The name Berkeley Bicycle Club first appears in the annals in1979, when the by then prestigious racing team of Velo Club Berkeley merged with the Berkeley Wheelmen, a recreational riding club looking for a new image and direction. From then on, the BBC emerged as the premiere amateur racing team in Northern California, with a long list of District and National champions, including Mark Caldwell, , Dan Cvar, Nick Farats, Robert Ford, Calvin Trampleasure, Bob Muzzy, Dan Dole, Alex Osborne, Mark Walsh, and Francesca Saveri. Unlike the British media conglomerate with same initials, our BBC boasted many international stars, including Bob Roll, George Mount, Mark Pringle, Cindy Olavarri, and Heidi Hopkins.

As many BBC racers migrated to professional teams in the 80's, the focus shifted towards developing new talent. Many of the old riders who didn't move on are still around a quarter century later. (Let this be a warning to riders who are hoping to make something of themselves.)

By the mid 80s, the Berkeley Bicycle Club had grown to the point that it could support a semi-pro team of riders scattered around the state but racing in the green-and-white jersey of the BBC. The money was generated by the local riders and enthusiasts and spent on the elite team, as was typical in European cycling clubs of the time. Then in the early 90s the club took off in a new direction, overthrew the tyranny of the old-guard elites, fired the hired guns and turned the resources towards the majority of the club-member racers instead of the elite few. There followed an era of peace and plenty in which the club grew to more than 200 members, put on as many as four races in a year in addition to 20 weeks of Twilights.

After a brief period of stagnation and discord around the turn of the millennium, the club is once again emerging as a powerhouse of race promotion, community service, training rides, and even racing in Northern California.

Awards

Lifetime Charter Memberships:

• Robert Wallace 2001
• Dan Dole, 2002

Presidents Award (Instituted by Mike Bonkowski):

• Mike Stonebreaker, 2003, for exemplary work with event promotion.
• Ben Skrainka, 2002, for bringing in and promoting the Midway Homeless Shelter Criterium.
• Nancy Wright, 2002, for helping with sponsorship and promoting the Berkeley Hills Road Race.

Presidents & Timeline

• 2004 Mike Stonebreaker elected president, navy white circle jersey.
• 2001 Mike Bonkowski elected president, light or dark blue and white jerseys
• 1999 Jason Salkind, 1999-2000, Jason Salkind elected president. Takes most 2s, 3s and women to form new team (Three Bears Racing Team) before disappearing from the scene. Club goes from 200 members to 48 members. Dark green jerseys with the Courthouse logo in a big oval on the front.
• Peter Dahlstrand National 60+ Cyclocross Champion
• 1997 Bloodless coup, David Ratoosh elected on the platform, "I'll keep doing what Scott's been doing"
• 1993-1996 Scott Saifer elected on platform, "If you vote for me I'll still be President"
• 1995 BBC named USCF Western Regional Club of the Year (but what do they know?)
• 1993 Rene Wenzel becomes club coach, yellow stripe added to green crayon jersey
• 1992 Scott Saifer elected President (in the last contested election in BBC history) for first time, green "crayon" jersey introduced
• Tactically active threes team garnered victories as Mike "The Bike" Shearer inspired us all to go to the Tour of Nevada and the Tour of the Gila in an actual rented 15-passanger van. (Imagine the smell by the end of the week)
• 1991 Mark Altenberg elected. Produces most enjoyable Pneusletters in club history for several years, as well as best club meetings. Green block below, white above jerseys
• 1990 Ken Rodriguez elected President. Singlehandedly does everything: Pneusletter, race promotions and winning races in several categories.
• 1988 Casey Kerrigan elected president
• 1987 Dave King re-elected despite not attending the election meeting to avoid that possibility
• 1986 Dave King the Elder elected president
• c1985 Robert Wallace Elected President
• Early 1980s Jonathan Goode Elected didn't believe in sponsorship
• 1979 or 1980 Zachary Cohen President-BBC formed from VeloClub Berkeley and Berkeley Wheelmen, Club Archives lost in a wet garage disaster. Don Cartwright was Zachary's "Other Half" in the merger.
• 1975-VeloClub Berkeley resurrected by Peter Rich (TS) by extracting strongest riders from Berkeley Wheelmen, Wednesday night Twilight race around the bears organized by Dick DiGennaro, participants include Otis Guy, Breeze Borthers, Gary Fisher
•  1971 VeloClub Berkeley formed by Peter Rich to participate in Tour of California (TS)

• Peter Rich's Velo Sport
• Missing Link*
• Peet's Cofee and Teas
• REI (even though an irate rider threw a bottle at the sponsors wife's car)
• GU
• Powerbar
• Avocet
• Red Oak Realty (Dave Ratoosh)
• Claremont Hotel (Before the Resort and Spa makeover)
• San Francisco Newspaper Agencies
• Orinda Spoke and Pedal
• Ten Speed Drive Importers (That was 5x2, not 10x2)
• Chez Pannisse Restaurant and Café
• Café Fanny
• Specialized
• Campagnolog
• Farac-Ban Painting

*There are still a few jerseys around on which a few of the letters have been scratched off to turn Missing Link Berkeley Into:

 i sin
 in
Berkeley

(Pioneered by the late Ed Bense)

Original Members of the BBC