Club News | July 2026

Published 12 July 2026 · London Dynamo members’ newsletter

As I write this, I have just returned from France after taking on the Marmotte Granfondo Alpes. Widely regarded as one of Europe’s toughest one-day cycling challenges, the event serves up 174km of riding and more than 5,000 metres of climbing across some of the sport’s most legendary roads: the Col de la Croix de Fer, the Télégraphe, the Galibier and, as if that wasn’t enough, a final ascent of Alpe d’Huez. This year’s edition coincided with one of the hottest days France has experienced in recent years and, while I was pleased to make it to the finish, the combination of soaring temperatures, heat exhaustion and cramp made for a very long day in the saddle (and even, dare I say it, a few kilometres on foot!). Chapeau indeed to everyone who takes on this challenge, and especially those who somehow manage to enjoy it.

The timing felt particularly fitting with the Tour de France now underway. With the Giro consigned to the history books for another year, cycling’s attention has shifted firmly to France and the greatest race of them all. Whether you’re following the battle for yellow, admiring the mountain scenery or simply marvelling at the speeds the professionals manage to sustain uphill, July remains the sport’s showpiece month. Better still, for those without subscriptions to the specialist cycling channels, Channel 5 is broadcasting free-to-air highlights this year, making it easier than ever to follow the action.

Closer to home, it has been another busy month for London Dynamo. I’d also like to thank members for their understanding and support regarding the changes we made to this year’s Brighton ride. Your flexibility, patience and good humour made all the difference and served as another reminder of what makes this Club so special. As always, there’s plenty more to look forward to in the pages ahead.

In this issue, we have some more dates for your diaries and provide the latest report on our race team. We also have a reminder about some forthcoming “LD Goes” rides and we learn more about Madeline Walsh’s amazing plans to ride every stage of the Tour de France Femmes at the end of this month.

Ride on and ride safely,
Andy Taylor, Chair

Summer BBQ - Last Call!

What you get:

• x2 BBQ items
• x2 side dishes
• x1 drink

Tickets were £25 per person. Details were posted on the Forum.

One Island, One Ferry, One Brilliant Day Out

London Dynamo Isle of Wight Day Trip - Sunday 16th August 2026

Join us for one of the club’s favourite annual adventures as we return to the Isle of Wight for our sixth consecutive year.

This classic day trip combines everything that makes for a memorable ride: around 65 miles of spectacular coastal scenery, rolling countryside, punchy climbs, quiet lanes and plenty of opportunities to stop for coffee and cake along the way.

Our journey begins with an early drive down to Portsmouth, followed by a short ferry crossing before we set off to complete a full circumnavigation of the island. With sea views never far away and a fantastic atmosphere throughout the day, it’s a great opportunity to experience one of the UK’s most iconic cycling routes alongside your fellow club members.

The 2026 edition takes place on Sunday 16th August, and we’d love to see as many Dynamos there as possible. Further details and sign-up were available to members on the Forum.

Race Team Report

By Jim Northway

This month, I am jumping straight into London Nocturne.

Back after eight years, the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange served as an excellent backdrop to this fast-paced, technical race along a 1.3km course.

It showcased our Dynamos in the best light and we had excellent representation in both the men’s and women’s support races, watched by large and enthusiastic crowds.

Katy Hill totally animated the women’s support race. She constantly launched off the front with her excellent bike handling and it took concerted efforts from the peloton to bring her back, with the race ending in a sprint and Katy finishing third on the podium.

The men’s support race included five Dynamos, among whom featured Ben Heap and Alex Mutter.

It looked as if a solo attack from Taap Kalas was going to steal the win, but Ben had other ideas, and with a huge effort he managed to join the leader.

Alex was also prominent at the front of the chasing pack, deterring attacks and always among the top three or four riders.

Ben just lost out on the line to take second, but behind him came Alex in the bunch sprint to come in fourth place. Chapeau to both.

But it didn’t stop there for either of them. They decided to race again, this time in the elite men’s criterium race!

Ben was right up there and prominent for the first few laps before an unfortunate tangle with a Tekkerz Racing Team rider saw them both crash out. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries.

Meanwhile, Alex doggedly stuck to his task and came in with the main group. An excellent evening of racing by those two guys.

