History

The organisation has its origins in the early days of cycling when the bicycle opened up new horizons for independent travel. The Cyclists' Touring Club set out to identify suitable hostelries for its members and include them in members’ guides and handbooks. Occasionally you will spot a round plaque on the wall of older hotels showing the Cyclists' Touring Club emblem of a winged wheel, indicating a long tradition of welcoming cyclists.

In 1936, the Cyclists' Touring Club created a first cycling proficiency scheme in response to increasing cyclists’ casualties at the time. This was adopted as a national programme run by RoSPA in 1948. Cycling UK is still a provider of cycle training and courses and supports and enables Bikeability.

Cycling UK's archive of cycling films, paintings, photos and documents is at Warwick University, please contact them directly if you have something of interest. Email archives@warwick.ac.uk

Sheila Hanlon is the current Cycling UK Historian - she is a volunteer and researches topics of interest for the organisation.