Stonewall, a charity dedicated to justice, freedom and opportunity for the LGBTQ+ collective a report in 2018 with rough statistics including: “Half of LGBT people (52 per cent) suffered from depression in the last year (2017)” and Sport England published a report on Community participation in sports and exercise in 2016highlighting challenges and inequalities for the collective.
But we are working to change that narrative.
The community support that used to be offered in the “scene” of our big cities is now mainly found in LGBTQ+ sports and social clubs and we believe there will always be a place for it to create a space where people be able to connect with each other in a non-sexualized context beyond the apps and bars.
The conversations at our events also differ noticeably from those in a classic cycling club.
People talk about their relationships, work, and other aspects of life in an open and inclusive environment, sharing what is not often sharedWe speak openly about mental health and difficult life choices.
This has become part of our culture at Out Velo but has always been present in our community.
Of course we also talk about cycling, but we focus more on the adventures we plan next than gear, performance or pace.
This creates an environment that is particularly welcoming to women, trans and non-binary cyclists.
Why Out Velo?
As a team we founded Out Velo in 2022 after knowing each other for over 10 years as part of various organizations including OutdoorLads, Pride Out, Gay Outdoor Club and Cycle Out. We are led by a steering group of eight people, all used to having successful adventures in our wild lands.
The UK has never had a dedicated LGBTQ+ road cycling club outside of London – something our community has been talking about for years!
With the growth of cycling as a sport, the availability of free and easy club management apps like Spond and Heylo, and the success of new clubs like the amazing LDN Riders, we knew the time had finally come to launch.
Personally, Out Velo gives me a great way to enjoy cycling adventures with friends which is on my bucket list as I’ve done some amazing trips including the French Alps, the Dolomites and the Stelvio Pass, the Scottish climb of the Bealach na Ba and our regular pilgrimages to the Yorkshire Dales .
This has become a really important part of my life and the mental and physical health benefits have been incredible, plus I’ve developed a great network of friends across the UK and abroad.
It was really great in so many ways!
Geographic Inclusiveness
In LGBTQ+ cycling, our historic challenge was centered solely on London.
This is true even though other LGBTQ+ sports have a national network of independent but uniformly branded clubs, such as Frontrunners in running.
We hope that over time Out Velo can act as a bridge and informal network, helping others to grow and start independent local clubs in all our cities and regions.
To achieve this we aim to work closely with the other clubs and it helps that most of our members belong to one or more of them.
Going forward, recognizing that we are all part of an interconnected national community and putting that community first will be critical to the growth of LGBTQ+ cycling.
At the same time, digital changes have made it easier than ever to set up cycling clubs and sports clubs in general – and select events – so it’s important to adopt this more network-based approach to sports organisation.
This will allow us to reach more people, more places, and be stronger together They help us in our quest to build a national network of clubs.
Cycling as a whole and LGBTQ+ sport in general is changing and growing and we’re excited for the future!
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