About Us

Club History

The Ottawa Bicycle Club was founded in 1882. We are the oldest and one of the largest bicycle clubs in Canada. The OBC offers a range of cycling programs which appeal to a range of cyclists from novice to experienced riders. Events vary from relaxed country tours with picnic lunches to fast-action road racing.

The Ottawa Bicycle Club provides a unified voice for cyclists in the national capital region to speak to government bodies, organizations and other groups of interest to cyclists.

The OBC is run by members -- only through an active membership can the club offer so many programs. Club members volunteer to lead the tours and organize club events. Open to cyclists of all ages, our oldest members are in their eighties, our youngest have just taken off their training wheels.

Day Tours

The OBC offers a variety of group riding opportunities. The vanguard of our program is our Sunday Rides program. Sunday tours normally depart from the McDonald's at Billings Bridge. Occasionally, the start point changes from Billings Bridge to another location, which we refer to as a "remote start". On Sundays, riders have a choice of group riding speed and distance to suit your particular fitness level. The Club also has group rides on Saturdays during the summer months or Tuesday evening rides if you enjoy stress-free evening rides. The reliability rides are a traditional club event which allows each rider to estimate a time to complete a particular distance. Suzan Bouchard and Serge Boudreau have organized the Spring and Fall Reliability Rides year after year.

Touring Events

Touring events are overnight tours to locations outside the National Capital Region. The marquis event is the Rideau Lakes Cyle Tour from Ottawa to Kingston and return. It is normally held the first weekend in June. The Vermont tour is normally based out of a state college in Vermont, such as Castleton, Johnston, Burlington or Lydonville. An Inn-to-Inn Vermont tour is also held in conjunction with the Vermont weekend. A small group of OBCers travel to Virginia in the Spring, to get a jump on the cycling season. The Summers End Century Tour is a trip to the NAVCAN facility in Cornwall, Ontario, and there is a "Metric" and "Imperial" route offered.

Racing

The OBC operates a comprehensive racing program. Our race team provides development and support to athletes of all ages and abilities with great success. Cyclists can take part in our Tuesday and Thursday evening Time Trials on the Rockcliffe Parkway. The OBC also hosts the OBC Grand Prix in Gatineau Park. This racing event has Ontario Cup status and is also a Quebec Federation Event. In the fall months, the OBC hosts the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross series.

Life Time Members

The following persons have been awarded life-time memberships in the Ottawa Bicycle Club for the unique contributions they have made.

OBC Presidents

The following table lists all the presidents of the Ottawa Bicycle Club since its renaissance in 1971.