est 1886
BATH ROAD CLUB
Home History Club Events Photos Tech Calendar Sponsors Kit Results Contacts Links Join JUNIOR ROAD RACE 9.2 BLACK park EVENING wednesday  time trial MILES The story of the Bath Road Club opens on the day of 7th November 1886 when a band of hardy riders met at the New Inn on Ham Common after a weekend ride.  During tea a suggestion was made that those present should band themselves into a club.  Agreement was 100%, rules were drawn up and the club was given the name of the Bath Road Club.  A logical title would have been Ripley Road Club as this was their regular riding road but there was a club of that name already. The only other road to note, the North Road CC was claimed a year before by another club which you may of heard of........  Those present at the New Inn became members on the spot on the payment of one shilling and an annual sub: of 2/6.  Mr G L Morris was elected Captain and Mr A J Chapman the Secretary. Prospective members were required to attend a Sunday Run to prove their mettle and if they stood the Mud plugging they were duly elected. The following year 1887 the first open event was held which was a 50 mile on the North Road.  By 1889 the Club had weathered the troubles that at one time threatened to close the club and racing included a '25', '50' and a Bath & Back all held on Saturday afternoons.    On the executive side a Member of Parliment Mr John Aird was persuaded to accept the office of President.  This office he held for 11 years.  1890 can now be said to be the most momentous in Club history for with the extra subs it became possible to promote the Open '100'.  The winner was Bath Roader Edmund Dangerfield with a time of 6.38.54, afterwards became better known as the founder of cycling weekly and the Temple Press of Fleet Street as it is known today.   The racing became keen and at this time the Ripley Road members dinner started.  The idea came from C A Smith (BathRoad Smith) to create goodwill between Road menders and cyclists.........  The first issue of the Bath Road News was February 1892 and was on PINK paper.  The cover drawing was drawn by Percy Kemp of Cycling and is still unchanged on the Bath Road News today.  It was issued once a month and the first editor was C A Smith.  In 1897 a new Secretary was elected...J R Barnes who was elected to Club President in 1912 which he held until he died in 1951.  During the first world war the club continued on a restricted basis but the News kept going to keep members in touch with the club.  By 1921 the club was in full stride again and many members were winning open events  i.e. Speedwell and Anfield 100's.  Many new members were gained through the Club Tourist 12 hour rides and most of the club racing was long distance.   (The club motto was 'ride fast and far').    Many notable RRA Records were held by Bath Road members.  To celebrate 50 years, the club promoted the Jubilee '50' on May 6th 1935, with 42 entries the winner was E V Mills with 2.10.54, also to celebrate, the club had a two week tour in Wales....1986....100 years old.  During the 2nd world war racing was again held up but the news still managed to get printed and away to the lads on Service, only once did the '100' stop but the Ealing Manor RC stepped in for us, that was in 1940.  With the war over and our lads returning to the fold we had many first class winners in Bill Kay, Jim Wythe, Colin Houben, Frank Greenwood.  As these lads became older a second batch of lads came into the club, people like Dick Stockdale, Roy Bouch, Ian Jennings, Tom McCall, Chris Morris in 1965 the Speedwell Bicycle Club sent out invites to the Anfield Bicycle Club, the North Road CC and the Bath Road for an invitation 100 mile time trial and our own Chris Morris was the fastest and took the cup home with him.  In the late sixties Dave Loader came second in the Campag Trophy a year long event for 25 milers.  Also in the club in the early sixties were Bill Cox, Trevor Passmore, Dave Devine, Dave Fennessey, Rob Smith,  Eddie Giles and Dave Giggs all riding timetrials and picking up team awards with Dave Loader.  At this time the club were organising a 10 mile time trial, a 25, the Jubilee Hilly 50, the Bath Road 100 and also a road race.  In the seventies we had a new crop, Ken Retallick was a very fast vet who won time trials, Tom Moore who later went on to organise events.  The younger members at that time were Barry Ifould, Keith and Alan Jardine, Ken Graham who loved to race trikes, Malcolm Scott, M Sharman, Clive Shepherdly, Michael Ashfield.  In the 70's and 80's,  3 young brothers joined who were to have a big influence in the club as they got older and they were Colin, Steve and Nick Mann.  Nick was to organise the Club Dinner from the mid 80's for which he still does to this present day over 25 years, a great achievement.  Colin was to get his first cat license in road racing and all three were to go on and organise the Bath Road '100' and also the Road Race which at that time was a 1st, 2nd and 3rd event which eventually become a Junior only event and part of the Junior series which was ridden by the likes of Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas.  In 1982, Dave Devine broke Ken Randall's thirty year old Bath & Back record which is still held in the club today and he also held the Denham Oxford & Back record, the event which he was to be the fastest rider for ten years.  In 1987 Linda Devine was the first woman to become Club Secretary which she still holds today and in the early 90's became the first woman Vice President of the Bath Road.  It is amazing when you think women were only admitted into the Bath Road in 1967.   In the 1990's Stuart Jackson broke Dave Devine's record for the Denham Oxford & Back taking 7 minutes off Dave's time.  We also had a new influx of youngsters who are still riding in the club today, Paul Devine and Graham Giggs and they are working for the club today.   In 1991 Tim Byrne was to be the first winner of the Bath Road 100 from the club since Leon Meredith in 1920.  In the 1980's Tim went on to break Dave Loader's 25 mile record bringing it down to a 53, Dave Loader was a prolific rider in the 60's winning timetrials and coming 2nd in the campag trophy.    In 1996 Terry Gray became the first Bath Roader to go under four hours for a Hundred Mile Timetrial in a time of 3 hrs 54 mins 35 secs.   Denise Mann became the first woman Treasurer in 2007, a job which has been taken over in 2012 by Sandie Morris.  From the start of the new millennium to the present day the Bath Road have been promoting open events in time trialing and road racing and still organise the same events that the Bath Road have been doing since 1886. WE NEED YOU MEMBERS 31 HILLY
FORMED IN 1886 FORMER MEMBERS: LIONEL MARTIN AND ROBERT BAMFORD - CREATORS OF THE ASTON MARTIN E DANGERFIELD - CREATOR OF CYCLING WEEKLY MARQUESS OF QUEENSBURY - MODERN DAY BOXING RULES WILLIAM HINDS: OWNER OF HINDS JEWELERS AND FOUNDER   OF HAMMER FILMS
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