Introduction

We are a cycling club based in Ampthill & Mid-Bedfordshire of about 170 members.

The club is involved in time trialling, cyclo-cross, road and track racing, social activities, trips into Europe, etc. We provide on and off-road activities under the supervision of experienced cyclists and qualified coaches and work with local schools to deliver British Cycling Go-Ride cycling activities. If you want to ride with an experienced yet sociable band of riders, who will still wait for you if you puncture, then ride with the Icknield. Come along to one of our Tuesday evening club nights or turn up at a club run to find out more. We welcome new members whether experienced or new to the sport of cycling. The Club room at Redborne Upper School in Ampthill provides us all with a base to meet up and chat about cycling or organise forthcoming trips or events. Its also our base for our Tuesday evening time trial series. We cater for all cycling interests for the young and old. There are regular and well attended slow to medium paced Sunday club rides, more challenging rides usually Saturdays and arranged through facebook as well as the locally infamous Bacon Rollers and Hair Rollers! Also regular GO RIDE events for the youth section that we organise and attend. We have a small group of frequent racing members competing in Time Trialling, Road Racing – BC & LVRC. In the spring we have run a Sportive since 2014, with our 4th planned for the 30th of April 2017. We have a strong social side, with a lively weekly Clubroom meeting at Redborne Upper School, Ampthill on Tuesdays, with tea and cake over which to ruminate about Sunday’s great conditions or next months events, even sell your grubby old wheels! Tours abroad to France and Belgium are an annual event now. There is the very popular Annual Dinner in late autumn. Icknield RC is a leading promoter of Open time trialling in our London North district, currently organising several Time Trials. The end of season Charity 10 mile TT, which the Club has run for over 35 years, has delivered thousands of pounds to the Keech Hospice and £750 in 2015, shared with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Clubroom

The Club meets at Redborne Upper School every Tuesday from 7:30pm. During the racing season (April-August) the meeting times vary, becoming earlier in the spring and autumn (6:30pm). Even during the racing season the meetings are considered social events. Redborne Upper School is in the north eastern corner of the 101 roundabout (junction of A507 and B5120). When travelling north into Ampthill from this roundabout it is the first legal turning on the right. The meeting hall is off the large car park to the rear of the school building complex near to the outdoor football pitches.

 Early Days

The Icknield Road Club is long established and pleased to have celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2013. The Club was formed in 1933 as a racing offshoot of the Bedfordshire District Association of the Cyclist Touring Club (CTC). It relinquished its formal ties with the CTC in 1959 to widen its objects to provide cycle racing, touring and social facilities for its members. See our album early years for pictures from our archives. The club used to be sponsored by Compomotive Wheels (Automotive) of Wolverhampton by Bill Dixon who helped bring the club success by attracting classy riders to join us through sponsorship. Past Club honours have included providing the winners for the GHS Schools 10 miles Championship, National 24 hour, and represented in the top 20 in the BBAR and the Vets BAR as well as lots of event wins in TTs and a few road races here and there.

Why are we called Icknield?

The Club’s name is derived from a prehistoric track, the Icknield Way. This is the oldest road in Britain and passes through six counties, including Bedfordshire, in its 278 miles route from Avebury ring in Wiltshire to Cromer on the Norfolk coast. The whole of the Icknield Way was reopened in our 60th Anniversary year, 1993. It includes some good cycling terrain – one stretch is used in our early-season ‘Hilly’ Time Trial and others on Club Runs, whilst there are also green lane sections away from other traffic.

Social Media Policy

A word on IRC social media policy. Download here.