Cyclo-cross & Gravel

Whilst London Dynamo has always been primarily a road cycling club, a number of our members also venture off-road. There are plenty of members who go on weekly, longer gravel rides, as well as sightly shorter, more technically focused cyclo-cross rides and participate in competitive CX racing.

Cyclocross RAcing

Although cyclo-cross can seem a hard sell, what with the mud, the constant high tempo and the getting off and running with your bike, it is a perhaps surprisingly friendly and inclusive form of bike racing:

You will never get dropped or lost as you are all going round a circular course.
Unless you are in the top three no one really knows what position you are as everyone gets spread out over the whole course.
The races are short: A max effort of around 45-60 minutes for both men and women depending on age. Whether you do 6 laps or 2 is up to you.
No one bats an eyelid if you decide to get off your bike and walk, most people will at some point during a race in order to get up a steep climb or down a very muddy section, or up some steps or over some barriers.

Although the majority of cyclo-cross racing happens during the winter months, there are also a number of summer cross races.

Cyclocross Leagues

There are several leagues around the country, however the ones closest to London.

The experience and ability in these races vary considerably so why not come along and give cyclo-cross a go at a league race? There is no need to do every race, you can dip in and out as you see fit.

For a slightly more challenging course and a higher tempo, there are Regional Championships, the National Championships, and the National Trophy League.

Gravel

London Dynamo members frequently ride gravel routes. Check out our club Gravel Route Book for details on our regular gravel rides.

We would love to see more Dynamos having fun on their bikes off road. If you are interested in gravel rides or CX racing do not hesitate to get in touch.

London Dynamo is a British Cycling affiliated cycling club.