After a group of ten Teddington friends took on the challenge of cycling from London to Paris back in 2014, they created the Waldy Wheelers Cycling Club, taking their name from the Waldegrave Arms pub in Teddington, where they used to meet for their training rides.

Ten years later, Waldy Wheelers has grown to over 100 members, including a very active women's membership, united by the original principles of being small, friendly and open to everyone, and will be returning to The Waldegrave Arms for a 10 year anniversary party in May.

Weekly club rides depart from Bushy Park on Sunday morning with riders clad in distinctive pink and black kit heading out west towards Windsor, or south into the Surrey Hills, always finding a suitable place for a cup of coffee and a cake before heading home. 

Different groups ride at different speeds, ensuring that everyone is as comfortable or as challenged as they want to be. 

All rides are "no drop" so no-one is left behind.

Waldy Wheelers is 10 years old! (image supplied)

The club also organise an annual overseas tour (this year heading to the popular cycling destination of Mallorca), coaching sessions at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit and more locally in Richmond Park, and last year launched a racing team with riders competing - and scoring points - in road and cyclocross races as well as time trial events.

Members also take part in various longer distance cycling events at home and abroad such as Chase The Sun, starting at sunrise on the Kent coast in mid-June and aiming to arrive 200 miles later in Western-super-Mare before sunset that evening, L'Étape du Tour, following the route of a stage of the Tour de France, or Ride London, a legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games that sees many thousands of cyclists ride 100 miles on closed roads from central London out to Essex and back. 

If you're a local cyclist, looking to pedal further or faster, or just to ride with some friendly folks, get in touch at www.waldywheelers.cc