Rapha has long used their Rapha Cycling Clubs to bring together like-minded cyclists around the world, via clubhouses in a number of big cities and cycling hotspots. Whether you love the cult of Rapha or not, their RCC has seemed limited unless you live in one of the 22 cities with an official chapter. Now with a completely new RCC app though, members around the globe get a new virtual social hub, making it easier keep in touch and co-ordinate rides with other members, and plan where to ride whether you live near a clubhouse or not.
Rapha Cycling Club, RCC App
It’s hard to discount Rapha’s 13,000 members in their RCC, mixing members who race and those just interested in riding together for fun. Now those club members have an easier tool to build a local riding community thanks to the overhauled RCC App.
The core function of the app is what Rapha calls a new “market-leading ride mapping function” designed to let RCC members build a route directly on their phone, and including cycling-specific guidance that avoids busy roads and the ability to import existing .gpx route files.
The new RCC app adds the ability to simply find & join club rides that are happening in your Chapter, or just near your actual location. That should make it easier for RCC members to join rides while traveling, or to find rides anytime they are away from the 22 primary cities where the club has its bases. What seems like the biggest highlight to me is that the app also lets members create their own groups in areas without a Chapter, so those outside of the 22 Chapter cities can build their own mini-communities.
The app helps members find official RCC events, on and off the bike, organized by clubhouses around the globe. You can even build a detailed profile to help other RCC members recognize you when you are out riding on the road. It also gives you a way to directly contact both RCC staff and to message other RCC members, no matter where they are located.
The RCC App is available now as a free download for Android or iOS, with full functionality available to RCC members with their login details.
