Rapha Cycle Club
What is the RCC?
Launched on 1st January 2015, ‘the RCC is a club for riders who want to be on the ‘road less travelled’. It’s a club that is about shared experiences. Inline with Rapha’s ethos, it is about bringing together those that share the passion, the suffering and embracing the experience that those things bring.
Rapha was launched by Simon Mottram in 2004 and has grown into a global force, priding itself on flawless products, modern fabrics, impeccable aftersales service and repairs.
The natural next step for Rapha was to launch the RCC, to continue Rapha’s mission to celebrate and build the sport of road cycling and racing.
The RCC is an international cycling community. The members are united by a love for cycling and the desire to enjoy road cycling to its fullest. Members of the RCC are fully backed by Rapha through their range of products, travel, network of Rapha Cycle Clubs and supporting members riding and racing.
RCC Membership benefits
There’s a wide range of benefits that come with joining the RCC. From coffee to rental of high-end road bikes at Rapha Cycle Clubs located around the world, to a worldwide concierge service that’s designed to offer advice on where to ride and connect you with other local RCC riders.
Members also have access to exclusive RCC kit, racing support, RCC organised races and events, training camps, magazines, access to a members forum and Strava club priority reservations and more.
We take a closer look at these benefits below.
Access to Rapha Cycle Clubs
Located around the world. London, Tokyo, San Fransisco, Hong Kong, Sydney to name just a few. The Rapha Cycles Clubs are meeting places, cafés, screen live racing and also act as club houses.
RCC Bikes
If you’re traveling you might not be able to take your bike with you. With the RCC you can reserve one of their fleet of specialized race men and women’s specific bikes, just bring your own pedals.
RCC Concierge
We really like the RCC Concierge service. Ever arrived in a new city with no idea where to ride, where to get a great coffee or not knowing where local groups meet? The Concierge can help you with all of this, they’ll get you on a bike, put you in touch with other local RCC members, get you involved in RCC rides…. and organise to show you around.
RCC kit
The RCC boasts a full training and racing club kit specific to both men and women. Select products from Rapha’s Classic and Pro Team collections have been given a stylish rcc makeover, leaving just enough room for variations in personal style.
There’s also the exclusive accessories, cap, socks, reflective oversocks and RCC t-shirt.
Racing Support
In addition to offering RCC organized races and events, the RCC also offer local race support to their members. This support is in the form of transport to and from the course, mechanical support and bottle and food handouts.
Training and RCC Group Rides
In amongst the mix are numerous member training rides across the weekdays and weekends.
RCC Events
There are a vast number of cycling events listed for the upcoming months both within Australia and overseas for RCC riders, which are documented on the RCC forum.
Melbourne Member, Aaron DeBono explains his recent RCC event experience.
‘I travelled to Adelaide in January and spent the week riding around with the Rapha Travel team directed by Rapha Rider and all round nice guy Chris Stack along with Rapha founder Simon Mottram.
Simon visited Melbourne and launched Rapha’s new charity ‘Thrivor’. While in Melbourne the RCC rode to the ‘nongs’ up the devils elbow and visited Shannon Bennett’s new venture Piggery Café.
The Rapha Prestige in Launceston was the RCC’s most recent event. Many of my fellow RCC riders headed to Launceston, Tasmania for a ride across the land and up the epic Jacobs Ladder climb. An 18km unsealed climb in the Ben Lomond National Park.’
Travel
The RCC also offers a number of travel packages and events, both cycling and non-cycling, that are ‘member only’ and provide the opportunity to meet new people and share new journeys
The RCC Member’s View
Aaron tells us what the RCC is to him.
The RCC is not an elitist club. You don’t have to be the best rider, the most social, or an instagram prodigy.
Essentially the RCC was designed to share the ecstasies and tribulations. Members endure exploring the extreme limits of what their body can handle along the roads less ridden.
Importantly the RCC for me provides the manifold of opportunity to connect with like mind riders in far away countries where we are offered the opportunity to share cycling stories and routes and also arrange opportunities to chauffeur foreign riders in our country and vice versa.
I love to travel and have the opportunity to ride on my work trips or holidays. Whether it’s a local trip to Sydney where I can quickly arrange to pick up a Specialized S-works from the cycle club or overseas destinations like London or NYC.
The RCC is an expanding with cycle clubs opening up in many cities around the world. Members of the RCC are well recognized on the road with their custom RCC kit.
If you become interested in exploring this fantastic opportunity, any RCC member is happy to speak in depth about the benefits of joining the club.
Enjoy #theroadslessridden.
