Many people ask why Penge CC originally chose the red, green and white colours we still ride in today.
The club’s original founders Winston Farquharson, Jonathan Burns and Yvonne Wright told us the answer.
Do you know your Penge CC trivia? Is it A, B or C?
A. The Shakespearean actor Ira Alridge (1807-1864) lived in Penge at 5 Hamlet Road (you can see the Blue plaque there still). He was married in St.John’s Church up the road from SE20 Cycles where there used to be a portrait of him dressed in red, white and green as Othello “The Moor of Venice”. Our founders chose the Italian colours as a tribute to his achievements.
B. Back in the day, the founders met with the original kit supplier over lunch in the sun at Penge Rec. When asked about a colour scheme, they noticed that the cans of cola they were drinking looked rather nice on the grass. The supplier did a Pantone match on the spot and the rest is history.
C . Stephano’s ice cream vans were a regular site in Penge back in the noughties. The founders asked Steph to become the first club sponsor and he agreed providing the kit colours were the green, white and red of his iconic vans. Although Stephano’s is sadly no more, a few of the Stephano branded short sleeved jerseys are still seen on the Sunday rides now and then.