The CTC is the British Cycle Touring Club. It’s a gentlemanly thing (for ladies, too). I recently put up 2 links to You-Tube vids from 1955 showing a day in the country with this club.
They ride an a civil way and like to stop a few times at pubs with courtyards.
Of course in the 50’s the bikes had a certain style as did the fashion. No robo-attire or jet-age bikes.
I’m sure that lots of bike clubs still ride this way and have these values. Some do, some don’t—I dunno if even the CTC still rides this way.
Also, there’s no reason to limit this approach to cycling.
It’s the OYB way, of course. …But OYB is a big tent so we have other ways, too.
Anyway, I propose a revival of this kind of club. And a new bike club. I don’t have a name for it yet. But I like the idea of a no-lycra, no-helmet bike club that rides convivially and stops at a courtyard eatery for a snack at the turn-around of rides. Or two. Of course one can be a member of other clubs as well.
Let’s have paddling and XC ski clubs in this vein as well. Just a general club. Call it the OYB Club, maybe. Of course it may end up having to meet in spirit and not flesh. It meets whenever anyone does things in the OYB way. Which is…as it does. OK, so much for clubs. But it’s a start.
It seems that motorcycle clubs are already good for this conviviality. Probably many, many clubs are.
Along the lines of biker clubs, we’d have to be prepared to be shut down. Why? Because freedom isn’t tolerated. A club where helmets aren’t required? Think of the liability? Here comes a rule then that has no bearing on safety or conviviality. What? But see! We’d be outlaws, just for being civil. But because we’re humans we’re prepared to take the heat. Right? Right! We have no other choice!
Here are more links, for CTC inspiration:
…A reprint of vintage CTC club info: webpages.charter.net/steve.johnson1/club_ctc.htm
…The CTC homepage: www.ctc.org.uk/
