Racing has begun! | Off-road at HHV | Our impact report | Important notices | Other events and sessions

Hey HHVW community,

Our race season has well and truly kicked off with a very sunny but brisk round 1 of Condor Women’s League and a spicey (Chilli and racing)first Convene Track League this Wednesday. Enjoying the racing can be done from all angles and we’d love to have you here as spectators, volunteers or racers – explore options for all below. We’ve also outlined a bumper week of off-road stuff to get you shredding this season including a Q&A with an elite gravel rider to round-off our Get Gravel Ready series, book your free spot before they’re gone.

Finally, you will find some important site notices that will help make your visits to HHV safer and we’ve released our first impact report which is a joyful read. That and more below…

Happy spring!

With warmth

Megan

(She/they)
Women’s Cycling Development at Herne Hill Velodrome
Contact: mbarclay@hhvt.org
Instagram: @hhvwomen

Women & Girls off-road

Wednesdays

✨New session alert ✨

Girls off-road session: Every Wednesday 5:30-6:30pm with coaches Megan, Emily or Silvi.

Following the success of our Women’s off-road and girls track session we’ve launched a girls off-road session.

Grab your mountain, cyclocross, or gravel bike and ride the trails! These sessions are designed to improve your bike handling skills and confidence off-road in a fun, supportive environment. Age Group: These sessions are open to people 8-18 years old. Parents must stay on site if their child is under 12. Who is it for? Girls are encouraged to attend any of our youth sessions, this session is for anyone who would enjoy and benefit from a girls environment. It is suitable for complete beginners to off-road as well as experienced racers.

BOOK HERE

Women’s Off-road session

Our weekly Women’s off-road session is currently doing a Cyclocross skills block, getting everyone ready for Summercross. Join us whether you’re interested in cyclocross or not, the skills are useful for any off-road riding! The session before a race will be a course preview.

BOOK HERE

Rapha Summercross

Our Summercross race series is fast approaching and entries are open!

Save the dates to race or spectate:

LEARN MORE AND ENTER

Women’s Track

The next Women’s tasters are 5th July and 2nd August
Our Women’s Track Session is as fun as ever, every Sunday 5-7pm
Race workshops: I’ve marked the sessions which include optional race workshops* in EvenTrac so it should be easier to find and plan your visit. Just click on ‘more info’ when it appears in the session list to see which race is being covered.

*Race workshops are during Sunday Women’s sessions in the month before each round to help you prepare for the racing ahead – they’re open to those not racing as well – with a focus on strategy not speed.

Condor Women’s League round 3: race report

It was the morning after the Nocturne and blue skies and a funky mix of races met our Round 3 Condor Women’s League Riders. Our Bioracer leaders' jerseys were on display and the leaders put up a fight, meaning (spoiler alert) they didn’t change hands after the day's racing.

Our warm-up Scratch saw a mix of strategies. The B category opened and we saw a cagey affair, lots of time at the top of the track until the last moment seeing twins Mila and Eva take the wins followed by a well held attack from Michelle. Our C category enjoyed more time on the white line keeping a steady pace until Peckham’s Suzannah launched an attack which held until category leader Millie reeled her in on the line. Our spicey A category (with category leader Sophie fresh from a silver at the National Masters) brought the pace and ended with a close sprint between Emma, Sophie and Kitty.

Next up we had a Block Pursuit after a fair bit of spreadsheet wrangling (thanks Thea) and a few briefings to get everyone up to speed – it’s a quirky race. We combined our B and C categories which added an extra challenge (moderating a mix of speeds) – victories for Eva, Ruth and Michelle. Our A category winning team displayed a perfectly efficient team ride with well-timed sprints at the end for Sophie, Emma and Steffi.

Match Sprints are a lengthy process but it was a joy to see a mix of tactics on display. Lots of debate about the speed of a ‘walk’ which our commissaires set as the slowest pace the front rider can go. Shout-out to Millie, Ruth and Jasmine for winning their categories, special mention to debut rider Eve for a brilliant surprise attack, and Feodroa for keeping up the witty commentating.

We ended the show with an Unknown Distance, a vaguely torturous yet brilliant Scratch race where riders don’t know the number of laps until the bell goes. This resulted in interesting attacks as riders tried to psyche each other out, great combative racing from Linda, Christine, Michelle, Jasmine and Kitty. Apparently the A’s discussed keeping it steady but Sophie couldn’t resist kicking up the pace, securing the final sprint with Louise and Steffi closely behind.

Round 4 is Saturday 11th July – join us!

Road bike sessions

Open sessions: Thursday/Friday

Forget Regents or Richmond park, come and ride laps of our Velodrome on your road bike. We have open road bike sessions throughout the week: https://hernehillvelodrome.eventrac.co.uk/e/road-bike-riding-12140

Skills sessions: Thursdays

This session is aimed at those thinking about participating in crit racing for the first time, or looking to brush up on their skills: https://hernehillvelodrome.eventrac.co.uk/e/adult-road-bike-crit-skills-13195

🏁 Race

If you want the latest scoop on road racing (especially if you’re just getting started), make sure to check in with London Academy. Follow them on Instagram, visit their website, or sign-up to their brilliant newsletter.

off-road

Fri 24 – Sat 25 JULY 2026

The South London Grand Prix returns to Herne Hill Velodrome for 2026, the big highlight of our racing calendar with two days of thrilling high-speed UCI track racing and excitement as we bring top UK talent and international track racers to South London.

🎟️ Book your tickets

Race!

Yes, we make it sound slightly more intimidating but last year Condor Women Leagues regulars Sophie, Katherine and Yewende all raced SLGP and held their own. Get in touch if you’re interested in racing but want to know more.

🏁 Enter here

Become a super supporter – help us support international track talent!

The more you give, the more folks we can invite! Perfect for businesses, cycling clubs, and keen beans to use their resources for diplomacy and friendship.

In addition to warm fuzzies, Super Supporters will also get:

2 adult and 3 child tickets, or 4 adult tickets
1 reserved picnic bench
A digital shoutout in our communications

Cost £250

💙Become a super supporter

Holiday Clubs

We have Off-Road and Track Holidays Clubs running from end of July throughout August – for children aged 8-16yrs.

Holiday Clubs at Herne Hill Velodrome are designed to enable young people of all abilities to develop their skills at their own pace, have fun and make friends during the holidays, and have an exciting and engaging active day. These holiday clubs are suitable for children of varying skill levels.

Book now

Other sessions and events

Events

Women’s Dernyfest and Open Omnium:
Enter: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/332498/Womens-Dernyfest-and-Open-Sprint--Keirin
Women’s Derny training (27th June): https://hernehillvelodrome.eventrac.co.uk/e/advanced-training-derny-12401
Keep an eye on our events calendar

Sessions

Women’s Track Sundays – skills + intermediate riders. Including Women’s League race workshops
Women’s Track Taster – the first Sunday of the month
Women’s Off-Road session – Wednesdays 7-8:30pm
Women’s Strength – Monday’s 6–7pm in the clubroom (drop-in)

HHV Women’s Newsletter – June