In delving into the history of The Balham Rough Stuff we’ve got our hands on medals, race reports, race cards, photos and route descriptions but never a route map. Not until now that is. Continue reading MEMORABILIA: Rough Stuff Route Map
The final extract from the memoirs of former Balham CC secretary and Gazette club magazine editor Ken Smith, covering the post war years. A revealing look into club life and the lives of a group of young men from the Balham and South London cycling community in the 1940 and 1950s. Continue reading KEN SMITH MEMOIRS: Care free and Car free – The ’40s and ’50s South London cycling club scene
The 1949 Club Handbook, part of the John Simcock collection, gives an insight into the club rides, members and the records they chased. A list of honorary life members also gives us a glimpse of Balham CC in its formative years. Continue reading MEMORABILIA: 1949 Balham Cycling Club Handbook
Four and a half months on from the club heading out on its first ride, the first kit has been ordered and is in production.
The new kit is inspired by the club’s jersey designs of the 1940s and 50s and incorporates the original logo on the family photograph that started this whole project in November 2015. Continue reading Kit inspired by club’s heritage launched for the summer
In its first 30 years Balham Cycling Club established some of the most iconic races in the Southern England cycling calendar including the Balham Second Class 100 Time Trial. Continue reading The Balham 100 – A unique race in British Time Trialling history
An extract from the memoirs of former Balham CC secretary and Gazette club magazine editor Ken Smith, covering the World War Two years. They give an insight into the lives of a group of young men from the Balham and South London cycling community – some of whom never came back from war to ride again. Continue reading KEN SMITH MEMOIRS: Pedallers keep wheels turning in Asia during WW2
London’s traditional “pipe-opener”, the Balham CC Rough Riders’ “25” proved to be 25 muddy miles of thrills and spills won in rather runaway fashion by East Londoner FT Devonald of the Viking RC. Continue reading BACKPEDAL: Mud and snow make for tough first Rough Stuff since WW2
Cheryl Button, the daughter of former Balham Cycling Club (BCC) secretary Ken Smith, was in London in November and she had a surprise gift for the soon to be relaunched club. Ken was a member of the BCC between 1936 and 1957 and before his death in 2013, compiled a scrapbook of his most treasured club mementoes and photos. It also included his memoirs spanning 21 years of life as a South London cyclist. Continue reading 21 years of momentoes, photos and memoirs presented to Club by family of former secretary
A Balham Cycling Club trophy, first awarded 70 years ago, has been reunited with the club 40 years after leaving South London. The Bill Shore Memorial Trophy, presented to the Club champion in 1947 and almost every year until the club closed in 1979, has made the 4,200 mile journey from the USA back to Britain. It will be raced for once again as the club is set to reform on its 120th anniversary. Continue reading 70-year-old club trophy comes home as ‘The Balham’ gets ready to ride again
In 1925 Balham Cycling Club organised a club run with a twist – off-road, in modern parlance a cyclo-cross event. A year later the Balham Rough Stuff Open was born. By the early 1930s it had became not only the traditional season opener but also one of the most prestigious races on the national calendar, attracting some of the biggest names in cycling. Continue reading Cycling greats blaze Rough Stuff trail in the treacherous Balham classic
