Cycling club

A cycling club is a society for cyclists. It can be local or national, general or specialised. The Cyclists' Touring Club, CTC) in the United Kingdom is a national association; i-Team and Team Internet are internet clubs; the Tricycle Association, Tandem Club and the Veterans Time Trial Association, for those over 40, are specialist clubs. Members of specialist or national groups often belong to local clubs. Other groups support leisure cyclists or campaign for improved facilities for cyclists. The London Cycling Campaign, Friends of the Earth, and Greenwich Cyclists are examples of campaign groups.

Activities

A cycling club's activities vary from one aspect of cycle sport to a range of cycling and social activities. Racing clubs organise competitions for members and others, including track cycling, cyclo-cross, road bicycle racing and time trials). They may also organise training and have BC or ABCC qualified coaches. For most competitive cyclists belong to a club affiliated to one of the national racing associations, such as British Cycling and Cycling Time Trials in the UK. They often race in their club's colours.

Cycling clubs may offer touring, weekly club rides (traditionally on Sunday mornings), regular meetings and social events.

Sponsorship

Some clubs are sponsored by commercial organisations. Riders advertising in return for the support.

Names

Lord's Cycling Club in Houston, Texas (1897)

Many clubs are named after their home town or district. A few clubs are named after the topography of their region, such as the Alpine Bicycle Club of Golden, Colorado. Some have no connection, such as the Acme Wheelers in south Wales, Zenith CC in Leicester, Gemini BC in north-west Kent. Some clubs are just named after the behaviour of the members — VC Daft.

Some call themselves Road Clubs or use a foreign title such as Coureurs or Velo. Examples in Britain are Warrington Road Club and Archer RC); Clayton Velo, Yorkshire Velo, Rugby Velo, Thames Velo, VC Elan, VC Londres or Velo Sport Jersey all use foreign names that reflect the origins of cycle-racing in France. Another common title is Wheelers.

Some names have roots in political or social movements. The National Clarion Cycling Club spread socialist propaganda by bicycle in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The name remains - Fenland Clarion, Nottingham Clarion, Bury Clarion, North Cheshire Clarion etc.) - but the politics have gone. Other names reflect historical religious allegiance, such as Manchester St Christopher's Catholic Cycling Club) or jobs: RAF CC, Northumbria Police CC, GB Fire Service Road Team, Army Cycling Union. Others evoke the wandering nature of cycling - '34 Nomads, Altrincham Ravens, Lewes Wanderers, Colchester Rovers - or an aspiration: Norwood Paragon, Sheffield Phoenix, Dulwich Paragon.

External links

• The Alpine Bicycle Club
• British Cycling Federation
• League of American Bicyclists
• Tandem Club of America
• Tandem Club of the United Kingdom
• Tricycle Association
• Veterans Time Trial Association
• Cycling Clubs in the USA
• Delhi Cycling Club
• Sam's Cycling Club in Dehradun, Uttaranchal
• 1897 photography of the Lord's Cycling Club in Houston, Texas at the University of Houston Digital Library