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The Bicycle Club
of Irvine is a recreational and social cycling club for men
and women of all ages and skill levels. We are not a racing
team. We have members from all over Southern California; in
fact, only 25% of the members live in Irvine. Our members
ride all sorts of bicycles: road bikes, tandems, mountain
bikes and hybrids.
We have ride levels on our scheduled rides to accommodate
riders of all skill levels, climbing abilities and pace. All
ages and abilities are welcome. Minors are requested to be
accompanied by an adult.
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| Club
founder,
Bill Sellin |
In 1981, the City of Irvine recreation staff at Deerfield Community
Park started the Bicycle Club of Deerfield for middle school
students. The club went on weekend rides to the beach, overnight
rides down the coast and the staff provided bicycle maintenance
classes. The club members discovered that they enjoyed cycling
together, membership grew and adults began to join. In 1982,
the group began meeting weekly at various park sites in Irvine,
not just Deerfield Community Park. As a result, the name and
was changed to the Bicycle Club of Irvine (BCI) to represent
the entire Irvine community.
The club became a popular social, and recreational cycling
club. Soon bicycle shops were recommending BCI for those who
were new to cycling, those looking for a non-competitive environment
and anyone looking for friends to ride with.
On the morning of July 30, 1983, over 30 club members came
together in Deerfield Park to appoint the first board of directors
for The Bicycle
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Club of Irvine. Bill Sellin,
founder of the original club and a member of the Irvine Community
Services Department, facilitated the meeting. At that meeting
a group volunteered to set up a regular monthly business meeting,
a treasury, and a ride calendar to mail to members each month.
The club, sponsored by the City of Irvine, had become a full-fledged
cycling organization.
In 1986, the city of Irvine began to phase out of the club's
operation, allowing the club to stand on its own. BCI now
has over 500 active members who participate in the clubs many
scheduled rides and social events.
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| BCI draws its membership
from Irvine as well as surrounding communities. Some members
come from as far away as Los Angeles County and San Diego County
and we even have a few from out-of-state.
Meetings are held every month and feature a guest speaker
along with announcements and discussions of club business.
The single-page ride calendar has evolved into a full-fledged
newsletter called Pace Lines
that is published and mailed to over 400 addresses each month.
For many years, the Bicycle Club of Irvine has provided input
into the City's bikeway development and bicycle facilities
committee, has worked with public safety by helping to teach
bicycle safety, and provided free helmets for Irvine school
children. While the club identifies itself with the City of
Irvine, it is well known throughout Southern California.
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| Updated
on
Wednesday, 13-Jan-2010 19:19:52 EST
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