Some of you may have heard of the Pickwick Bicycle club but most will not. It's the oldest cycling club in the world, founded in 1870 in East London and still operational. The members all have an additional club name taken from Dickens characters The majority of the members were cyclist of some standing or innovators in some way or other, old professionals, Olympians etc. My invite came from a 96 year old track cyclist from the 1952 Olympics.
The club is a members only club and membership is by invite only. Well I was lucky enough to get an invite to their annual lunch at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Holborn. A very swish do. Cocktails to start and then Buglers from the Household Cavalry played a fanfare to move us into the dinning room to sit down to lunch.
Members wore straw boaters and stripped jackets, tables of ten, 8 guests and 2 members on each table which totalled around 300 sitting down to lunch. Then one of original members bicycle was paraded round. Then 5 new members were invited into the ranks with great cheer.
One of the original members Ordinary bicycle or
Penny Farthing as most people know it as.
Which I got to have my photo taken on (Scary)
The lunch consisted of 5 courses and a speech and song after each course, plenty of wine flowed and we finished with coffee and mince pies while the after dinner speaker had us in fits with the very humorous and bawdry patter, as was expected in this men only club. The after dinner speaker was none other than Roy (Chubby) Brown.
A great experience if somewhat over the top, I would guess membership is for those with deep pockets. Would I like to go again?, certainly if I get invited.
Tony..
2 comments:
Judging by their older magazine write ups they are an enthusiastic bunch of people --very interesting !!
Congratulations Tony on being honoured with the cycling equivalent of an invitation to the House of Lords. Indeed a splendid affair, and with some rum characters, I feel sure.
The Pickwick is indeed the oldest cycling club in the world. But, luckily for us the CTC, which was formed shortly after the Pickwick, had a rather broader vision of the potential of the bicycle which they have maintained to this day. The Pickwickers preference for partying rather than pedalling explains why we see so few of their black and amber jerseys on the road today.
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