About us

The PNECC has over 100 members and we welcome riders of all ages and abilities.  We have always had a strong Club Run tradition and we are insured via the Cyclists Touring Club to allow non-PNECC members to ride with us.  Some of our youngest riders can be found training at the Mountbatten Centre in North End on a Friday night and we promote several Time Trials throughout the Summer.  Some of us regularly take part in Sportives, these events being very much in keeping with the PNECC’s ethos of promoting the pastime and sport of cycling.  We are increasingly to be seen taking part in Road and Circuit races and we are keen to see more riders joining us with this aspect of the sport in mind.  If you are looking for like-minded cyclists who enjoy keeping themselves fit, the PNECC could be the club for you. We meet most Monday nights from 1930 to 2130 at The Leopard Public House in Purbrook.

Please read on for a potted history…..

Portsmouth North End Cycling Club was founded at the Thatched House in North End, Portsmouth in 1900 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. In 1907 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 and in 1910 we began to permit ‘honorary’ members. In 1920 the PNECC moved its headquarters to the Blue Anchor Hotel in Kingston Cross. 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 and 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. In 1950 we celebrated our Golden jubilee with a 50 mile Madison and in 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 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.

The PNECC faced abandonment in the mid 1960s due to the loss of most of its members. Attempts to amalgamate with other local clubs were unsuccessful and it went into abeyance for 15 years. In late 1979 an informal meeting attracted enough people to agree to hold a re-inauguration a few weeks later and in 1980 cycle races began to see our pink and black racing colours for the first time in many years. By the mid 1980’s our jerseys were mostly white in colour so Julie Martin (now Julie Jarrett) introduced a red training top as a practical alternative. In 1986 members voted to adopt a red, white and blue racing design which is still in use today and which is adorned with the well-known ‘PNE’ logo. In 2009 it was decided to replace the old red top with a new training design which features the circular version of the PNECC logo. It is also adorned with the letters WWW.PNECC.CO.UK so new people can now look us up and find out more about one of the oldest cycling clubs in Great Britain!

PNECC Club Run 1905