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Ive noticed a few cycling clubs have the word 'clarion' in their name & wondered why?
I'm not a devotee of road culture so I thought I'd ask the hive mind.
I thought it may be something to do with the church, old clubs may have started as church cycling clubs etc
A couple of seconds on Google reveal the name came from the Clarion socialist newspaper in 1894.
Ah, I never knew that! Interesting atuff, thank you.
don't forget the Sheffield Clarion Ramblers - the effective political driving force behind getting walking access to many area's of The Peak District
Founded in 1900 - when the Government was a Conservative Liberal coalition with the PM an old Etonian
"The Leader takes the ramble as printed - wet or fine"
[url] http://kindertrespass.com/index.asp?ID=184 [/url]
The Clarion (meaning - to proclaim loudly) was to be the instrument by which their message would be spread, uniting the world under one banner of socialism, peace and harmony.
I enjoyed a brew stop mid-ride at the clarion 'hut' (Nelson) :-[url= http://www.clarionhouse.org.uk/ ]http://www.clarionhouse.org.uk/[/url]
and cycling:- [url= http://www.clarionhouse.org.uk/cycling.htm ]http://www.clarionhouse.org.uk/cycling.htm[/url]
I asked because a work colleague told me about stopping at that teahut for a brew (he'd heard they served tea in pints) and found if full of smelly cyclists!
I love the idea of the history of this club.
There's a very charismatic gentleman, recently retired after a life of teaching, who trundles around the Ribble Valley in a VW bus with the words "Socialism is the only hope for the world" or something to that effect on the sides and "National Clarion Cycling Club" on the back, usually there's an interesting bike like a penny-farthing or a Hetchins Special or something else hanging there as well. This gentleman organises cycle jumbles around the North West and is often found at Clarion House near Nelson. He's contributed some fascinating cycling history material to their website. He was actually thrown out of the National Clarion for his uncompromising views and so formed his own branch of the real Clarion, membership: one person. An interesting character who I feel privileged to know and who my son was privileged to have as his history teacher.
There is a nice book on the history of British road racing which goes into a nice bit of detail about the formation of Clarion clubs, socialism in cycling and (the main point of the book) the history of the different officiating bodies that led to the rise of the time trial in the UK.
Unhelpfully I can't remember for the life of me what the book's called and who wrote it. Anyone got any idea? I read it about 8 years ago.
MD - if you fancy a ride up there one Sunday drop me an email sometime and I'll see if I can join you (from L'boro)
Munrobiker - was it "One more kilometer and we're in the showers" by Tim Hilton. An interesting read.
'Clarion' is a word that works particularly well in a Yorkshire or Derbyshire accent.
Yes, or East Lancashire....think Fred Dibnah!
dlabz- Yes, that's it. A really good read, and when I read it I wasn't into road bikes that much.