1887 - 1900
The Vegetarian Cycling & Athletic Club can trace its origins back to 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. In September of that year, Leslie Large of Lewisham, an enthusiastic worker in the Vegetarian movement and a keen cyclist, placed notices in a number of periodicals inviting other Vegetarian cyclists to contact him with a view to forming a Vegetarian Cyclist's Club. Their objective was to provide a means of contact between Vegetarian cycling enthusiasts and to seek to prove, by the yardstick of athletic competition that Vegetarians could easily hold their own against their meat eating counterparts.
Through the Spring and Summer of 1888 a series of Club runs and social events were held and the membership built up steadily until over 100 names were on the roll. The first formal meeting was held on October 9th, 1888 at the Central Vegetarian Restaurant, St. Bride Street, London and this was followed by a meeting on February 9th, 1889 at the Appletree Vegetarian Restaurant, 34 London Wall, when Leslie Large was elected as the first Secretary and Arnold F. Hills, a wealthy industrialist became the first President. The name of the Club was confirmed as the Vegetarian Cycling Club. Reports from those early days are few but it is evident that VCC racing cyclists performed competently if not outstandingly.
Henry Light, a founder member who was elected Captain in 1890 soon became the main driving force behind the Club and under his direction standards of performance of the VCC men improved steadily. 1896 saw the VCC achieve its first outstanding success when Jim Parsley of Peckham won the prestigious Catford Hill Climb, the country's top event, in record time. The VCC were cock-a-hoop at this major breakthrough and held a dinner in Parsley's honour. Lion of the evening though was Henry Light who was presented with "an iron framed pianoforte" in recognition of his work for the Club. In 1896 the green and gold triangular badge was introduced. Sadly, the same year, Leslie Large while on a visit to Edinburgh died of diptheria just as his dreams were becoming a reality. In the mid-to-late 1890s the VCC cyclists really began to make their mark on both road and path, the riders such as the Nickel brothers, Wherlow, Sharp, Bryning, Wyatt, Parker, Walker, Newman and the Pfleiderer family achieved performances well beyond previous Club standards. John Berclay, the first Secretary of the Scottish Vegetarian Society won many prizes in the running events in the West of Scotland. George Antony Olley, the VCC's first superstar, started his brilliant career by setting up figures for the London-Portsmouth and back record in 1889 and went on to break many records on road and path including the London-Edinburgh and the Land's End to John O'Groats twice in 1907 and 1908 and the 1,000 mile record in 1907.
1900 - 1929
In the early years of this century the club went from strength to strength and was well organised socially. The Club won several best attendance awards at Cyclists' Rallies; a flourishing ladies branch started its own active programme. Cyclist's such as Ragan, Ratcliffe, Newman, Agnew, Paul, Newall, Pulman, Beurle, Pearce, Gibben, Heath, Carpender, Jarratt and Briault ensured that the Club's name figured prominently in the results list, whilst up in Scotland, the redoubtable Jock Miller rallied his Vegetarian cronies to form an active Scottish branch. As Olley's career came to a close, Fred Grubb, haled as "the fastest cyclist in the world" emerged onto the Club scene and proved to be a prolific winner and record breaker on the track and the road creating National records in both spheres. In 1910 Charlie Davey joined the Club and rapidly rose to prominence both in his own right and as a team backer for Grubb. Davey broke 7 RRA records between 1914 and 1926. He held the 24-hour tandem paced track record and won open events from 50 miles to 24 hours. During that period cycling was not VCC's only forte; athletes were becoming prominent. The Bacon brothers, six of them, all good all round athletes of splendid physique gained many boxing and wrestling successes; Eustace Miles was ten times English tennis champion; Emil and Withers figured prominently and George Allan, the little Leicester shoemaker walked from Lands End to John O'Groats in 1904 and 1908. The Club even had a Ladies Swimming Section Secretary, Miss L.Seal! As a result of the increase in athletic activities, the Club's name was changed in 1909 to the Vegetarian Cycling & Athletic Club.
In 1910, our cyclists adopted the white sleeve stripe to facilitate identification for feeding purposes. The 1912 Olympic Road Race held at Stockholm saw six Club members selected as representatives; three in the English team, two in the Scottish and one in the Irish. With the outbreak of the War in 1914 virtually every able bodied man was either coerced or conscripted "to serve King and Country". The Club was kept going on a social basis throughout the war years but no athletic activities were carried out. Following the armistice in 1918 the Club was slow to get into its stride again. Charlie Davy carried the Vegetarian flag virtually alone, winning events and breaking records and was selected twice as a World Championship representative. Davey turned professional in 1923 and broke several RRA records but his main goal Land's End to John O'Groats eluded him, beaten by adverse weather conditions. In later years Charlie became much valued as manager and Mentor to a number of successful professional and amateur riders when his experience was put to good use. By the late 20's the Club had quite a few promising racing cyclists coming along. Charlie Marshall, H.T.G.Page, Len Cave, Harry and Sid Ferris, Ted and Bert Brumell, George Philips, Alf Oxbrow and Sid Eaden were all capable of national performances. Marshall, Cave, the Ferris's, Philips and Oxbrow all held RRA records at one time. Bill Ellis and E.J.Doubleday dominated the 24-hour scene.
