About Us

Welcome to Out Velo. We are a community of LGBTQ+ cyclists, friends and allies who ride together through the wilder spaces of Britain and Europe. We were founded in late 2022 by a group of experienced ride captains and keen adventure cyclists. We are affiliated with British Cycling which provides our insurance. Details here.

Out Velo is free, with no membership fee. Everyone involved in Out Velo is a volunteer. Any of our members can propose a ride on Spond if they’ve already ridden with us – just go for it! Email us and ask to become a Ride Captain.

Riding With Us

Our rides are aimed at recreational road cyclists used to riding 60km+, with hills.

Our rides are designed as social adventures and are often in remote areas, so, based on years of experience, we use a “no drop, but split” system. If we have a group with significant differences in pace, or a large group of over 8 riders, the Ride Captain will suggest a split into a faster and slower group, and to regroup at the cafe stop/s. To assist, we expect all members to have the route on their bike computer or phone.

We use two pace groups to help guide these splits, but it’s not an exact science and pace will vary. Paces are based on your average on Strava or a GPS tracker for the whole ride:

Most ‘occasional’ recreational road cyclists more than capable of our ‘Steady Eddie’ pace, so don’t be put off, get in touch if in doubt. If you’re super fit and fast, we’ll buddy you with other strong riders on the day!

We are a traditional road cycling club, so we ask that you ride a road bike, gravel or touring bike, well maintained, and kitted out for maintenance in remote areas. Hybrid, MTBs etc are not suitable for our rides as they cannot keep pace. Many of our friends offer LGBTQ+ social rides suitable for all bike types, so check them out.  

Club Kit

Our amazing kit is from Stolen Goat. It’s available to order couple of times a year, join our Spond to find out more or drop us an email.

Our Friends

We are proud of our friends, the UKs other LGBTQ+ cycling groups. Most of our members are also part of one or more of them. If you’re looking for local rides in your area do take a look. If you want to be added to this list, just drop us an email.

Cycleout London
LDN Riders (London)
Rainbow Riders (Manchester)
Queers on Wheels (London)
OutdoorLads
GOC

Governance

We are led by our Steering Group, a form of non-executive board made up of our most dedicated members and Ride Captains. We are governed by our Constitution. Day to day, our elected Club Officers run the club.

Any member can join the Steering Group, please email us and we’ll add you after you attend the next annual Gathering, which is open to all members and held online. In addition, Ride Captains can join the Steering Group at any time after leading their first ride.

Club Officers, 2024 Season:

David Sharpe – Club Manager

Smudge Smith – Welfare and Inclusion Officer

Douglas Bingham – Treasurer

Steering Group, 2024 Season:

Billy Cooper, David Meek, David Sharpe, David Welham, Douglas Bingham, Joe MacDonald, Mark Pringle, Matthew Howard, Matt Cole, Rob Butchart, Smudge Smith, Stephen Fisher, Tim Lum, Thomas Haywood

Code of Conduct

Members should follow our code of conduct, in person and on our digital platforms.

Members should be:

1. Inclusive and respectful at all times;
2. Self sufficient, including being able to navigate the route themselves, and having the right tools to maintain their bike;
3. Supportive of our volunteers, including Ride Captains and Steering Group. If questioning their decision making, they should do so with respect and in an appropriate way;
4. Supportive of our relationships with other groups and organisations, whilst upholding the reputation of the club at all times;
5. Not seek to profit from the group.

Potential breaches should be reported to us via email for consideration, and will be handled in line with our Constitution.