Here is a brief chronology of what I can recall of the WCC's history. If other Club members have corrections or anecdotes (I bet that Mr. Mueller has some) to append to this document, I am sure that editor Lynes would be pleased to oblige. Please forgive me if the dates are not perfectly accurate ...

*The 1st 100 Years* Although there is little solid evidence remaining from the last century, it is known that there was indeed a recreational cycling club in Woodstock starting at latest in the 1880s. There is a photograph of a large group of men (at least 25) posing with their "pennyfarthing" bicycles and there is a picture of one fellow from Woodstock whom was portrayed as being a "North American Champion" in cycling from the same era. I cannot recall his name but it is available at the Woodstock Museum.

Cycling continued to be a prominent sport for amateurs and professionals and, until the 1950s, professional bike racing in North America was at least as significant in the consciousness of the continent as football, basketball or baseball. All medium and large towns, including Woodstock, featured glorious wooden steeply-banked oval "velodrome" tracks. It is said that nearby Delhi had no less than three of these, at least one of which was enclosed with grandstands into the fifties or sixties. Woodstock hosted the elite "North American Championships" one summer late in the last century. Needless to say, the sport suffered with the advent of the motorcar and the consequent "suburbanization" of our culture. Europe, however, never lost its taste for the pedalling sport. European emigrationensured that cycling subsisted in North America until a mild cycling boom in the late 70s and eighties (until today,) There is no evidence of a cycling club in Woodstock after the 1950s until the year 1974. In the year before, Ken and Jean Ross came to town and opened a tiny bike shop: "Pedal Power Bicycles." It started in their garage and progressed into a cramped, musty old laundry shop. Keen to manifest the values of the hippie generation, they discarded their two cars, installed a wood cook stove and dreamed of living on a mennonite-style sheep farm. Fortunately for me (their son) they stopped short of "buying the farm"(pun intended) but continued zealously to push ecological minimalism. They were not alone, but they were indeed on the fringe of American culture at the time. At the centre of their brand of idyllic minimalism was the bicycle. For them, the bicycle defined progress. It had minimal impact on the environment, avoiding the wastefulness of automobiles and the crudeness of the horse and buggy and it supposedly could do for America what the car-transportation-economy was already doing - providing a sense of freedom through personal transportation. (Refer to E.F.Shumacher's book: Small is Beautiful)

To further advocate the bicycle (and business) they gathered a number of friends and founded the Woodstock Cycling Club. Among these were three European emigrant cycling families: the Tierneys, the Pennesis and the Streefs. Mike Tierney, John Pennesi and Gerard Streef had first hand knowledge of the European cycling scene from their youth. They knew what made bike racing work in Europe and they were among a generation of emigrants that made it work in North America. They, along with Ken Ross, introduced organized racing to Woodstock both by forming a Woodstock Cycling Club Team and running local and Provincial races. Mike Tierney and the Streefs continue to help maintain the sport in Woodstock to this day. Martin Streef won the regional junior 40km time trial and he later worked for the Provincial Team when his brother Teus was on the Junior Provincial Team (with Pat Shea).

Club jersey featured an orange background with a wide horizontal blue stripe across the centre with the title "WOODSTOCK CYCLING CLUB" on it. There were smaller blue stripes on each sleeve. One year accidently they were made with green stripes!

A new flavour was introduced to the sport in the 1970s; the "granolacruncher" cyclist was purely a North American phenomenon. These riders focused on participation in the out doors and often shared the minimalist ideals of the hippie generation. Cycling was made an end unto itself - enjoyed purely for fun and sun, comeraderie, fitness and saving gasoline (and, therefore, the ecology). While most of North America was "seeing the USA in their Chevrolet" on the Interstate, these minimalists were seeing the beauty of the continent's backroads. In Woodstock, to prove the versatility of the bicycle, the club would make a point of riding everywhere under all conditions. It was about 1973 that the first annual New Year's Day ride and later in the year the Pancake Ride took place amid very cold conditions. They have continued to this day. Since then, WCC members have ridden on all continents (except Antarctica!)

