What Is the Alto Velo Racing Team (AVRT)?

AVRT is the racing arm of the Alto Velo Racing Club, described on the club's site as one of the largest and most successful amateur racing teams in the Bay Area. It sits alongside the club's weekly group rides, training sessions, and skills-focused rides, so members can move between casual riding, structured training, and competitive racing within the same organization. The club frames its purpose broadly: helping cyclists pursue goals that range from building fitness to winning national championships.

How AVRT fits into the club

Alto Velo presents itself as a premier Northern California club open to cyclists of all levels, disciplines, and backgrounds. Its offerings fall into a few connected buckets:

• Group rides — weekly rides at different intensities, from the hardest "A Ride" to casual coffee rides.
• Training and skills — paced group riding practice, climbing intervals, and recovery rides.
• Racing — AVRT, the competitive team.
• Community and events — a women's ride, a learn-to-ride ride, an event calendar, and seasonal social events.

The racing team is therefore not a separate entry point. It is one part of a club that also gives riders the group-riding and fitness base that racing usually requires.

What the club says about its rides

The ride structure is the clearest signal of how AVRT relates to the rest of the club. Each ride has a stated purpose:

For someone considering racing, the progression is visible: the C Ride builds paceline and group skills, the B and A rides build pace and climbing fitness, and the Egan climbing ride adds interval work. Racing experience itself is not described in the source material beyond the team's general reputation, so treat AVRT as the competitive outlet rather than a documented training program.

Who it suits

The club explicitly welcomes all levels, disciplines, and backgrounds, and describes a safe, nurturing environment for pursuing cycling aspirations. That makes AVRT relevant in two directions:

• Riders new to racing who already ride regularly and want a club context — group rides, skills practice, and a team structure — before or while trying competition.
• Experienced racers looking for a Bay Area team with a stated record as one of the region's largest and most successful amateur squads.

If your goal is purely social or recreational, the coffee, joy, and recovery rides cover that without any racing commitment.

Practical next steps

1. Check membership status. The club's homepage states that 2026 registration is open, with a join link. Membership is the normal route into club activities, including the team.
2. Review the member benefits. The site points to a page explaining the benefits of joining Alto Velo; read it before registering so you know what the dues cover.
3. Start with the right ride. Use the ride table above to pick a first ride that matches your current fitness — the C Ride if you are new to pacelines, the B Ride for no-drop climbing, the A Ride only if a hard 3–5 hour pace is realistic.
4. Sign the new-rider waiver. The site lists a waiver for new riders, which you should expect to complete before joining a group ride.
5. Ask about racing specifically. The public pages describe AVRT's standing but not team selection, race calendars, or category requirements. Contact the club through its site to confirm how team participation works before assuming membership alone puts you on a race roster.

One caution: the source material does not state membership fees, team tryout requirements, or race schedules. Confirm those directly with the club rather than inferring them from the ride descriptions.