ABSTRACT
Broadly covering the years from the formation of the CTC in 1878 to the 1960s, this chapter charts how external events and internal membership work to define the changing emphases and identities of a single organisation. Important elements to emerge from this examination include the class profile of cyclists as both members and non-members and the continued rethinking whether the task of a cyclists’ club should be the sectional promotion of the interests of its membership or whether its role should that of a wider representative on behalf of the rights of all cyclists. Changing external circumstances clearly play a very significant role in these discussions. One set of controversies focuses on the relationship of cyclists to the road and whether separated cycle paths and infrastructures could provide a better alternative to the growing dominance of motor traffic. Closely connected with these considerations are ongoing safety campaigns that are explored to show contrasting the production of contrasting discourses on cycling, power and responsibility.