In the mid-seventies, Ken Ross made several cycling-advocacy cable television broadcasts on the local channel. In 1977 a group of bike touring advocates gathered to organise the biggest cycling event in English Canada yet: The Great Canadian Bicycle Rally. This was a "gathering of the bicycle clans" for a weekend (3-days) of cycling celebration. Among the organizers were: Jean and Ken Ross, Henriette Burke, and the late legendary Tom Parry and later John Hesse. It took place at the Pittock Conservation area campground and over 700 people signed up.

There were actvities almost 'round the clock including the talent show, the North American Roaring Championship, several daily tours, meals, sing-a-longs, and an OCA road race.This continued for 4 more years in Woodstock with participation peaking at 1100 persons in 1981. In later years it moved to Southside Park for all operations. The 1981 Rally also featured the Ontario Cycling Association's Provincial Championships. In that year, Ken Ross won the gold medal in the Veteran (35+years) 40km time trial and the silver in the road race. The road race used a now defunct route from Southside park, to Curries and Sweaburg.

Membeship in the Club peaked at over 80 members in that year.

In later years, the Rally left Woodstock to take place in Paris and cycling activity in Woodstock declined.

*The Next 100 Years*

After several years of decline, a group of cyclists, mostly younger riders, gathered at City Hall to rekindle the Club's flame. Among these were Mike Tierney, Gerard, Martin and Teus Streef, Warren and Leighton Davies, Tim Carter, Fred Vandersteen, Harold Donnan (New co-owner of Pedal Power with his wife Sheila), Fred Vandersteen, Mike Robinson and Scott Ross. Mike Tierney's new jersey design was adopted as was his Club Constitution.

In 1990, Scott Ross (me) convinced the Club Executive (despite the fears of Club President Mike Tierney) to allow the hosting of the Club's first Mountain Bike Race. It took place on Dec 2 1990 (one day before a blizzard) at Roth Park. It was won by National Champion Cyclocrosser Brian Pedersen.

After the MTB race was established and through much effort on behalf of everyone in the Club, interest in MTBing in Woodstock flourished (riding a continental wave) and membership soon swelled over 80 members once again. I founded new "title rides" in the "New Year's Day Ride" style like the annual "Tour de Pizza" and re-introduced old Bike Rally Classics like the "Moonlight Madness" rides. One year we studded our tires and did a lot of ice touring on the lake. In 1992, myself and Dino McDonnel produced a couple of TV broadcasts for the local channel: "Off the Road" - an MTB documentary and coverage of a local road race.

With the election of Mike Poole and Kerry Redden, the Club gained a couple of shrewd managers among whose many accomplishments were obtaining a lease for MTB trails at the Pines (1992 to present) and making the Club coffers well over $5000. Much of this money came from the success of the MTB race which came to be known as the Dairy Capital Classic. The race featured over 200 racers in 1995.

Another long-time cyclist came back to the sport as a MTBer and then re-discovered road racing and road race organization: Chris Hooper. As our current Club President, Chris Hooper re-introduced the OCA road race to the Club's list of organizing activities. It has been a popular event on the Provincial circuit and is now known as the Gerard Streef Memorial Criterium. Chris also succeeded in introducing the current WCC jersey design.

Currently there is a lot of activity in all aspects of the Club. Most notable is the current unsurpassed state of the Road Racing Team. Pat Shea and Ezio Mandreola and Chris Benny(MTB) all are local riders in contention for Provincial Championship (against riders of whom many are nearly full-time professionals!). I understand that roller races will once again be taking place at Blandford Mall after 17+ years hiatus.

*And the Future?*

I don't want to second guess what will happen from now on, but I know and hope that there will continue to be people who care enough to put energy into organizing and participating in the sport in Woodstock.

There is definitely a history and a future for the "Cycling Clans" of theWoodstock Cycling Club.

Sincerely, Scott Ross