Muckle CC
The Geordie outfit push Simon Warren to the VO2 Max
Where is Muckle anyway?” This was my first question as we gathered in the shadow of Newcastle’s Baltic Centre. “Muckle isn’t a place Simon, it’s a state of mind,” came the reply.
The Muckle CC was started in 2015 by John Bowman and a couple of mates who wanted to put their own stamp on a cycling club. They found the clubs they were already members of too set in their ways, too traditional, so felt compelled to shake things up a bit. They wanted to bring a fresh approach to everything, from the weekly rides to how they organise events. Going on the number of people here today it has clearly been a roaring success.
Meeting up at the Millennium Bridge on the wonderfully redeveloped Newcastle riverside was a group of 40 immaculately dressed riders, each one head to toe in the graphically striking Muckle kit. Greg Charlton told me that this sartorial elegance has been key in attracting riders, especially students from the local universities, all keen to look the part. The predominantly black and white design with flashes of pink and plenty of branding looks modern and professional, which reflects the club’s attitude towards riding.
Rolling west along the river I found myself chatting to one of the club’s elder statesmen, 59 ‘and-a-half ’ year-old Ian Stanners who sheds more light on the word Muckle for me. It can mean many things but in essence it means, hard or tough, for example you’d say a ‘muckle ride’ or a ‘muckle hill’. It echoes the spirit of the infamous Border Reivers who inhabited the land around the border between England and Scotland: a tough breed of raiders and mercenaries
who pledged no allegiance to either nation and at times of hardship looked after themselves first by whatever means necessary.
You see, the Muckle CC make no excuses for being a club focused on fast, hard rides and pushing each other to the limit, tearing each other’s legs off on really hilly routes. In the early days they were all about huge day-long adventures into the hills of Country Durham or up into Northumberland to ride themselves into the ground, but as more of them started racing they found these rides were having a detrimental affect on their performances. They still do undertake the occasional monster excursion but the principal club ride is now the ‘Tuesday Night Hills’, which are short and intense and, of course, packed with hills.
Charlton added that if you are a beginner then, no, this isn’t the right place for you and prospective members must complete a couple of rides with them before they are allowed to join. It’s not a case of being elitist; it’s just you will not enjoy yourself if you’re not of a certain standard. There was a mix of ages present on the ride and, yes, a range of ability across them, but there was only one woman, Jen Mcmahon. She told me there were actually just four female members at present and she was the only one riding today because the other three were racing cyclo-cross. In fact, a few of the club's really fit members were racing or resting up after a punishing hill-climb season.
The focus of the day’s ride was, naturally, a hill, and not just any hill, but the awesome Prospect Hill rising out of Corbridge. At 1,500 metres and with six hairpin bends, it’s the venue for the Muckle CC annual hill-climb and one hell of an amazing road. As we hit the base I expected it to go hell for leather but through the first couple of bends the front of the group kept together until one rider couldn’t help himself and that was it, game on. The friendly rivalry that is evident in the younger members is the energy that binds this club and they all gave it full gas in a bid to be first to the summit, where, and this is one tradition they do preserve, they waited until everyone had completed the climb.
With Prospect Hill in the bag we then faced the undulating ride back towards Newcastle, where the group spread out on the hills due to the pace up front then contracted again over the top until we were closing in on the cafe. With about five kilometres left of the ride I was chatting to ex-800 metre runner Andy Richardson about his transition to cycling when all of a sudden the pace picked up, really picked up. Now we were shifting; this was a proper race to the cafe and it was furious and fun all the way to the brilliant Pedalling Squares. I have yet to find a better cycling cafe, it
is pure heaven. Comfy sofas, great food, beer even and the perfect spot to finish a ‘Muckle ride’ with the Muckle CC.
Club history
Formed in 2015, the club does not have a grand history but they are making waves, and I have no doubt they will be a breeding ground for talent in the years to come. Like a Petri dish in a lab, they have all the right ingredients, the attitude and the terrain on their doorstep to produce strong riders who will shake up all the local races. To date they are home to 50+ criterium champion Colin Atkinson and they have won the Northumberland and Durham hill-climb league three years in a row.