At Dulwich Paragon, we want to make sure everyone gets the chance to ride, to train, and to meet new members. This is a selection of the rides that happen each week.
We send out a “Rides Roundup” email to members every Friday morning, listing the routes for the weekly rides, details of one-off excursions, social events, and recognising club members’ racing triumphs.
Saturday Club Run
The backbone of our weekly riding schedule, meeting on Saturday mornings at our spiritual home of Herne Hill Velodrome. We go at all paces from racy to steady, the fastest groups going off first.
The usual route is 56km to the top of the North Downs and back, with a climb or two along the way, finishing in Crystal Palace for coffee and cake. View the route here.
Off-road Club Run
Leaves at the same time as the roadies, but heads for the trails for some skills practice before returning to Crystal Palace for refreshments.
Sunday Club Run
A chance for club members to get some proper miles in over the weekend. Rides will usually meet at Cadence Performance Centre in Crystal Palace, lasting 100km and covering a different route each week. The routes are posted in the weekly Rides Roundup email as a GPX so you can add them to your device.
We usually have 2 or 3 groups, from steady (20-22kph) through to fast (26-28kph)
Wednesday Chaingang
Our regular midweek evening training ride, giving riders opportunity to practice race skills and get used to the pace of road racing. We ride through-and-off to keep the pace high – see this video for an explanation.
It leaves from Elmer’s End throughout the racing season and follows this route (in summer) or this route (while the evenings are still dark).
The fast group gets a bit Darwinian and you might get dropped – but fear not! We also have intermediate and steady groups too, organised via the club forum or on a WhatsApp group.
Off-road Chaingang
Sometimes Tuesday evenings, sometimes Wednesday – also leaves Elmer’s End before leaving tarmac behind. Usually organised via the members’ Cyclo-cross / MTB WhatsApp group.
Wednesday Women’s Regents chaingang
A women-only alternative to the above, featuring women-only post-work laps of Regents Park. Usually runs through summer.
DPNC
An informal, casual, and traditional ride, usually meeting at Cafe St Germain on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and leaving earlier than the normal club runs.
You can test a member’s knowledge of club history by asking them what “DPNC” stands for.