Everything You Need To Know About Banbridge Cycling Club

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With Banbridge Cycling Club there is cycling for everyone.  There are over 140 members today of all abilities and all ages, making Banbridge CC one of the largest and most diverse cycling clubs in Ireland, with a broad range of cycling events to match.  We organise road racing, time trialling and mountain-biking, and we’re active on the track as well.  From April to September our road races and time trials are held on Wednesday nights at 7p.m.  Have a look at the Events to see where the next one is.

However, cycling is not all about competition.  The Banbridge CC jersey is often spotted on the roads at the weekend during organised leisure runs which are great for gaining fitness and getting to know people in the club.

 

Get out on your bike with us

There are weekly club rides every Sunday leaving from Church Square, Banbridge at 9am.  Other ride times may vary please contact us for more information. Come along and get to know us on the Sunday run.

New Members

If you’re new to the sport or are thinking of becoming a member, feel free to attend any of our club Events where someone will be able to help get you started. 

For further details see Join Banbridge CC

Or get in touch –  Contact Us.

The History…

The history of our Club starts way back in the 1940’s, when cycling was less a pastime for the cycling enthusiast, and more of a primary mode of transport in a wartime era. In contrast to the popularity of cycling across Ireland today, there were very few cycling clubs, and beginning in late 1944, Bertie Heathwood and Drew Preston and a group of men began the process of forming a new cycling club in the Banbridge area. Banbridge Cycling Club was formed, and since those early days with a focus on leisure and touring, it has blossomed to become one of the most successful and enduring amateur Cycling Clubs in the history of Ireland.

The 1945 Club calendar comprised eleven Sunday runs and three weekend runs, and on Sunday the 11th February 1945 the club rolled out for the first time heading to Castlewellan, Bryansford, Rathfriland and back to Banbridge – a route well known to club members to this day. As time went on, the club calendar diversified into time trials and road racing.

The instantly recognisable colours of Banbridge Cycling Club have always been yellow red and black, which are the colours of many sporting groups within the Banbridge area. For many years the jersey’s main colour was black with yellow and red bands, but in 1970 the switch to the yellow jersey with red and black bands was made. The evolution of this retro design classic continued in 2013 when the new look jersey was unveiled, giving Banbridge CC a fresh, modern look while still capturing the essence of the old.

Today Banbridge CC is a dynamic sporting and cultural institution in the Banbridge area, bringing together cyclists of all ages gender and discipline. As history of the club has diversified from that of a ‘road club’ into mountain biking, cyclo-cross, downhill MTB, track, we have developed and nurtured numerous champions at every level of competition. However the simple pleasures of cycling are what Banbridge CC is all about, and there are still Club rides leaving Banbridge every weekend that focus on cyclist getting together and simply enjoying a bike ride with friends.

Banbridge CC Committee for 2019:

Additional Committee Members :

1. Simon Curry

2. Paul Hannigan

3. Brian Cairns

4. Christina Towell

5. Nigel McCullough

6. Martin Fitzpatrick

7. Stephen Curran.

Open Race Committee:

Aaron Wallace, Toni Hannigan, Paul Hannigan, Brian Cairns, Steven Curran, Neil Teggart, Christina Towell, James MacMahon, Willie Weir, Gerry Beggs.

Office Bearers:

1. President – William Weir

2. Chairman – Maurice Mayne

3. Vice Chairman – Aaron Wallace

4. Secretary – Mark Kendall

5. Treasurer – James McMahon

6. Chief Safeguarding Officer – Patrick McAleavey

7. Assistant Secretary – Toni Hannigan

8. Deputy Safeguarding Officer – Toni Hannigan

9. Press Officer – Toni Hannigan

10. Open Race Secretary – Aaron Wallace

11. Club Race Handicapper – Peter McBride

12. Timekeeping Coordinator – William Weir

13. Club Coaches Neil Teggart & Gerry Beggs

14. Curator of Trophies – Christina Towell

15. MTB Coordinator – Gareth McKee

16. Assistant MTB Organiser. – Maurice Mayne

17. Club Clothing Officer – Martin Duffy