1930 - 1945
In 1930 the magazine "Cycling" introduced the "Best All Rounder" competition based on the performances at 50 miles, 100 miles and 12 hours which was to give road sport a tremendous boost. It was fortuitous that the VC & AC had at that time half a dozen of the best riders in the country at its disposal. The Club won the Best All Rounder Shield in 1930, 31 and 32 and the Club's name was rarely out of the prize list in all the major events. The impact of these successes on the cycling world was tremendous and new members entered our ranks in a steady stream. Branches were formed in Lancashire, Yorkshire, the Midlands and later in Scotland. In 1934, Henry light, the father of the Club, died leaving a gap that could never be filled. Sid Ferris, after an outstanding career as an amateur during which he won the classic North Road "24" three times, turned professional in 1936 and in 1937 and 1938 broke a number of RRA records including the Edinburgh to London, the Land's End to John O'Groats and the 1,000 miles. Sid also gained the 24-hour record with 465.75 miles. Pearl Wellington, that diminutive powerhouse saw to it that the fair sex were not kept out of the picture and took track racing, time trialling and record breaking in her stride. She broke 5 WRRA records between 1935 and 1938. Walter Greaves a one-armed member of the Yorkshire Branch set up a year's mileage record of 45,385.75 miles and Law Innes and Bill Thompson also of the Yorkshire Branch broke a number of tandem RRA records culminating in the Land's End to John O'Groats in 1938.
Welshman, Bert James joined the Club in 1934 and his winning ways soon stamped him as our top rider. He scored many wins in top events and finished third in the 1934 BBAR table, fifth in 1935 and second by a whisker in 1936. Joining Ferris in the professional ranks, he broke several RRA records including the 100 miles in 3 hours 45 minutes 51 seconds, a record which was destined to stand until after the war. The 1930s can truly be said to have been the Vegetarian C. & A.C.'s heyday. They dominated the Cycling scene in virtually every sphere. We were particularly prominent in the 12-hour, 24-hour events and one correspondent felt compelled to write to the Cycling press suggesting that Vegetarians should be banned from long distance events since their diet gave them an unfair advantage! The clouds of world war II gathered and riders like Henry Pickersgill, Frank Hill, George Logan, Harry Rosenberg, Arthur Laston, Ted Valey, Geoff Guy, Paul Rohr, Eric Wilkinson and B.F.C. Gough ensured that the Club's name was rarely out of the headlines. George Logan was leading the BAR table when war broke out in September 1939 and the competition was abandoned. Most of the Club's active membership were called for military service. Jack Seath in a reserved occupation was the only top club rider to keep the Club's name in the headlines until his retirement from racing in 1944.
1945 - 1979
The end of the war in 1945 found the Club in a debilitated condition. We had no top rider and no one of the calibre of Henry Light to stir the Club into action. Around this time the Club was dealt a severe blow when the RTTC felt compelled to impose the "first claim only in open events" rule. Second claim members could, prior to this, have ridden in the Club's name were now no longer allowed to do so. Several members of the former Yorkshire Branch led by Walter Greaves threw in their lot with the British League of Racing Cyclists - a dissident body and were lost to the Club. Things were at a low ebb until 1947 when Dave Keeler made his debut and the Club had a new superstar. During that year Dave quickly established himself as a top short distance rider and in a brilliant 20-year career he developed into one of the greatest all rounders, taking titles from 4,000 metres on the track to the End to End record. In 1949 Dave represented his country in the World Student Games in Budapest riding on the track and road. In 1951 he lowered the 25-mile trial record twice. The same year he took the 30 mile record. He was the first rider to beat the hour in Wales and was Scottish 25 mile champion breaking the competition record at the same time. Along the way he took the Welsh 50 mile Championship. In 1951 on the track he took the 4,000 metres pursuit title. In 1958, he broke the SRRA London, Southampton, Dover, London record and the same year lowered Sid Ferris's Land's End to John O'Groats record. In recent years Keeler was named by a prominent Cycling correspondent as the greatest ever all rounder. Backed by team mates Jim Hanning and Peter Duncan (better known for his tricycle performances) the Club was a major force in 12 and 24 hour events. Subsequently no one has matched Keeler's efforts, though Malcolm Amey produced many superb performances in the 1960s and took a top BBAR position. Graham West, a second claim member was National 50 mile Champion and like Amey finished in the top 10 of the BBAR Competition. Graham currently holds all the Club single bicycle records with the exception of Keeler's 24-hour record which came so near to being the first ever over 500 miles. Tom Smith was another rider to achieve a top 10 BBAR placing.
