"Founded in 1888 to verify and certify the genuineness of claims to best performances on record by cyclists on the road"
You can find information about the Association by clicking the links on the left of the page.
For publications on the History of the RRA. Please click here
What is the RRA about ?
The Association currently accepts claims to best performance for 20 records and only these records. It accepts claims for four categories of machine, Bicycle, Tricycle, Tandem Bicycle and Tandem Tricycle. For each record and type of machine there is a record for male and female riders and for Tandem Bicycles and Tandem Tricycles, mixed gender crews also.
Please note: Record claims on other routes or in other categories are not considered by the Association, and there are no separate categories for junior, veteran or disabled riders etc.
Please also be aware that many of the Records listed are performances by experienced cyclists, some of them professional. Please consider carefully your ability to undertake an attempt before submitting your schedule and fee. Where possible, aspirants are recommended to have ridden similar distances or durations previously. It is usually also of value to have ridden or possibly driven over the selected route beforehand.
All attempts have to be carried out on the roads of Great Britain, but riders have a free choice of route. RRA rules set out clearly the prior notice needed for an attempt which must include precise details of the route. The Records Secretary can advise routes which have been used in the past.
In the case of distance records (25, 50, 100 and 1000 miles) some verified routes are known. For 12 or 24 hour records, the distance will be checked by a course measurer after the attempt has been made.
One-way place-to-place records can take place in either direction, but there is just the one record (eg rides from Birmingham to London and from London to Birmingham are both attacking the same record).
Two-way place-to-place rides can start at any point, with the rider visiting both terminal points, and returning to the start point.
Records are open to any rider. Any rider from any country can attempt a record and no club membership or affiliation is required.
The Association ratifies claims to record but does not itself organise record attempts. Many members of the Association have experience of organising attempts and are willing to advise. If you are interested, the General Secretary, or Records Secretary are your best points of contact.