AND IT’S A WRAP FROM US…

 

With great reluctance and a degree of sadness, we have taken the difficult decision to close our wonderful La Ciclista venue at 135 Sheen Lane. The reasons for doing so are many. It has truly been one of those ‘head vs heart’ decisions.

 

Ultimately, the ‘head’ item that finally swayed and overcame all the ‘heart’ ones was the fact that our original 5-year contract for the lease is up for renewal. And, like many retailers in the Sheen area, we have found that we are to be hit with a massive increase. Combined with an ever-upwards spiral of costs from utilities, insurance, suppliers, wages, etc, the hard-nosed reality of trying to sustain viability has become a step too far.

 

We are sure you can all imagine how hard this was for us given that 135 Sheen Lane was the starting point of our journey to create a ‘virtual clubhouse’ and home for cyclists and the wider community.

 

We will be closing the doors of La Ciclista at 135 Sheen Lane on Sunday 24th March 2024.

 

But there is, regrettably, more….

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Many of you will have been following the trials and tribulations of the Hampton Wick venue and of our exhaustive efforts over far too many years to make this happen. Unfortunately, and with deep regret, we are unable to make this a reality.

 

The hoops and hurdles we have had to jump through and over have been both numerous as well as – at times – extraordinary, and the latest challenges have now simply proven to be too much for us to persist further. We tried all possible ways to make this happen, including with the recent fundraiser many of you will have seen. However, we have been unable to raise the necessary funds and have had to reluctantly admit defeat. A genuine and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to those of you who pledged on our Crowdfunder to support us in trying to make this happen - your monies will have been fully refunded.

 

We genuinely wanted to keep the La Ciclista idea alive and thriving as part of the cycling community, but sadly this is not to be. We are immensely proud of what we have created and the community we have grown around us.

 

We close by thanking all of you for giving us your custom and support over the past incredible, challenging and inspiring 5 years. We will miss it and all of you. 

 

Sabina & Jeremy & the LC Team x