JOURNAL OF THE ANFIELD BICYCLE CLUB (formed March 1879) www.anfieldbc.co.uk

March 2013 No. 944

New Members’ Drive: John Thompson recruiting in Chile

Anfield Circular 944 In the bleak mid-winter …. A blizzard overnight on 25th January brought parts of to a standstill, with a blanket of snow covering the countryside as dawn broke. It brought back memories of the winter of 1981 (lower photo). The Shropshire Union Canal towpath through Christleton, now a cycle path, looked wonderful but was not the place for cycling.

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~ Runs List ~ www.anfieldbc.co.uk Saturday runs (lunch at 1215hrs) March 2 The Goshawk Mouldsworth 9 The Britannia Halkyn 16 The Red Lion Parkgate 23 The Miners Arms Maeshafn 30 Cross Foxes Overton Bridge April 6 Calveley Arms Handley 13 The Buck Bangor on Dee 19/21 Presidents Weekend Llanfyllin 27 Coddington Parish Rooms Committee Meeting 1130hrs May 4 The Pheasant Burwardsley 11 The Plassey Eyton 18 The Ice Cream Farm Tattenhall 25 Carden Arms Tilston 27 Anfield 100 HQ Shawbury June 1 The Red Lion Parkgate 8 The Britannia Halkyn 15 Coddington Parish Rooms Committee Meeting 1130hrs 22 The Sandstone Inn Brown Knowle 29 The Raven Llanarmon yn Ial CLOSING DATE FOR NEXT CIRCULAR: 27 May 2013

President: Bill Graham Hon Secretary: Peter Catherall, 49 Elm Grove, Buckley, Flintshire, CH7 2LU :0777 3587793; e-mail: [email protected] Captain: Geraint Catherall Editor: David Birchall,

2012 - 2013 Subscriptions now due 21 and over £15; Junior £7.50; Family member £1; CTC 3rd party insurance £15 – by Standing Order Hon Treasurer : Phil Mason

ABC Handbook 2013 The Club handbook has been updated and circulated by email to all “on- line” members. If you haven’t received a copy this way – or would prefer a paper copy - please let Hon Sec Peter Catherall know. For members without an email address paper copies are enclosed with this issue of the Circular.

3 Anfield Circular 944 Committee matters CTC Associate Membership provides all the benefits of CTC membership for £16. This means that you are covered for third party claims whenever you are cycling, not just on clubruns. We strongly advise members to take advantage of the offer. Contact Hon Treasurer Phil Mason.

Those Amazing Anfielders and their Cycling Machine in Peace and War Your Heritage has appointed a Grants Officer, Richard Fowler, to assess the project, which is to conserve and share the archive. If approved the project will start later in the Spring. Volunteers will be needed to help with scanning, captioning, design, and website development. Cheshire Archives and Local Studies (CALS) will host the work and also provide training in Chester. Contact David Birchall if you are willing to help.

Club wear - if you have not yet reserved your new ABC kit please contact Tony Pickles while stocks last. Also from Tony, there are some older designs still available – very smart too – and at bargain prices.

Composition of committee - Phil Mason has proposed reviewing rules 3 and 4, which govern the numbers of officers and committee members because these two rules no longer reflect the needs of the Club. Also, because rule 5 (auditors) is no longer followed, it too should be included in the review, and an alternate found. Amendments will be considered at the next AGM.

President's Weekend with the SVCC 19 -21 April, Cain Valley Hotel, Llanfyllin The programme will be: Friday: a road ride to Bala. The route will go over the Milltir Cerrig and return via the Hirnant - to be led by Keith Orum. The SVCC will join us on Friday evening for bar meals. Saturday’s ride will be to the Vyrnwy Hotel for lunch. The ride can be as easy or as challenging as wished, depending on preferences, and machines. We are hoping that at least one penny- farthing will grace the event. Dinner at the hotel has been arranged for Saturday evening. Sunday’s ride will aim for the Vale of Meifod and Llanfair Caereinion (railway café) for an early lunch, returning to Llanfyllin by mid afternoon. Thirteen of our friends in the Scottish Veteran-Cycle Club have already booked. But so far only six Anfielders have confirmed attendance. If you would like to join us please let David Birchall know.

2013 100 Event Secretary Peter Catherall reports the first entry has already been received. Marshals are needed for the event. If you are willing to help please let Nigel Fellows know.

