Old Bleach is a welcoming cycle club based in Randalstown, County Antrim. The club was formed in June 1945 and has been part of the local cycling scene since. That makes 2015 our 70th anniversary – Hoorah! Happy Anniversary to us!
The workforce at Randalstown’s Old Bleach Linen Mill (which you can read a poem about here) was quite active and very keen on forming clubs and associations. Badminton, Bowling, Cricket, Football, Hockey and Tennis are some of the sports to have borne the Old Bleach club name. Unsurprisingly, Old Bleach Cycle Club can thank the Linen Factory for its inception too.
Over the years the pedals, the pedalling and the ‘pedallers’ themselves have all changed but the principles have remained the same – Old Bleach is committed to getting people out on their bikes, enjoying themselves and improving their well-being.
Whether your cycling consists of pure recreation, personal challenges, training, road racing, time trialling, triathlons or something else altogether, Old Bleach will do its utmost to support each and every rider.
To us all cyclists are created equal. It is our aim to help both the group as a whole and the individuals who form it maximise their cOld Bleach Cycle Clubycling pleasure.
On Saturdays and Sundays our club runs meet at 9-30am, in John Street car park, in the centre of Randalstown. From the same location, we also run cycles every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the summer.
Click on the appropriate links to read more on each club run and look at ourGarmin Connect and MapMyRide profiles to find out about the routes, distances, speed etc. of the individual activities.
Like most cycle clubs worldwide, Old Bleach is fully affiliated with the Union Cycliste Internationale. As a Northern Irish club, we fall under the umbrella of Cycling Ireland. Such membership provides both the club and its riders with insurance and provides various other beneficial opportunities eg. courses in coaching, safety, training etc.