2023 Is A Massive Year For Oxford University Cycling Club

The club was founded in 1873, making it one of the oldest (maybe the oldest) student cycling clubs in the world. Of course, that also means that 2023 will be our 150th Anniversary, and it’s fair to say we have some exciting offerings planned to fittingly mark the occasion!

The club has gone from strength to strength in recent years, more than tripling the membership to over 150 active members coming from across the university, including undergraduates, postgraduates, and permanent staff, plus locals of the city. We actively ensure that the club welcomes, supports, and nurtures everyone on two wheels, from casual riders who want to spin around the Cotswolds in the sun to those looking to smash around on TT bikes and podium at BUCS events!

We feel that historically the club hasn’t stayed in touch with our alumni as much as we’d have liked to however – so this year we’re aiming to change that. Signing up for this mailing list will mean that we’ll have your details to keep you abreast of all the alumni offerings we have in the works, including:

  • – A special edition Anniversary Alumni kit offering, in collaboration with Le Col.
  • – Invitation to our Anniversary Dinner – to be held on the 11th of February 2023 at Somerville College, with a drinks reception followed by a formal dinner in the college hall – SAVE THE DATE!
  • – Invitations to our annual events, including the OUCC Hill Climb (a CTT event) held in Wytham Woods, our Reliability Ride taking in seemingly endless ascents of Brill Hill, and our Cuppers 10-mile TT – to ride for your current club or as an alumni.
  • – Invitation to our “150th Anniversary Celebration Event” – to be held in Spring 2023, the event will include relay time trials (think the Hammer Series!) on a closed roads circuit with OUCC battling it out with CUCC for Varsity supremacy and alumni teams encouraged to enter as well! Not promising anything, but we’re in talks with some high-profile guests within the cycling world to come along to wave the starting flag and compere the races, watch this space…

Cycling is, of course, an expensive sport and our central philosophy is to make the sport accessible to all – regardless of social status, gender, or ability. If you did feel generous enough to support the club then any and all donations are more than appreciated in support of this cause! You can find our newly updated club development page here, which has a portal – run by the University’s Development Office – for easily making donations with Gift Aid:
www.development.ox.ac.uk/sport/clubs/cycling

If you’d like to become a member of the club (this isn’t necessary to sign up to the mailing list!) then we offer a £25 alumni membership – forms.gle/WWD6iFq2QEvSSWpn9. 

Benefits include:

  • – Access to the club’s TrainingPeaks training plan written by our amazing professional coach Henry Latimer – 2020cycling.cc 
  • – Two of our special edition 150th Anniversary Tacx bidons (see picture below)
  • – Up to 50% discounts on Limar helmets/eyewear, Bryton head units, HIGH5 products, & EZdiscs
  • – Club affiliation with British Cycling & CTT
  • – Ability to purchase the full range of Le Col club kit and Saxon casual kit

The newly founded OUCC Alumni Group can be joined here:
www.facebook.com/groups/1163828024204319

Our public Facebook page can be found here:www.facebook.com/OxfordUniCC

Our club Facebook group (alumni are welcome to join) can be found here: www.facebook.com/groups/oxforduniversitycc/

Most importantly, the sign-up for the mailing list can be found here: https://forms.gle/KVkAARP6A1EaJhBAA.

Our contact email is: cycling.club@sport.ox.ac.uk (or if you’d like to chat with me personally, you are more than happy to do so – adam.isherwood@some.ox.ac.uk)

Please do share this form with any alumni that you’re in contact with! We’re effectively starting from scratch in setting up this mailing list, so your help would be massively appreciated as we work to enhance OUCC-alumni relations.

Immediately below you’ll find our Anniversary Alumni kit design – this will be officially unveiled at our Anniversary dinner (11/02/23) and available to purchase by all alumni for delivery in time for the spring. Don’t worry – the accompanying shorts aren’t white, just the jersey!

– Adam Isherwood, OUCC President 2022/23