About Us

Victoria Cycling Adventures (VCA) has been hosting bike rides for recreation, fitness, nature appreciation, education and just plain fun since 2013 in and around Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We offer 3 - 5 rides a week, year round, anywhere from 10 to 100+ Km. Our range (so far) is from Sooke in the West to the Cowichan Valley in the North, East to the Gulf Islands and the lower mainland. Our rides may include a picnic lunch at a scenic park, a hike, a swim, a pub or cafe, wine or beer tasting and even occasional bike-camping. We avoid busy highways and the main city arteries preferring quieter roads and neighbourhoods.

Our members ride road bikes, hybrids and mountain bikes. E Bikes are permitted at the discretion of the ride leader. VCA offers rides at different pace levels from beginner (Pace 1) to advanced (Pace 4). Cyclists are expected to wear a helmet, bring water, snacks, and a spare tube or patch kit, pump, gloves and protective eye-wear and gear appropriate for the weather anticipated. Your bike must be in good working order and have front and rear lights for night rides. Riders are responsible for their own safety and fitness. Event leaders are volunteers and may not have first aid or survival training. If you aren't sure where you fit in, try a Pace 2 for your first ride. If you decide to join VCA, please complete the member questions so that we have an idea of the most suitable rides for your riding level.

Ride Paces (speed is on a flat, paved surface)

1) 10-14 kph     2) 15-20 kph     3) 18-22 kph     4) 23+ kph

Ride Safety

Your safety is our first priority so please complete the following tutorial (in quiz format) before your first ride: http://vcac.net/CyclingQuiz.php

History and the VCAC Society

The meetup.com group Victoria Cycling Adventures was created on July 13, 2013. On February 1st, 2014, the group had over 300 members and 31 riders showed up for the Humpback Reservoir Ride. We quickly realized that with more rides and more riders we needed a structure and decided to become a registered society. 

VCAC (The Society)

Victoria Cycling Adventures Club (VCAC) - the society, was was incorporated as a non-profit society in March 2014 and created as an umbrella society for Victoria Cycling Adventures - the meetup group, in order to provide ride liability insurance. Our insurance requires that you join the VCAC Society before your second ride. 

Joining the VCAC is done online at: http://vcac.net/join-the-vcac

Society Incorporation Number: S-006248

Fees

The fee is $35 a year ($30 for new members and existing members if paid within 1 month of the expiry date) to cover meetup (VCA), society (VCAC) and insurance costs, due before your second ride. Payment can be made by e-transfer to our club email at . In the e-transfer message please put your first and last name so we can match you in our database and your VCA meetup nickname so we can match you there.

VCAC Waiver

You agree that at the beginning of every ride, you will sign the ride signup sheet declaring that you have read the VCA waiver (http://vcac.net/Documents/VCACWaiver.pdf) also printed on the back of the sign-up sheet.

IMPORTANT FOR FIRST TIME RIDERS WITH Victoria Cycling Adventures:

By attending this ride, I declare that I have completed the general Cycling Safety Quiz (http://vcac.net/CyclingQuiz.php) .

By attending this ride, I declare that I have read, understood and agree to the contents of Victoria Cycling Adventures Waiver. If this is your first ride with us, please read the Waiver: http://vcac.net/Documents/VCACWaiver.pdf.

It is critical that you receive email notifications sent out by organizers of events you are attending. These contain important information about the event such as cancellation or rescheduling, change of time, change of venue and other relevant information that you will want to be aware of in order that you make the most of the event, including showing up at the right place and at the right time with the right equipment and expectations! Please follow these steps: https://www.meetup.com/Victoria-Cycling-Adventures/pages/28207167/Organizer_Contact_Settings/

IMPORTANT FOR ALL RIDERS WITH Victoria Cycling Adventures:

By attending this ride, I declare that I have read, understood and agree to the following ride procedures and policies:

  • Obey all traffic laws.
  • When you hear the rider leader's bell ringing repeatedly, give the ride leader your full attention - some important information is about to be imparted. In return for your attention, ride leaders will keep their speeches concise and infrequent.
  • Repeat any signals performed by the person in front of you for the person behind you. e.g. Left Turn, Right Turn, Stopping, Hazard. When turning at an intersection, all riders should signal in order to let cars know that all of us are turning.
  • Turn your head to the side and shout "stopping" so that the person behind can hear you if you need to stop unexpectedly or if the person in front of you indicates the group is stopping.
  • Always stay behind the ride leader and in front of the sweep. This is the only way we can know that we have not lost anyone.
  • It is okay to pass the leader on a hill, so that you don't lose your momentum, but if you do, stop at the top of the hill and resume your place behind the leader.
  • Any time you are overtaking members of the ride group (or anyone else for that matter) announce yourself by shouting “passing on your left” and ringing your bell if you have one - you don’t want to cause a crash if the rider in front of you suddenly moves to the left.
  • When we stop for any reason, move your bike (and yourself) completely off the road or trail.
  • The front of the ride will always stop on the other side of an intersection to wait for everyone to safely get through the light or stop sign. Do not ever compromise safety by riding through a red light, or a stop sign without looking. Just because the rider in front thinks it is safe to go through an intersection does not mean it is safe for you. Make your own decision to cross intersections - DO NOT call out to others “it’s safe to go” or "clear".
  • A “pointer” will always be left at any turn off the current road, so don’t worry if we get stretched out, just keep going on the current road until you see the pointer.
  • Always ride single file on busy roads.
  • Always leave a safe stopping distance between you and the rider in front of you. This will vary depending on terrain, hilliness, speed, weather, traffic...
  • Leave a gap of 1.5 meters (5 feet) when passing parked cars to avoid getting doored.
  • Always do a shoulder check and signal when moving laterally -, someone may be overtaking you.
  • If you would like to stop for any reason (add or remove clothing, water break, rest stop, bike problems, take a picture, pick some blackberries...) ask the person in front of you to pass your request up to the ride leader.
  • If you are leaving the ride prematurely, let the leader or sweep know or we may think you are lost and waste time looking or waiting for you.
  • Ride safe and have fun!