Our Mission

• BUILD A DIVERSE COMMUNITY AROUND HIGH PERFORMANCE RECREATIONAL CYCLING

• FOSTER LOCAL AMATEUR BIKE RACING

• PAY IT FORWARD: help out THE NEXT GENERATION OF BIKE RACERS AND CYCLISTS

The Story of the Berkeley Bicycle Club

Well before Lance Armstrong came onto the cycling scene and even before Greg Lemond became a Tour de France champion, the Berkeley Wheelmen joined together with Velo Club Berkeley to form a new cycling club - the Berkeley Bicycle Club (BBC).  It was January of 1979.  The heyday of the 60’s had long passed in Berkeley and cycling was starting a resurgence.  After widespread popularity of U.S. track cycling in the late 1800’s when stars such as Major Taylor dominated races, the sport had become dormant.  It had become an obscure sport in the United States, but Northern California and more specifically, Berkeley, California was becoming a hub of cycling activity.  Perhaps it was spurred by George Mount’s recent successes – sixth in the 1976 Olympics and a gold in the 1979 Pan American Games team time trial.  Mount was a resident of Berkeley living above Velo Sport Bicycle shop on Grove Street.  There were many talented cyclists in the area and the two clubs joining established one of the preeminent clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The newly formed club attracted many high caliber racers who found success locally and many who went on to race nationally and internationally.

The Berkeley Wheelmen was the more structured club with broad support for cycling generally but still had a heavy focus on competitive cycling.  It conducted regular meetings, promoted races, and produced a newsletter.  By the mid-70s it was losing some of its racers to Velo Club Berkeley, but it still had its share of stars.  Heidi Hopkins, Hal Tozer, Eric Gutt, Dan Dole, and Juniors Casey Keerigan and Mark Walsh all were impressive riders who had impressive results.

Velo Club Berkeley was started by Peter Rich looking to field a team for the original, 1971, Tour of California.  Rich had a long and active history in cycling.  He opened Velo Sport bicycle shop in 1962 and was the promoter of that original Tour of California.  It was an eight-day, ten stage-race across the state.  Rich was a passionate cyclist and former racer in the fifties and early sixties including competing in Italy and Belgium.  He promoted the Berkeley Hills Road Race starting in 1957, now one of the longest running bike races in the country.  It was Rich who gave support to Mount in that upstairs apartment above his shop. Rich coached many young East Bay riders at Hellyer Park Velodrome, the polo fields in San Francisco and on the roads of the East Bay.  His love for cycling helped propel cycling in Northern California and the United States.

It made sense for the clubs to join as they were competing for talent and each running on extremely limited budgets.  Rich had grand plans for a single all-encompassing club for the East Bay.  Combining tourists, racers, and casual riders in a single club to gain more leverage with authorities for rides, races, and bike access.  Even a name was decided upon – Peralta Cyclists in honor of an early East Bay land owner.  Many on the Berkeley Wheelmen side pondered the need for two bicycle clubs in Berkeley all belonging to the same community.  Tom Simonson, Lee Maniscalco and Bob Muzzy began considering the idea of a combined club.  A plan was hatched for the new club and a president decided upon – at his home, enjoying poached pears, Zachary Cohen was convinced to be the president of the Berkeley Bicycle Club.  With a new President, a new set of officers, and plans for a blue and white jersey with shorts flocked with Farats Barb Painting Co., the BBC came into existence.

When it formed, the club got off to a fast start.  It was structured similarly to European clubs of the era.  Resources and sponsorship money was funneled to elite racers - it was a successful formula.  The club included a number of top riders with a strong presence at local races - by one count, 12 BBC members lined up for the start of the 1981 Category 1/2 Davis Criterium.  And, it wasn’t sheer numbers, as a club, BBC riders were adept at working together as a team, a skill not common in U.S. bike races at the time.  The strength of the club showed as many racers went on to compete nationally and internationally.  Riders including, Bob Roll, Calvin Trampleasure, Cindy Olavarri, Heidi Hopkins, Bob Muzzy, John Cavanaugh, and Gavin Chilcott who would see success on the national and international stage.  Active and former BBC riders had a presence at top national races such as the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, Redlands Bicycle Classic, Nevada City Classic, and the U.S. national championships.  Many went on to compete in Europe at various levels including Bob Roll racing in the 1986 Tour de France for 7-11. Chilcott would eventually go on to start the BMC/CCC pro racing team acting as the team’s COO for nearly a decade.

Great racers were not the BBC’s only strength.  From its inception, the club promoted multiple local races each year including a weekly training series near the Oakland airport – the “twilight” training races requiring a $0.75 entry fee, eventually rising to a dollar, collected at the start line.   The Pinole Team Time Trial, the Berkeley Hills Road Race, the Berkeley Criterium, the Columbus Day Handicap, and the Tilden Park Cyclo-Cross were all popular races.  The “twilight” series occasionally attracted stars looking to improve and even Eric Heiden showed up two days after winning the Core Pro Road Championships.  Not all the races survived, but the flagship race, the race that Peter Rich promoted starting in 1957, the Berkeley Hills Road Race, continues to this day and is now the longest contiguous running bike race in the United States 

As interest in American cycling rose, sponsorship money followed.  Well-funded trade teams began making their presence in races across the country.  The bright colors of 7-11 and Levi’s Raleigh became dominant.  Even somewhat less visible teams, such as Ten-Speed Drive, were luring top talent from local clubs.  The better funded teams became attractive to riders as a path to further their racing careers or offering a chance of competing in Europe.  Even as top riders departed the BBC to better funded teams, the club survived.  Rides continued on – 9:00 am weekdays at Velo Sport on MLK Jr Way with a wooden sign with semaphore arms indicating the ride direction and Saturdays at Sproul Plaza.  BBC riders continued racing locally participating at various ages and categories.

Today, the Berkeley Bicycle Club has group rides nearly every day.  The meeting locations have changed but some of the same folks that started with the club are still joining.  Dan Dole and Calvin Trampleasure are regulars at the Faithful rides on Saturday Mornings at Si Si’s Caffe in Moraga.  The club’s emphasis has shifted – still focusing on promoting competitive cycling, but also working to bring community to cycling through diversity and inclusion.  U.S. cycling rose with Lemond and Lance Armstrong, bringing many new riders into the sport, but that has faded some with Armstrong’s doping downfall and as Lemond’s success becomes part of a bygone era.  The Berkeley Bicycle Club remains and its riders continue as a steady presence throughout the Berkeley and Oakland hills and beyond, and its riders are still competing at all levels of the sport.  It still has its share of standout racers – Bethany Allen turned pro in 2016 riding for Inpa Bianchi in Italy.  The BBC is still helping bring new folks into cycling.  The club has grown to more than 200 riders and the cycling knowledge and experience of its members makes it a great club to this day.

Thanks to all the folks who contributed to pulling together the story of the BBC: Bob Muzzy, Calvin Trampleasure, Tom Simonson, and Zachary Cohen.

And, thanks to folks who allowed use of their photographs: James Mason, James Lofgren via Vance Vaughan, and Calvin Trampleasure

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