OUCC was founded in 1873, making it potentially the oldest student cycling club in the world. This means 2023 will be our 150th Anniversary, and it’s fair to say we have some exciting offerings planned to mark the occasion!
Our members come from all across the University, including undergrads, postgrads, and staff, whilst members of the public are always welcome. We strive to be as friendly and welcoming a group as possible, providing a community for those who love to ride their bikes in any form.
Though the club naturally sub-divides between road and MTB for day-to-day riding, we always come together for socials and support each other as one big community. With this philosophy of inclusion at the forefront, the club has nearly tripled in size in recent years to >150 members, with a burgeoning MTB setup that is going from strength to strength. We strive in everything we do for social and gender equity in our sport. We are proud of our efforts to be as progressive and boundary pushing as possible, though we recognise that of course we can never rest on our laurels!
Casual
We aim to make cycling as accessible and inviting as possible for those on two (or one or three) wheels, and the club caters just as much for those who desire nothing more than a leisurely sunny spin in the Cotswolds as for those who want to smash around at 45kph on time trial (TT) bikes! We run weekend group rides for all abilities & speeds - where you’re guaranteed to not be left behind, subsidised socials & dinners that are open to all members, and our coach-led training plan is accessible to all riders to help improve their fitness regardless of if it’s your first year on the bike or you’re destined for the World Tour! To facilitate this, we have two Development Captains, a Novice Captain, two Welfare Officers, and three (three!) Social Secs, who make sure everyone feels accommodated and like an integral member of the club.
On top of our regular meetups and socials within Oxford, the club organises exciting trips - including road tours abroad at Easter and in the summer, track visits, weekend trips within the UK, and several MTB trips throughout the year - all of which always promise fun and adventure!
Discounts on cycle equipment and at local bike shops are available to all members, plus membership grants access to club turbo trainers, tools, and the ability to purchase our very snazzy Le Col club kit. We also have club bikes that can be borrowed.
Competitive
The road competitive calendar is focussed around the inter-university BUCS events - the hill climb, TTT, ITTs (10 & 25 mile), and road race. Our season culminates with the famous Varsity races against Cambridge, taking the form of a 25 mile TT on the road and a XC race for MTB.
We offer weekly S&C sessions, racing & training seminars, closed-road coached race skills sessions, and access to race equipment - including power-meters, TT bikes, aero wheels, skinsuits, and TT helmets! Riders compete in a range of races across the calendar, from TTs, to criteriums, road races, XC, downhill, track, gravel, and everything in between! We aim to subside race costs where we can as we know cycling can be an expensive sport!
The club also runs a number of races across the year. This includes a Freshers’ TT, the inter-collegiate Cuppers 10 mile TT, plus our annual Hill Climb and Reliability Ride - entry to these is free for all members. We have two Road Captains and two MTB Captains who are there to help you get the most out of yourself performance-wise.
Cycling is inclusive to all genders and levels of experience, and we welcome enquiries from those with a disability regarding the accessibility of cycling.
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