cycle LETTERS Write to: Cycle Letters, CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, THAT WAS THEN Guildford, GU2 9JX, or email [email protected] Bicycle suspension, 75 AUDAX OK all those kids who now time trial, cyclo- years ago… cross and road race, do they cycle to When our roads were very much school? You bet they do! rougher than they are today, almost The notion that ‘proper cyclists’ – read every imaginable kind of shock absorber was placed on the market, athletic types in lycra – marginalise but the demand was never sufficient Josephine Public on a bike and leave her to keep the inventions alive. Volumes more vulnerable on the road is gainsaid could be written on the subject, for we by the evidence that motorists give had spring seat pillars, spring forks, more room to those who do not appear spring handlebars, and innumerable to be ‘proper cyclists’: blondes without varieties of spring frames. One of helmets get the widest berth of all. the most famous was the BSA spring All cycling is good: let none of us be frame, upon which Harry Green broke marginalised. several records; but today nothing In reply to Peter Kenner’s letter in the Brian Kennedy of this sort survives. And if springing June/July issue: audax is predominantly devices were not wanted for water- a tourist event with max and min time I think that perhaps you asked the wrong bound macadam roads, who would limits. This equates to quite low average question. Cycle sport does appear to get buy them for the smooth speedways of today? The chief trouble has always speeds and, once completed, does not people cycling but sadly it does not get been that springs involve a loss of have a result or finishing sheet. The them out of their cars. If you attend any power, and although engines may whole concept of the ride is to complete cycle sport event, the vast majority of have plenty to spare this does not the distance within the allocated time, participants have travelled there by car, apply to human beings. much the same as the CTC 50-in-4 and some from a great distance. Similarly, Editorial response re. springs on 100-in-8 rides. when helping on a ladies’ race a few bicycles – CTC Gazette, 1935 It is not a case of seeing how fast you weeks ago, there were seven motor can ride through the countryside. It vehicles going round the circuit with the never has been and never will be under competitors. In total the cars and motor THE FUNNY SIDE Audax UK regulations. If Peter looks at a bikes did 350 miles, creating extra traffic I was delighted to read Rex Coley’s name copy of Arrivée, the audax magazine, he and the pollution that goes with it. in Roy Spilsbury’s letter (Cycle, June- will find that the majority of riders have I and other CTC members work July), in which he bemoans the lack of a mudguards, racks, saddlebags and even constantly to encourage the use of bikes giggle factor in cycling stories today. Rex lights – real touring machines not really as a viable alternative to motor vehicles was Cycling’s esteemed Cycle Touring conducive to riding at speed. but cycle sport most definitely does not Advisor when I first joined Cycling on Furthermore, the revenue from the do that. Fleet Street in the 1970s, and his dry two audax events run by Lancaster and Ian Burt sense of humour wasn’t confined to the South Cumbria CTC each year is used by printed page. the organiser to subsidise the club and Editor Ken Evans was a snappy dresser its activities. This surely is a good thing and turned up one day in a vividly for the membership? coloured shirt, causing Coley to shield David Core, Lancaster and his eyes and cry out, ‘It’s The Shirt’. South Cumbria CTC & Audax UK The name stuck. Henceforth, even Ken referred to himself as ‘The Shirt’. He dubbed assistant editor Sid CYCLE SPORT Saltmarsh ‘The Twins’ – Salt and Marsh. In your head-to-head last issue, Matt Coley would turn up at the office, and Wilson, writing about what gets the ask, ‘Are they in?’ – indicating Sid’s British public onto bikes, says: ‘The empty desk. If the answer was ‘Yes’, question here is: what does professional Coley would then ask, ‘Both of them?’ cycling do to alter these sorts of He was very funny man, and a brilliant prejudice?’ writer. We all have funny cycling tales to Professional cycling is just the tip of a tell. But few of us can translate it to the motivational iceberg. The real question written page is: what does the buzz of competition Keith Bingham, Dorking do to get bums on saddles? And the answer is ‘lots’. I am lucky enough to WELCOME TO SCOTLAND live in a town where a Go-ride club has I’ve just completed Land’s End to John been launched, with great success. And O’Groats, cycle-camping. I really enjoyed

