Berkhamsted Cycling Club celebrates 10th anniversary

During the last decade BCC has run many competitive events, one of which was won by a future Olympic medal-winning cyclist, and its members have taken part in a cycle event older than the Tour de France and have broken Guinness World Records.

Born out of group rides organised by Berkhamsted shop Lovelo Cycle Works, the club was formally incorporated in September 2014. Within six months it had grown to 200 members - a large figure by the standards of local community cycling clubs, and has maintained that level of support to this day.

Club chair Mary Holden said: “We’re hugely proud to have been in existence for a decade - hopefully there are many many more to come. In that time we’ve provided a social, inclusive and supportive environment for cyclists of all abilities - and the more people we can help to keep fit and enjoy themselves, the better.”

The club organises weekly group rides of varying speeds catering to different levels of fitness. It also arranges annual trips away in the UK and abroad as well as “time trial” and “hill climb” competitions each autumn where people compete against their own best times over nearby courses. Its annual “reliability ride”, a non-competitive event conducted in the early Spring, has raised more than £3,800 for local charities.

Two members, Michael Gower and Graham Earl, broke the Guinness World Record for fastest pedal-powered crossing of the English Channel, completing the journey in 6 hours 39 minutes whilst wearing their BCC kit. A couple of members have completed the Paris-Brest-Paris “audax” event, a ride of 1,200km which traces its history back to the nineteenth century.

Anna Henderson, a silver medallist at the recent Paris Olympics, was the winner in one of her early competitions on a BCC “hill climb” and occasionally joined the fastest group on a Saturday club ride.

Berkhamsted has a long history of cycling - the first person to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle - in his case a penny farthing - was Berkhamsted resident Thomas Stevens.

Mary said: “While we are proud of our members who have achieved huge feats and attained incredible levels of fitness and speed on the bike - and there are many of these - I’m just as proud of the support and social environment we’ve provided to members who were every bit as interested in riding an easy loop while having a chat with friends. The brilliant thing about cycling is how there is something for almost everyone, whatever your ability.”