The history of our Club starts way back in the 1940’s, when cycling was less a pastime for the cycling enthusiast, and more of a primary mode of transport in a wartime era. In contrast to the popularity of cycling across Ireland today, there were very few cycling clubs, and beginning in late 1944, Bertie Heathwood and Drew Preston and a group of men began the process of forming a new cycling club in the Banbridge area. Banbridge Cycling Club was formed, and since those early days with a focus on leisure and touring, it has blossomed to become one of the most successful and enduring amateur Cycling Clubs in the history of Ireland.

The 1945 Club calendar comprised eleven Sunday runs and three weekend runs, and on Sunday the 11th February 1945 the club rolled out for the first time heading to Castlewellan, Bryansford, Rathfriland and back to Banbridge – a route well known to club members to this day. As time went on, the club calendar diversified into time trials and road racing.

The instantly recognisable colours of Banbridge Cycling Club have always been yellow red and black, which are the colours of many sporting groups within the Banbridge area. For many years the jersey’s main colour was black with yellow and red bands, but in 1970 the switch to the yellow jersey with red and black bands was made. The evolution of this retro design classic continued in 2013 when the new look jersey was unveiled, giving Banbridge CC a fresh, modern look while still capturing the essence of the old.

Today Banbridge CC is a dynamic sporting and cultural institution in the Banbridge area, bringing together cyclists of all ages gender and discipline. As history of the club has diversified from that of a ‘road club’ into mountain biking, cyclo-cross, downhill MTB, track, we have developed and nurtured numerous champions at every level of competition. However the simple pleasures of cycling are what Banbridge CC is all about, and there are still Club rides leaving Banbridge every weekend that focus on cyclist getting together and simply enjoying a bike ride with friends.