STAGE 1 CYCLING CLUB – 2023 Membership & Event Membership Waivers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About STAGE 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome! The Stage 1 Cycling Club is a registered non-profit cycling organization based in East Hampton, CT. We got our start over 30 years ago here in Connecticut and have gone through many iterations and changes over the years. But one constant remains: STAGE 1 is dedicated first and foremost to having fun, building a community of cyclists where all riders are welcome, and promoting the sport of bicycling across the region. We believe that pretty much everyone is happier on a bike, whether riding or racing on the road, the moutain, on gravel, or snow -- it's all about the fun! 

STAGE 1 is composed of riders of all levels from all walks of life, from beginners to elite racers. If you don’t know how to ride a bike, we’ll teach you. If you’re a national level competitor, we’ll support you and help make you better. Most of all, we want to ride with you. To join STAGE 1, please contact us first through our Facebook page, or drop by AirLine Cycles in East Hampton, CT, so we can talk with you, tell you more about our club, and learn more about you and your goals. Better yet, join us for a ride and lets talk more over pizza and a drink. No race resumes, no secret handshakes - just a good attitude and a desire to ride. If we're the right fit for you, welcome aboard! Just come on back here, and you can complete the registration process. Of course, if you want in now, that's fine too! 

STAGE 1 members receive discounts from our sponsors, and the more committed our riders and members are, the more sponsorship they receive. Unlike many teams, it’s not just about results: it’s about commitment, attitude, and effort. For more details, please visit here.

STAGE 1 is currently made up of over 100 full members: about 60 seniors, 35 juniors, 20 women and girls (we’d love to see more!); our oldest member is 70 and our youngest is 5. 

We are an active club and we host many cycling events each year.  Obviously 2020/21 were COVID years, but we still managed to put on several COVID-safe events . For 2022, we plan to again host a USA Cycling sanctioned mountain bike race in June, and this fall we can't wait to bring back the Belltown CX race for it's forth year. Of course, we will also hold many training rides, fun rides, and competitive road adventure and gravel rides. And together with AirLine Cycles, we host a Thursday night mountain bike training ride (year around) and Wednesday night gravel ride (during the summer). And, of course, we will continue with our popular junior programs and activities.

What else?  Well, we race a lot! STAGE 1 riders participate in events all over New England and you will also find us competing in the mid-Atlantic, California, and other locations all over the country racing nearly every weekend in the spring, summer, and fall (sometime in the winter too). Although we are heavily mountain and cyclocross focused at the moment, we also compete in road events and multi-sport competition. We proudly sponsor a junior team and we are committed to getting as many kids on bikes as possible!  If you join us and plan to seek a USAC license, please be sure to indicate your club affiliation as STAGE 1 Cycling Club (STAGE 1/AirLine Cycles). You can purchase a race license here: https://www.usacycling.org/.

But plenty of our active members don’t race and that’s fine too. We're glad to hangout and party with all comers! 

We have great sponsors who generously support our club and believe in our mission. They are AirLine Cycles, Fat Orange Cat Brewery, and Pactimo.

Come join us and have some fun!