Group Skills: Your Introduction to Club Riding

Thinking of joining Islington Cycling Club?
Our Group Skills sessions are your starting point — designed for cyclists who want to experience club riding in a supportive, no-pressure environment.

These regular sessions introduce the key skills and group riding techniques that underpin everything we do at ICC. They’re open to confident cyclists— and they’re a required step before applying for membership. 

Why Group Skills?

We believe that group riding should be enjoyable, safe, and welcoming for everyone. Completing a Group Skills session helps ensure all new riders are familiar with our club’s riding etiquette, group communication, basic group formations and safety protocols.

What to Expect

Each session is led by experienced club members who volunteer their time to help you get started. You’ll ride with other prospective members and learn the essentials of riding safely and efficiently in a group.

During the session, we’ll cover:

  • Group formations

  • Communication and signals

  • Rotating on the front

  • Pacing and supporting other riders

Sessions usually last around 2 hours (including coffee and chat at the end), and the level of instruction is adapted to suit the group. Please note – even if you’re an experienced club rider, you’ll still need to attend a session before applying for membership.

Meeting point:
Regent’s Park Inner Circle – the large golden gates opposite York Bridge.

What you need before you ride

Fitness and Experience

Group Skills sessions aren’t suitable for complete beginners. Before attending, you should:

  • Be comfortable riding in London traffic

  • Have experience riding your bike regularly

  • Be able to complete a 50 km ride at an average speed of 20 km/h on the flat, including some hills and with only short breaks

If you're still building up to that distance or pace, we recommend getting a few solo rides under your belt first. 

Your Bike

Most members ride road bikes on club rides. You're welcome to join on other types (excluding TT bikes), but you must be able to maintain the group pace.

Please ensure your bike is:

  • In good mechanical order (consider a service if it’s been a while)

  • Equipped with basic spares (spare tubes, pump, tyre levers)

  • Familiar to you — try a few practice rides beforehand if you’ve got a new bike.

You should also be able to fix a puncture on your own — while help is often available, being self-sufficient is part of the club culture.

Read our Group Riding Guide before your session

How to Sign Up

  1. Register for our online community if you haven’t already.

  2. Sign up for a Group Skills session – upcoming dates are posted regularly.

  3. Complete the ride to qualify for club membership.

Under-18 Riders

Young people aged 16–17 are welcome to join ICC and take part in our regular club rides, but they must first attend a Group Skills session.

Before attending, under-18 riders must:

  • Identify themselves when signing up

  • Be accompanied by a parent/guardian or bring a signed consent form with emergency contact details

  • Ensure their parent/guardian is contactable during the session

Download the consent form
Read our Youth Guide for full details

For further information, contact our Youth Programme Coordinator: youth@islington.cc

Ready to ride with us?
Register for the online community and sign up for a Group Skills session