16 cycle august/september 2010 the trip – far and away the longest I’ve to our deliveries and being our own achieved to date. masters – being able to deliver at our Obituaries My reason for writing is this: I felt own pace and using our own methods a warm glow cycling in Scotland as I of tackling the job. We also enjoy not LES WARNER MBE genuinely felt welcome on the roads. A having to be waited for or having to wait Died 18th June, aged 82, after a long touring bike, fully loaded with camping for colleagues while working in ‘loops’ illness. Les joined the CTC staff in gear, with me pedalling it, is a pretty around vans. 1953 and was National Secretary slow, lumbering beast that inevitably Max Lambert, Colchester (Chief Executive, as was) from 1959 causes a little traffic nuisance. Most for 21 years. Throughout that time he handled major negotiations with drivers are considerate and patient For an update on CTC’s campaign on this Government and other authorities, people and I had very few reasons for topic, see ctc.org.uk/royalmail. represented CTC at countless complaint as I trundled along the A30, meetings, conferences and events then up to Bristol, Wye Valley, etc. ON THE WRONG SIDE relating to the promotion of cycling England really is very nice overall. I had a thought the other day: why can’t for travel and transport, road safety, However, when I got to Scotland cyclists cycle facing oncoming traffic? countryside access etc. everything changed. Cars, vans, A cyclist uses the same amount of road Les began cycling as a wartime and lorries would, without fail, slow space no matter which way he is facing. evacuee exploring the Surrey down and overtake very carefully and Walkers are advised to walk facing countryside. Returning to London he considerately. Not once in Scotland did oncoming traffic, so why not cyclists? joined the South Western Road Club. It I feel at all pressured or intimidated. I Think of the advantages. You will be was on a CTC tour that Les met Sheila got lost on a few occasions and three facing oncoming cars, some of which Messenger, whom he married in 1960. times in the outskirts of Edinburgh, are so quiet that you can’t hear them The Warners led tours at home and abroad and never owned a car. while standing studying the map, I was until they have run you off the road – Les took the reins of CTC with approached by a local and offered help and when electric cars become more cycling and membership both even before I’d asked. common they will be even worse. in decline. From a 1971 low, CTC Frank Manning, Jodrell Bank You would also see the face of the membership more than doubled to oncoming motorist for future reference. 40,000 by 1980, when Les’s growing POST SCRIPT Gone would be the days when nutters workload precipitated an early can approach you from behind and retirement. Earlier that year Les shout at you or smack you on the back received the MBE with characteristic with a rolled up newspaper. If you rode modesty: as an honour for CTC rather two abreast you could see approaching than himself. He was also awarded the motorists and fall into a single line. Bidlake medal and a new role as CTC The more I think about this, the more President. it makes sense. Roundabouts and traffic Les went on to work for WWF and then several voluntary positions lights? Best to get off and walk. associated with his other interests, Dennis E Hiller, Chorley particularly music, French and literature. For most of the last 30 years This isn’t as crazy as it sounds, when you Les continued to enjoy cycling. That consider the London trial of cyclists being we can also do so is in no small way allowed to ride against the traffic flow on due to his work. He leaves a devoted I write as a postman of over 20 years, all one-way streets. Problems arise when you wife Sheila, three children, and eight spent on bicycle delivery. Many of my consider not just roundabouts and traffic grandchildren. (A longer obituary colleagues and myself were saddened to lights but junctions of any kind: left turning for Les Warner appears on the CTC hear late last year of Royal Mail’s plans to traffic would be looking where you’re not. website.) Chris Juden dispense with almost all cycle deliveries. These would be replaced with two- DIVERSITY & EQUALITY ERIC HARRISON man teams driving ‘car-derived vans’ Having read the letter from Gary Wilson Died after a stroke, aged 81, on 27th or single posties using high-capacity in your latest magazine, I decided to flick January. He joined Bramley Wheelers in 1945, club riding and racing until trolleys for walks less than a mile from through and see if he was right. RAF National Service. Following the delivery office. I was shocked to see in that issue discharge he worked for the Postal Many of us do not wish to use vans there was only one Asian woman in the Service. He was a member of the because of the extra packets we will magazine and she was in the picture National Hill Climb Championship have to deliver. Bulk packets are at the that had been put in to respond to Mr in 1954 and ’57, and was later a BCF moment delivered by vans, which also Wilson’s letter. The only other two coach and active with the VTTA. He handle our many extra bags, which are examples of anyone who wasn’t white retired to the Lake District and joined deposited in pouch boxes or safe points were both in adverts. the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team. on our delivery routes. CTC is meant to be a modern He completed the Wainwright 240 Another anxiety for posties is that magazine that promotes new, interesting peaks in the winter of his 65th year. many of us enjoy the freedom of cycling and different ways to cycle, travel and M R Arundale

august/september 2010 cycle 17 Write no Join in cyclingw discussions online with the CT http://forum.ctc.C forum, org.uk/

