Road Records Association

The Road Records Association is the British cycle racing organisation which supervises records achieved on by individual riders over set distances or times or between cities. It is one of the oldest cycle sport organisations in the world, formed in 1888.

Remit

Records are established by riders covering set distances (eg: 25, 50 or 100 miles), riding for prescribed periods of time (12 or 24 hours), or cycling between certain places (eg: London to Brighton and back, Land's End to John o' Groats). Riders can compete on single bicycles or tricycles, tandem bicycles or tricycles, with records accepted for men, women and, in the tandem categories, mixed teams.

Records for set distances can be established on 'straight-out' courses which may incorporate significant downhill sections and, weather permitting, strong tail-winds. This contrasts with competition records established in conventional time trials, where the locations of start and finish points are required to be within a short distance of each other to neutralise the impact of gradients and weather.

Early history

From 1890, the National Cyclists' Union (an association established to organise and regulate UK bicycle racing) had banned all cycle racing on public roads. However, certain exceptions were made - first, with respect to record-breaking, and then with respect to time trials.

A J Wilson, president of the North Road Cycling Club, convened a meeting in 1888 at which the Road Records Association was founded, with the object of certifying the claims to record of male cyclists on the road, and setting standards for the timing and authentication of records. The Women's Road Record Association was formed in 1934, and merged with the RRA in 1989.

For other riders who wanted to race on the road, Frederick Thomas Bidlake came up with the idea of promoting time trials. As riders would be racing against the clock, not against other competitors in a large group, they would, he argued, be less likely to attract attention. The first event was organised by the North Road Cycling Club, over 50 miles, and took place on 5 October 1895. Within two years, time trials had also been banned by the NCU, but events continued to be run on a secretive basis, organised by what became the Road Time Trials Council (later Cycling Time Trials). Many exponents of time trials were also involved in RRA record attempts.

Bidlake was a record breaker in the 1880s, and was later in great demand as a timekeeper. He was a member of the RRA committee for many years, and was President from 1924 until his death in 1933.

Records

The RRA recognises records for the following:

• 25 Miles
• 50 Miles
• 100 Miles
• 1000 Miles
• 12 Hours
• 24 Hours
• Land's End to John o' Groats
• Land's End to London
• London to York
• London to Edinburgh
• York to Edinburgh
• London to Liverpool
• Liverpool to Edinburgh
• London to Cardiff
• London to Pembroke
• Pembroke to Gt Yarmouth
• London to Birmingham
• London to Bath & Back
• London to Portsmouth & Back
• London to Brighton & Back

The RRA also has UK regional groups which focus on record-breaking within their respective parts of the country.

External links

• Road Records Association