1980 - 2007
In the 1980s, Kathy Akoslovski (nee Bellingham) established herself as the Club's greatest woman time triallist and record breaker. She lowered the WRRA Birmingham to London record, the first of Eileen Sheridan's records to fall. She held 4 WRRA records, numerous Regional RRA records and currently holds every woman's Club record on single, tricycle and mixed tandem. On the veteran time trial front Ron Murgatroyd, Harvey Greenhalgh and Doug Griffiths have figured prominently in national results. On the athletic front Ron Franklin, whose athletic career dates back to the 1950s, won 10 Welsh Championship medals and his best times for all distances have not been surpassed by another subsequent member. For the Marathon he ran 2:25. Since turning a veteran in ther mid-70s, Ron has competed in all World and European Veterans Track Championships. Wally Keeler represented his country in several World Veteran Walking Championships.
In the 1990s, the athletics section became the Club's main area of activity with a significant influx of new members following letters in national magazines and increased publicity at events. In terms of success, the highlight was the men's team prize at the 1996 Chingford Orion 10 miles, representing the winning VC&AC team were David Armour, Richard Jordan and Pete Mann. Richard Jordan continued to win many local events both as a senior and veteran for many years and achieved a marathon best of 2:29 at London and 1:10 for the half marathon. David Armour from Stirling had success in the Isle of Islay half marathon and high positions in other events. With Anna & Nick Berrill joining the Club in 1996 there was potential for further individual and team success for several seasons. Their highlight for the Club was when they won their respective races in the 2001 Bedford 6 miles otherwise they were generally in or close to the medal positions.
In 1995, Danielle Sanderson, an international joined as a second claim member and continued to win races around the country for many years to come, holding many course records and achieved selection for Great Britain. In 1997, Danielle Sanderson competed in the World Marathon Championship in Athens finishing in 35th place and 3rd GB and the 1998 Commonwealth Games Marathon finishing 6th. Danielle's best time for the Marathon was 2 hours 39 mins. Later Danielle moved to ultra distance running where she continued to be successful, winning the 2001 National 100K title at Moreton-in-Marsh and in the following World Champs achieved 7th place. Gert Cowling already a V50 when joining in 1995, concentrated on the marathon, sometimes running the London and Shakespeare Marathons on successive weekends. Gert Cowling always seemed to achieve automatic qualification for London, her best time being 3:23. Over the ultra distance, Brian Bosher was successful, winning medals on many occasions in the early to mid-90s. In 1998, the Club had a record 23 members completing the London Marathon with the Club's presence in this event bolstered for many years by the Stuttard family: Vernon, Ros & their sons Ian & Chris. Another foursome, the King family mainly represented by their son, Job came on the scene in 1999. Job was already successful as a junior and was soon competing locally with the best. His highlight for the Club was winning the tough Charnwood Hills 15 miles XC and running a half marathon time of 1:10 in icy conditions to win the Pitsford event. At a young age, Job ran the London marathon in 2:37.
Peter and Suzanne Benyon who joined in 2005, immediately made an impact by continuing their high level of performance for their local clubs. Suzanne in particular was amongst the medals in most events with her main distances being 3K to 10K. Running in the same events on the road or country they even won their respective races. Suzanne's best achievement for the Club was in 2006 when she won four road races but tragically her life was cut short in October 2007. Peter is aiming to continue their winning ways. In the triathlon, international Anna Berrill joined the Club in 1996 and continued to represent GB in the World Triathlon Championships in 1997 & 98 as well as the UK National Championships before concentrating on her running. Graham White joining as a veteran and second claim member has also achieved success in many local triathlon and biathlon events as well as running - his strongest discipline. Graham has also represented GB in the World Duathlon Champs as did Dave Arnold who joined in 2002. Lesley Cliff who joined in 1998 was a late starter to competitive sport but it did not stop Lesley reaching the top of her age group. She was the World Triathlon Champ in the V55 age category in both 2003 & 2004 and also won medals in the National and European Triathlon & Duathlon Champs over several seasons. Already a successful time trialler on the local scene, Steve Wigglesworth switched to the Triathlon in 2005 and immediately made an impact. Even in the running discipline, his weakest, Steve was competitive. He is improving all the time with possibly his best yet to come. In mountain bike racing and cyclo-cross Judith Shakeshaft competed for Wales in the mid to late 1990s and won the Welsh Championships on a number of occasions. In the 1997 World Masters Cyclo Cross Championships in Belgium Judith won a silver medal and in the World Mountain Bike Championships - Master's Category in Switzerland finished in 19th place. Judith has also created a lot of publicity for the Club by her articles in newspapers, magazines as Press Secretary and in the Vegan Society video Soundbites. The Club organised annual open time trials in the 1990s thanks to Steve Oxbrow and later Nick Guy. Nick himself was very competitive along with Tim Holmes, Phil Packwood and later Steve Wigglesworth. Steve in particular led the way into the millennium with some winning performances in local events for the Club and not far behind was Matthew Smith. Steve & Nick also combined in the tandem with notable success. Similarly Steve and Emma Smith were successful as a mixed tandem team. Chris Stuttard was a competitive performer on the track and road racing. In body-building, Stuart Hamilton (joined in 1995) competed annually in the Mr South-East Championships and was third on two occasions. In ice-hockey Elizabeth Donnelly played for the Scottish team.
compiled by P Simpson