Islington Cycling Club are celebrating a highly successful first year in which their membership has rocketed from a base of just seven to 200.

Affiliated to British Cycling, the club are the largest in north London and, having begun 12 months ago with an event attended by a handful of cyclists in mismatched kit, now offer eight rides a week.

There are also training sessions on group riding and mechanical skills, as well as an active social calendar, and on Sunday Islington CC will hold their first 200km Audax event, entitled The Great Escape.

“There hasn’t been a local club in Islington for many years,” said club secretary David Shannon. “So we’ve given people what they want – rides that start close to home.

“Plus, we’ve found a gap in the market for people getting involved in cycle sport for the first time, with our friendly set-up and the option of rides at speeds that beginners can cope with.”

The club, who held an anniversary ride to mark their first year earlier this month, are also planning a range of time trials, racing teams and youth development programmes in the near future.

For further information about this weekend’s Audax, or about the club in general, visit www.islington.cc