ANGUS
CYCLING CLUB
Club History
The Angus Cycling
Club was reformed in June 1929 after a gap of 16 years by a group of enthusiasts
headed by Andrew Smyth who later became Forfar’s Provost, bike-shop owner
Harry Bruce, James Hackney, George Wishart and a Tom Bell. Their aim was to
follow the example of other towns and start a revival the cult of the bicycle.
The original
Angus Cycling Club, or Angus Bicycle Club as it was then called then, started up
in June 1882 when the “High Cycle” or “Ordinary Cycle” was predominant.
The name change was made, around 1888, when one or two members started riding
the now common “Safety” bicycle.
The first member
to own a “Safety” bicycle in Forfar was Mr John Killacky vice captain of the
club for 1889 and 1890. He won the Angus County Road Championship in 1890 over
the Forfar-Kirriemuir-Glamis-Forfar circuit. The following year Killacky joined
In 1931 with the
start up of the Dundee District Time Trial Association and the Scottish Youth
Hostel Association the enthusiasm for cycling was given another push forward,
and by 1933 Angus Cycling Club had started up a junior section. In 1934 the club
rented a small hall in
From the end of 1934 through to
1938 the club dominated the Dundee District Time Trial Association competitions
winning the team event three times in succession. The Individual Best All
Rounder competition was won by club members Will Cameron in 1935 and Bert Milne
in 1936 and Gordon Rough came 2nd in 1937.
During the 39/45
war club activities were brought to a halt and the clubroom was used by the ARP.
A plaque was put up in the hall in memory of 15 members who did not return. This
plaque is now in St Margaret’s Church. A reunion of 200 people, members past
and present, was held in the Masonic Hall in 1946.
In 1949 there
were differences to which way the club should go forward and as a result two
other splinter clubs evolved. The first group was set up amicably with the aid
of Angus CC, this being the Strathdean Ladies Cycling Club who continued on
until 1954. The Ladies then rejoined as the Angus CC “Ladies Section”. The
other splinter group was the Forfar Wheelers, led by Eck Robertson and a few
other Angus CC officials. The Forfar Wheelers Cycling Club folded about 1961.
In the 1950’s
the Club’s name was well known in racing circles with Angus CC winning the
Scottish Team Championship in 1952, and were runners up in 1951 and 1953. They
also set Scottish Records for the 100 mile and 12 hour events. Mr Joe Millar who
was the captain of the Angus team at the time, later joined Dundee’s
Forfarshire Road Club and went on to win the Scottish Best All Rounder title in
1958.
From the mid 1950’s to 1970 the
racing scene became very quiet with a lot of the members more interested in the
social side, with club runs, touring, camping weekends and hostelling etc. In
1963 several members who wished to go further a field, but not necessarily by
bicycle, held a meeting in the clubrooms in the Dundee Loan, Forfar, and
instigated the formation of the Forfar & District Hillwalking Club. Willie
Whyte a life member of the Angus Cycling Club being made the first President of
the Forfar & District Hillwalking Club.
The club was
saved from folding in 1972, due to the membership dropping down to 6 members, by
a group of ex members of Forfar Wheelers and Angus Cycling Club. Through their
experience of racing and a revival in interest in cycling, they started up
schoolboy racing and brought on a lot of young cyclists. In 1976 the Dundee Loan
Clubrooms were sold to the Angus Council to allow for road improvements. The
Clubrooms which the club now occupies, at the junction of
In 1978 and 1979
Angus CC organised road races around Montrose Town Centre and in 1992 they
organised mountain bike races. The
racing side was a dominant force within the Dundee Centre track and road events
in the 1980’s, but by the late 1990’s the racing section had folded.
In 1988 the club
erected a bothy at Reekie Lynn with the aim of attracting a few new members,
with several
Club
runs are organised for Sundays throughout the year. The speed and distance of
the runs depends on who turns up, sometimes they split into two groups, with no
one getting left behind to get lost on their own. Evening runs take place on
Wednesdays throughout the year. All of the runs leave from the Lochside Leisure
Centre, Forfar. Club activities cover a wide range of cycling interests and
abilities. As well as the Sunday runs they organise a number of Audax events and
social away weekends.
Club
members range from occasional riders through to keen Audax eventers and
dedicated foreign cycle tourers. A wealth of experience and advice is there for
the asking. The Angus Cycling Club aims are to promote cycling in all of its
diversity and new members are always welcome.