Masters Racing

Elsewhere, our masters continue to defy the ageing process with a string of results. So many, in fact, here is a brief summary:

• Ken Knight secured two wins, two second places and a string of other placings this month. His two wins came in the veteran over-60s Surrey League Circuit Race
• Duncan Edwards grabbed a win, a second and a fourth place at various circuits
• Nicola de Giromalo continues to improve following early season illness and will soon land a big win

More Results

Having previously snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last season, Davide Richardson had his first-ever win in the West Thames League Cat 3 race, with William Baker placing third in the same race.

Piers Cox was coming along well, including a second place in the West Thames League Cat 4 race, and was just shy of reaching Cat 3 before suffering a crash. Speedy recovery, Piers!

Despite daddy duties, Rodrigo Mattiuz has retained his Cat 2 licence.

Elsewhere, Anna Wignall was the best Cat 4 in the Women’s 2/3/4 in a Lee Valley VeloPark crit race, and at the same time, gained her Cat 3 licence with typical grit and determination.

Capping off this round-up in style, it’s hats off to Alexandra Hamilton! She came second in the women’s masters national road race, just half a wheel from a gold medal. Boom!

London Dynamo x Jakroo

We are pleased to announce that our Jakroo club kit is NOW LIVE!

It’s been a longer road than expected while we worked through the details, but we’ve now officially opened with our summer kit collection.

Below we cover how you get your new club kit, plus our top tips when purchasing.

Buying Jakroo includes a size fit guarantee, crash replacement, one year warranty and they also have excellent customer services and live chat support.

You’ll also notice our new kit looks sharper. It’s the same designs, but subtly refined with improved brand colour accuracy, better scaling across sizes, and tweaks to suit the new garments.

You can order via two different options: On Demand or Batch Orders. These are different online stores and precise delivery times for both options are shown when ordering.

We also have Dynamo discount prices for the kit. Members access these using a promo code at the point of checkout, which is shared with members on the Forum. Delivery costs vary depending on size of order but expect around £15.

We opened the store with our first Batch Order window which is now closed and we have now switched to the On Demand store. (We’ve discovered that they can’t be live at the same time.)

1. On Demand: what you want, when you want it

Everything is made to order and delivered straight to your door in around two weeks. At peak times in the Jakroo factory delivery this could be three weeks. Members get 35% off Jakroo RRP using the Dynamo promo code.

2. Batch Orders: open periodically

Periodically there’s also the Batch Order window option. You wait longer for your kit but save an extra 10%, with 45% off Jakroo RRP using the Dynamo promo code. The orders are sent in bulk to the factory and delivered directly to you following the on demand timeline, usually 4-5 weeks. Batch orders are expected to be quarterly at first while we adjust to the new system.

Kit sizing

Sizing is smarter with Jakroo’s AI fit tool which gives you a size recommendation. Do this before you buy. It’s guaranteed, and if it’s not right, they’ll replace it.

Every item is customisable with a choice of body fits, sleeve and leg lengths, and even more options like adding reflective features.

There are no refunds or returns if you order without using the tool. This is because all items are customised to your choices and made one-off just for you.

Top tips

• Use the promo code! Prices are shown at full RRP, so apply the code (all CAPS) at checkout to receive the discounted Dynamo prices.
• Allow about 15 minutes for the sizing AI tool; it can be unfamiliar the first time. When prompted you need to use your phone camera and a common web browser like Safari or Chrome.
• View prices in GBP £ by changing the flag icon to the Union Jack.
• Prices are shown without VAT until you check out.
• Standard delivery is about £15 and this increases for larger parcels with more items.
• On Demand and Batch Order are different webpages, with different passwords and discount codes.

More information

Our winter kit collection will be added in the coming months and we are gathering your FAQs to add to the forum and website. You can read about the reasons we’ve chosen a new supplier, and an in-depth article about the benefits of our new partnership, in the Forum announcements.

Summing up the Jakroo kit

This has been a huge project and I give special thanks for the support and effort from Jed Harrison, for our excellent kit design, and Andy our Chairman.

We look forward to the new kit appearing on rides and gathering your feedback to help improve our club kit even more.

Happy riding in our new kit! There’s now no excuse to not ride in Club kit on our rides!

Kerry, your Kit Captain

LD Goes Again

We are halfway through this year’s “LD Goes” series of rides, with two more still to come.

This new series builds on last year’s escape to Cambridge, where we embarked on a one-way ride out from London for lunch before heading back by train.

We kicked off May with the popular “LD Goes to Cambridge”, with three groups ranging in speed right across the club, and headed through Epping Forest then into the countryside.

