her time in CUCC, Ffion has also given back a huge amount in her role on the committee, inspiring newcomers to race as the Women’s Captain in 2018/19 and being one half of the fantastic Social Secretary team in 2019/20.

Alas, this recognition of Ffion’s achievements in representing CUCC has come at the very end of her studies, but the club looks forward to following her undoubted success in all the years to come. 

Chapeau Ffion!