Cycling Club Badges?

[merseymouth]

Hello there, I enjoy collecting such badges, real social history. One I have just got my hands on has me puzzled. it is a small silver & enamel about 2cm round. With a Welsh Dragon on a shield, surrounded with the words "Dragon Roads Club". The makers mark dates to pre-1940, L. Simpson & Co. London.The firm did Masonic & Buffs Regalia as their bread & butter work.
Does anyone know anything about this club, which I suspect may have been in the South Wales area, not the North which I am more familiar with. Any assistance would be appreciated. TTFN Merseymouth

[gaz]

Déjà vu.

Months go by without this sort of question, then twice in the same afternoon .

Good luck with your research.

[merseymouth]

Hi Gaz, Expect the third wheel to come along soon! Fact is MLR & I regularly test each others knowledge, with success occasionally. Sadly I had managed to get myself locked out of the forum through "Brain Fade"! Having managed to gain access I posted my own query without noticing that the question had already been posted, Doh.
There must be hundreds of clubs who are defunct, but their nice badges pop up. I try not to get carried away in obtaining ones that interest me, but sadly some go out of my pocket money range. Only one badge left me very sad, which a web glitch prevented me from bidding for? That was an Ulster "Eglington" badge. That was the RNAS near Londonderry where my late father spent time, so I would have loved it very much. Well, see you on the other forum as well Gaz. TTFN MM

[Bicycler]

A bit ike this?

dragon_road_club_badge_vcc_library.jpg (14.07 KiB) Viewed 3314 times

Did a quick Google search and there were a few mentions including that picture.

[merseymouth]

Hi Bicycler, Yes, same club but different version of the badge. The one in your picture would appear to be a base metal version, maybe even a little larger as it could well be a Vaughton model?
My version certainly pre-dates 1940, maybe even much earlier! I hope my posted photo is of interest?
So same club, just where to get at now? TTFN MM

[camdave]

My father was a member of the Dragon Roads Club in the late 1920s and early 1930s. I have a large number of his DRC medals for time trials from 25 to 100 miles.
He lived in west London and rode at the now grassed over Paddington Recreation Ground track. There is no connection with Wales that I am aware of.
Hope this helps!

[Audax67]

^^^ 100-mile time trial! They should slap that up the TdF chappies.

[camdave]

Not being a cyclist I may have got the terminology wrong; all the medals give a mileage and time. The longest was 207.75 miles in 12 hours, I have always thought that was quite an achievement, especially in 1932!
He also has medals from the 'Western NCU' - if anyone knows anything about that organisation I would be interested.

[Bicycler]

Do clubs still do 12 and 24hr time trials? You don't hear much about them nowadays

[Grandad]

Do clubs still do 12 and 24hr time trials? You don't hear much about them nowadays

As far as I know there are no 12 or 24 hours run by clubs purely for their own members.

Organising these requires a considerable number of marshals and other helpers so even when a club runs an Open 12 or 24 event it invariably draws helpers from other local clubs. Down here in the South East all the 100 mile and longer events are run by the local Associations.

[Bicycler]

Thanks for that. I should really have asked if the 12 and 24hr time trials still took place. You'll have to forgive me for not knowing how TTs are organised. It is a discipline I have admired from afar. I guess it is never to late in life to start...

[merseymouth]

Hello all, Thank you for your responses, quite enlightening. That would explain why in 1935 the club secretary had a London W9 address! So in effect the Dragon RC may have been cycling's version of rugby's London Welsh? Not actually from the land of my wife's father! But I find old club badges quite fascinating, my most recent one is a case in point. "Protestant Reformers Wheelers & Athletics Club"? Founded in 1908, in Liverpool. Quite by chance I found a photo of a club gathering in a non cycling related magazine. Club Uniform & Regalia on display circa 1910. I'll continue to follow the old & quirky. How many clubs these days have quality metal badges? Not many I bet. Well TTFN MM

[Ayesha]

Have you got a Midland Cycling and Athletic Club pin?

[Luddite1]

Dragon Roads Club,
I was a member there when I lived in London.
Now in Yorjkshire I'm with the Calder Clarion Club, The Dragon folded many years ago, I corresponded by post with their final secretayt, Pete Wilkes who then (30 years ago ?)held their remaining paper work.
My name is John Clayton, I'd be interested to know your father's name?
John

[camdave]

Hi John, my dad's name was William (Bill) Sansom. He lived in South Harrow and cycled at Paddington. His peak cycling period was late 1920s early 30s.
I am intrigued that you have posted ten years after my original messages; did you come across the topic by accident?
Regards David