PNECC Club Run 1905 1900 to 1986 PNECC Open ‘10’ 1981 1987 to present PNECC Club Hill Climb 1987

THE HISTORY OF THE PNECC

Portsmouth North End Cycling Club is the longest established cycling club in the Portsmouth area and has a proud record dating back over a hundred years. The PNECC was founded at the Thatched House in North End, Portsmouth in 1900 by a group of seven cyclists. The 1901 AGM recorded a membership of 40 with a balance of £12 and in 1904 we became the first club in Portsmouth to have organised rides throughout the winter. In 1905 we won the Silver Shield promoted by Cycling (now Cycling Weekly) for having the largest number of racing members riding in England that summer! We also promoted our first 50 mile time trial in 1905 and in 1906 we promoted our first hill climb, up Southwick Hill. Although cycling in Britain does not command the level of support enjoyed by our friends on the Continent, it was not always that way. In 1907, assisted by Portsmouth & Southsea Entertainments Committee, we held a cycle sports meeting at Alexandra Park which attracted a crowd of 15,000! In the 1908 London Olympics, PNECC rider Clarence Brickwood Kingsbury won the Gold Medal for the pursuit and 20 kilometre events. His certificate was awarded by Queen Alexandra and is still held by the club today. By that time membership stood at 200 and we had £50 in the bank! In 1909 our funds increased to £74 and we promoted our first independent sports meeting at Alexandra Park on the August Bank Holiday which was a great success. In 1910 we began to permit ‘honorary’ members and of the 14 who joined that year, 9 were publicans (presumably of different watering holes frequented by the many members of the PNECC). In 1920 the PNECC moved its headquarters to the Blue Anchor Hotel in Kingston Cross. This period saw the appointment of the many long-serving officials who gave their name to the numerous trophies we still award each year. We dominated the Southampton Track League between 1934 and 1937 but, like all cycling clubs, the PNECC was badly affected by the advent of the Second World War in 1939. Time Trialling resumed in 1941 but all riders had to carry identity cards. In 1946 women were finally accepted as full members. 1948 saw the start of the hugely successful open track meetings at Alexandra Park (now the Mountbatten Centre). Massive crowds were drawn to the spectacle and as a consequence track racing boomed. So great was the amount of money changing hands that we had to create a limited company - Portsmouth North End Cycling Club (Promotions) Ltd - to ensure that revenue was accounted for properly. In 1950 we celebrated our Golden jubilee with a 50 mile Madison, awarding £70 in prizes and £6 to any team gaining a lap, significant sums of money at the time. In the early 1950s we lost some of our longest-serving officials but maintained our impetus due to a membership based on a strong 'Club Run' tradition. In 1952 Charlie Blandford became the first PNECC rider to beat the hour for 25 miles with a time of 59 minutes 55 seconds. By 1955, current Chairman and Life Member Eric Newman had brought this record down to 58 minutes. The period between 1957 and 1962 saw current Life Member Harry Jackson perform outstanding rides on track and road including the Golden Mile at Herne Hill and many other events at venues across the country. Harry was at his most brilliant when he represented Great Britain at the Commonwealth Games.

Until the 1960s many club cyclists raced because they also rode their bikes as a means of transport. Gradually more people began to own cars and cycling generally suffered from a malaise resulting in many long-established clubs being wound up. The PNECC faced abandonment in the late 1960s due to the loss of most of its members. However current Life Member John Martin had become Secretary in 1962 and eventually was left as the only point of contact for a club that had ceased to have any presence on the road. By 1970 he had placed the club trophies in safe custody with the late Johnny Dikes, Life Member and then still club President. Throughout the 1970s the PNECC promoted no races and received no membership subscriptions although it still had an account at Lloyds Bank at Fratton Bridge! In 1979 John Martin, current President and Life Member Dick Evans, Ernie Dikes (cousin of Johnny Dikes) and Alec Horton got together to see if it was worth restarting the PNECC. Many former members were contacted and an initial assembly in Paulsgrove attracted enough people to agree to hold a re-inauguration at the Moat Club in Cosham a few weeks later. In 1980 cycle races began to see the letters ‘PNECC’ on the start sheet for the first time in some 15 years. One of the first things that had to be agreed was the design of our new racing jersey and a vivid top described as ‘shocking’ pink with black sleeves and collar, and with a black band around the chest ensured that we stood out from the crowd! In 1982 members voted to tone down the top and opted for Mick Tipper’s design which was mostly white with a 5cm black stripe straight down from either armpit, bordered by another 5cm red stripe that passed up over the shoulder and back down again. This design was finished off by black sleeves and collar. Being mostly white this design showed the dirt easily and so Julie Martin (now Julie Jarrett) introduced the red training top as a practical alternative. As the name suggests, this was completely red except for a black collar, hem and cuffs. The training design survives to today albeit with the white letters ‘PNECC’ replaced by the logo at the top of this page (but in white only against the red background). In 1986 members voted to adopt Paul Martin’s red, white and blue design which is in use today and which is adorned with the well-known PNE logo. Therefore you will sometimes see us riding around in both racing and training tops.

For well over a decade we have enjoyed a special relationship with our fellow cyclists from AC Genneville in Normandy. Every spring a group of us can be found sneaking across the English Channel to enjoy the best of French hospitality and hassle-free cycling. As you can see we are a club of mixed abilities which welcomes riders of all ages so if you're looking for a friendly crowd who enjoy their cycling, the PNECC could be the club for you. We have a new club room at St John the Baptist Church Hall in Purbrook and we meet most Monday nights from 1930 onwards. Why not come up and see us?

Return to PNE homepage