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explore and modern, efficient ways to Brooks saddles on all my solo bicycles Obituaries get around on bicycles. Yet CTC gives the and tandems. impression of being old fashioned and Don Crabtree LEONARD J DUFFIN: backward in its multiculturalism. 1922-2010 Being a girl myself and having two A FITTER WORKFORCE Died from a leg infection in February. sisters, I was upset to see that about Len was a lifelong cyclist who never 85% of the magazine’s pictures and drove a car and was a past president articles were aimed directly to your and treasurer of Essex DA. With his male readers and all the writers are men. wife Minnie he rode tandem when he Again this not does represent the British joined CTC and the Romford Section population. in 1951, transferring to the Western Leah Jones, aged 13, Hackney Section in 1964. He was a founder of the Tandem Club with Don Journet in Diversity and equality are issues that CTC is the 1960s. After Min’s death in 1987 his engaged with – see, in particular, the article cycling declined and he took up canal boating. Charles Comport on the Cycle Champions on page 48. PETER STUBBS: 1951-2010 BIKES FOR WOMEN Peter was fatally injured on 4th May I am 149cm tall, or just under 4ft 11in in when struck by a car on the A20. A old money. I have never found a quality keen long-distance rider, touring with bike off-the-peg to fit so my bikes are West Kent DA and racing 12 and 24 bespoke. Expensive! I did consider hour time trials with Catford Cycling Islabikes very seriously for my most Club, he was one of 19 Britons to complete the 1975 Paris-Brest-Paris. A recent bike but in the end opted for a The June/July Workplace Challenge year later he helped found Audax UK. Roberts – an urban bike to complement article contained a slip. Fuel savings, His palmarès included 400 miles in my Longstaff tourer. costs, CO2 and energy figures were all the 1977 Mersey Roads 24. Peter put a Of course it’s not just the frame. There consistent, but the estimate of pounds lot into cycling, running and helping are problems obtaining good quality of fat burnt was over optimistic. Looks out at events with Catford CC, West short-reach levers, especially for drops like someone got their kilojoules and Kent and the Kent Cycling Association. – we modified my drop-bar levers by kilocalories mixed up. The blubber Catford CC and West Kent CTC fixing little spacers inside to force the number should be roughly 20 stones levers a bit nearer the handlebars. There rather than half a ton. LEN HOOK: 1921-2010 are problems obtaining quality short Still worthwhile, but worth also Died peacefully aged 89 on 12th cranks – I’ll hang on to my TA 160s putting into perspective in the context March. Len was a founder member forever! Then there’s gloves – very little to of cycling’s historical place in transport. of the BLRC along with . choose from – and shoes, also very little Back in 1950 – when we still had food In 1945 he won a stage of the Tour of to choose from in size 4. rationing and Woodbines were a bob for Britain. When he crashed in the event a year later, he married Betty Durrant Viv Mackay, Romsey 20, bike sheds at school were full, as were after she had picked him up from the those in the workplace – a war-weary gutter. In 1950 he was the only rider FOREVER LEATHER populace managed to ride 15 billion to complete the first -- I attended York Cycle Show on the miles, six times the cycling mileage of Peace Race, and in 1951 he Saturday and visited the Brooks stall today (nearer eight or nine times per finished 5th in the London-Holyhead where I spoke with Steve Green. I had head). and 3rd in the Dover-London. He later with me a Brooks Pro saddle that has Those extra miles would amount managed British international cycling caused me problems for a few years in now to somewhere between 2.5 and teams. In 2003 he joined CTC. that the ‘nose’ is bent and offset. I just 5 megatons of CO2 saved annually, or Leslie Osborne wanted advice. Steve took the saddle and 50,000 tons of human adipose fuel burnt. VIVIENNE TREMAINE said he would have a look at it. I agreed Spread across 60 million waistlines, that Tragically killed aged 66 in a road that I would pay any costs. adds up to nearly a stone and a half per traffic accident on the 6th April while Just three days later on Tuesday I person over 10 years. touring in Australia with her partner received a parcel from Steve containing Michael Woodman, Exeter Jesse. They were hit from behind, my old saddle and a new saddle as well. concussing Jesse and killing Vivienne; In a note he explained that the repair of Letters are edited for space (if above a police investigation is ongoing. my old saddle was doubtful and that he 150 words), clarity and, if necessary, Vivienne travelled extensively, and had sent me the ‘slight second’ (I haven’t legality. Please note that if you have spent much of her life living on a boat spotted any fault yet!). The biggest specific complaint or query about CTC which she and her late husband Roy surprise – ‘No charge’. policy, you should address it to your CTC sailed around the world. In later years, I’d like compliment this incredible Councillor or relevant national office Vivienne was a regular rider with CTC Diss in Norfolk. Paul Moore service from both Steve and Brooks. It staff member. Letters and emails for the was also a reminder to me why I have next issue must arrive by 27th August. Photograph by Specialized

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