We organise regular handcycle taster day weekends at Stoke Mandeville and have been a great success. There are usually four of these weekends each year, the first being in April and the last in October. So it doesn’t matter if you’ve never ridden a handcycle before, you can borrow one of ours for the weekend or perhaps you fancy just coming for the Saturday or Sunday.

The weekend is typically in two sections, and caters for both those that own a handcycle and those who are new to the sport. On Saturday there’s a general coaching session, which is usually taken by qualified British Cycling Coaches, which offers a real insight into how to train for cycling. There is usually an optional Sunday ride for those who have their own handcycle. The June taster day is on the same weekend as the Tour De Vale cycle sportive, and those attending the taster day have the option to borrow a handcycle on the Sunday, to ride the 25km, 60km or 100km sportive, which starts and finishes at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

On Saturday, the day starts at 10am with a lunch break followed by an afternoon session. For those who’d like to stay for both days, we usually head out for a social meal – you will have earned it!

So you’re interested in attending a taster day. That’s great, we’ll need some general information about you when you book – this is all on the booking form, so please answer all of the questions as clearly as you can.

You are welcome to attend all the sessions or just the ones which suit you. All sessions are open to all handcyclists irrespective of experience and disability. All that is required is that you can operate your cycle safely and you follow the advice give by HCAUK officials. We do require all newcomers to complete the Medical Declaration form and bring it with them to the weekend. We encourage non members to join the Association (details here) and make a donation towards the costs of running the weekend.

There will be a number of handcycles available for people to try; Draft, Quickie Shark, Schmicking and TopEnd handcycles. If you haven’t got a cycle yet and would like to try one out, please come along but let us know when booking!

Rooms can be booked at the Olympic Lodge for Friday and Saturday nights. Lunch and/or breakfast can be purchased from the cafeteria. Those that stay on Saturday usually go into Aylesbury for an evening meal.

Please contact us if you wish for any further information.