That was followed by “LD Goes to Oxford” in a smaller group that headed up the Thames Valley to Henley before going north up to Oxford.

Now we have two more rides for members to come and experience:

LD Goes to St Leonard’s (1st August 2026)

We head south via Kent, and through the High Weald National Landscape, before dropping down to the Sussex Coast.

• Distance: 128.4km
• Elevation: 1,531m
• Lunch stop: Goat Ledge, St Leonard’s
• Return train: London Bridge or London Victoria

LD Goes to Constable Country (29th August 2026)

This time we head in the other direction, taking in the picturesque border area of Essex and Suffolk, made famous by landscape painter John Constable.

• Distance: 136.9km
• Elevation: 846m
• Lunch stop: Constable Park Café, Grantham
• Return train: Manningtree to Liverpool Street

Sign-up sheets for both rides were available to members, along with a dedicated WhatsApp group chat for any questions.

Madeline’s Grand Depart

What is your background and how did you get into cycling?

I grew up in Cambridge, so cycling has always been a big part of my life. I cycled everywhere: to school, to the youth club, to my Saturday jobs, everywhere.

I went to the University of Sussex near Brighton and continued cycling there. My favourite bike back then was a beach cruiser!

Once I had my kids, I started taking them to school in an Urban Arrow cargo bike. I started road cycling in 2020 when lockdown gave me a bit more time.

Now I also do triathlons, up to the 70.3 (half Ironman) distance, plus mountain biking and gravel riding.

What made you want to join London Dynamo?

After three years in Dubai, I moved back to London last autumn and was really keen to join a cycling club that offered a good fit for me.

I was looking for a club that was modern and female-friendly, that combines a focus on performance with an inclusive approach to different types of riding, such as gravel, weekday rides, and rides further afield.

I fit into many categories as a cyclist, depending on what type of riding I want to do, or races I want to take part in, so a club that has breadth was really important to me.

Talk us through the challenge. You’re taking on every stage of TdFF avec Zwift, so how are you preparing for it?

I am riding it as part of a group of 20 female amateur cyclists, each raising £10,000 for Cure Leukaemia.

Every penny we raise will fund clinical trial access and life-saving treatment for children fighting blood cancer.

I have been training for triathlons since 2023, but in anticipation of this challenge, I’ve been focusing on cycling for the past year. I am riding around 12 hours per week, indoors and outdoors, plus strength training for two hours with a personal trainer.

Proper strength training is new to me, but I can really feel the difference in my riding!

What are you learning about yourself as you take this on?

I am learning a lot about what motivates me over a long period of training.

Before now, whilst my overall long-term goal was to become a better cyclist, runner, or swimmer, my goals were fairly short-term. I would have a couple of months, or perhaps just a few weeks between races, so it was easier to stay focused on each immediate goal. At the end of each race, I would have a new accomplishment, whether that was a better time or just a great new experience.

However, training for this challenge has been completely different. There is no fanfare when I am getting on the turbo trainer for yet another three-hour ride whilst watching GCN videos! So constantly reminding myself of the bigger goal has been fundamental to me staying motivated.

You say that this cause is deeply personal to you. Could you tell us a little more about your story?

My mum had leukaemia when I was born and she spent the first couple of years of my life in and out of hospital.

She survived, thanks to the chemotherapy treatment that she received, despite low odds. My mum and I are incredibly close, as she raised me and my brother as a single parent, and I know that my life would have turned out very differently had she not survived.

When I found out that I could raise money to help children fighting leukaemia, I did not hesitate to sign up for the challenge. I am so pleased that I can do this for them.

Many fantastic people have already sponsored me, so we are getting closer to the £10,000 goal. But if anyone is able to donate, even just a small amount, I would be incredibly grateful! Madeline’s JustGiving page was shared with members in the newsletter.

Tech Talk: Is it time to retire those favourite bib shorts?

There is, however, one particularly important test that every group rider should know: if you can identify more of the anatomy of the rider in front than you’d ever intended to during a chaingang, it’s probably time for some retail therapy. When your rear panel is providing more ventilation than compression, your faithful bibs have officially earned their retirement. Your club mates will thank you.

A little TLC goes a long way too: wash shorts cool, skip the tumble dryer and avoid fabric softener. Treat your bibs well and they’ll continue protecting both your comfort and everyone else’s eyesight for years to come.

More information can be found in this Cycling Weekly article.