A cycling club is a society for cyclists. Clubs tend to be mostly local, and can be general or specialised. In the United Kingdom, for example, the Cyclists' Touring Club, (CTC) is a national cycling association; the Tricycle Association, Tandem Club and the Veterans Time Trial Association, for those over 40, are specialist clubs. Members of specialist or national groups often also belong to local clubs. Other groups support leisure cyclists or campaign for improved facilities for cyclists. The London Cycling Campaign, Friends of the Earth, and Greenwich Cyclists are examples of campaign groups. History Cycling clubs flourished in 19th century in a time when there were no commercial cars on the market and the principal way of transportation was horse-drawn vehicles, such as the horse and buggy or horsecar. Among the oldest is the Bicycle Touring Club, later the Cyclists' Touring Club and today Cycling UK, formed in 1878. The earliest women's cycling club in Australasia, the Atalanta Cycling Club, was established on 18 August 1892. Local associations Activities A cycling club's activities vary from one aspect of cycle sport to a range of cycling and social activities. Racing clubs organise competitions for members and others, including track cycling, cyclo-cross, road bicycle racing and time trials. Most competitive cyclists belong to a club affiliated to one of the national racing associations, such as British Cycling and Cycling Time Trials in the UK, and may also organise training through BC or ABCC-qualified coaches. Riders often race in their club's colours. Cycling clubs may offer touring, weekly club rides (traditionally on Sunday mornings), regular meetings and social events. Sponsorship Some clubs are sponsored by commercial organisations; riders often wear clothing bearing advertising in return for the sponsor's support. Names Many clubs are named after their home town or district. A few clubs are named after the topography of their region, such as the Alpine Bicycle Club of Golden, Colorado. Some have no connection, such as the Acme Wheelers in south Wales, Zenith CC in Leicester, Gemini BC in north-west Kent. Some call themselves Road Clubs (examples in Britain include Warrington Road Club, Leicestershire Road Club and Archer RC). Others use a title such as Coureurs or Velo (for example, Clayton Velo, Yorkshire Velo, Rugby Velo, Thames Velo, VC Elan, VC Londres or Velo Sport Jersey), using non-English names that reflect the origins of cycle-racing in France. Another common title is Wheelers