This could be the last time … 2014 100 Event Secretary With Peter Catherall retiring after this year’s event, Keith Orum has again raised the question of finding an organiser for the 2014 100. Despite requests in the last two Circulars no one has stepped forward yet. A volunteer will be needed before the end of August. Now is the time for all good Anfielders to come to the aid of the event … Racing Results Chester RC Hilly 14 23rd February 2013 Graham Thompson 36:12; Jayson Rhys-Hughes 39:34; Geraint Catherall 43:01

4 Anfield Circular 944 Clubruns The Raven, Llanarmon - 1st December 2012 Attending: Bill Graham, Peter Catherall, Nigel Fellows, John Whelan, Tony Pickles, Dave Bettaney and David Birchall. Dave Bettaney was wheeling up the hill by the Raven when we arrived. And Nigel Fellows had just disembarked. Club-mascot Wilber was happy, because Nigel equals walkies. So off they trotted happily, while the rest of us explored whether or not the pub was open. It was, and we sat near a log-burning stove in the lounge. John mentioned that the Raven had been his first clubrun

Raven revisited - John Whelan and Dave Bettaney (1961), and likewise so it had been for Messrs Bettaney (1959) and Birchall (1960). The Saturday afternoon clubrun was the norm then; and the Raven was an excellent venue. Just the right distance from the Wirral, when you reached it you felt that you were in Wild . In those days there was no choice of menu: it was gammon and eggs with lashings of tea, or nothing. Later Joe Dodd discovered the bar and Burtonwood bitter, which the landlord was willing to dispense to travellers, younger and older, before the (mostly) downhill ride home. The Dysart Arms, Bunbury - 8th December 2012 In Knutsford, sunrise today was spectacular, the sky filling with colour behind wintry trees. But it was cold, -1°C in town, and another couple of degrees lower outside. This meant that after heavy overnight rain following a week of frost, the lanes would be slippy - and no cycling today. Tricky decision though - the forecast of a beautiful sunny day with the temperature climbing to 6° by lunch time was very tempting. 40 miles across the County and over the Welsh border, Tony and Chris Pickles were like minded. In Mold the temperature was stubbornly at freezing. So we met in Christleton and travelled together by car. John Whelan was already at the Dysart Arms, sitting by a roaring fire, when we arrived. He had ridden a useful and enjoyable 17 miles from Guilden Sutton, saving the chore of the urban stages through Ellesmere Port. Time to leave: it wasn't easy to wrench ourselves from the warmth of the fire. But outside the sun shone brightly on the venerable sandstone of St Boniface, and the temperature was a balmy 6.5°. As John pedalled through Bunbury ahead of us, Tony summed it up somewhat ruefully - what a lovely day for cycling.

5 Anfield Circular 944 The Buck, Bangor-on Dee - 15th December 2012 One thousand two hundred teapots hang from the beams in the Buck. They come in all shapes - here a telephone box, there a pillar box; country cottages, thatched and tiled; rabbits and mad March hares; cars, taxis, and buses; an elephant, panda ... there's even a crusader on horseback. The more you look the more you see. In fact if you can think of it, it is probably there somewhere. How are they dusted? “Hard work”, said the landlady. What are they worth? I guessed that some will be only pennies, but others several hundred pounds – on average £30 to £50 each? If so, that values the collection at £40000 - £60000. Do any go missing? What about insurance? I didn't find out, but had plenty of time to contemplate because I was the only Anfielder present. It had been a ride of twenty-three hard miles into a head wind, from Kelsall, through sunshine and showers. The Cheshire lanes are in an even worse state than last year. After a week of biting frost followed by heavy overnight rain, the water had nowhere to go. The lanes were not only muddy and strewn with debris, but potholed from the frost, and flooded in places. A pheasant shoot at Willington, and the hunt at Shocklach were seasonal reminders that we are well into December. The Buck is a friendly local. It is one of the few pubs these days where you can find mild on draft - well kept too. And the food is excellent, and good value. The place is also well integrated with village life. A carol concert had taken place there the previous evening, and other festivities were planned. And so I whiled away an hour and half amongst the teapots. The time passed pleasantly, but I missed the company of fellow members.

Bangor on Dee

The Plough, Christleton - 22nd December 2012 It has been very difficult cycling this autumn. More often than not, dry weather has brought frost and ice, making it too risky to ride. And heavy rain has put paid to cycling on milder days. It has been a season of frustration and snatched opportunities - twenty-five miles here, thirty there. The lanes are a mess - some have been flooded for weeks – with mud and muck everywhere. After each ride almost as much time must be set aside maintaining the bike and washing kit as for the ride itself. This wet Saturday, the last before Christmas, was very wet indeed. The downpour, which had started overnight, continued all morning. Christleton was almost entirely surrounded by water. It was a wonder anyone was able to reach the Plough, let alone support the run, but I am delighted to report that six brave souls were present: John Whelan, Dave Bettaney, Mike Hallgarth, team Pickles, and David Birchall, not forgetting club-mascot Wilber the Jack Russell who kept an attentive ankle-level eye on proceedings from his safe spot under the table. There was not one bicycle amongst us, but the conversation was all about cycling, and enjoyable too. Amazingly when we decided it was time to leave it was after two p.m.

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After the Deluge - Knutsford Man in Deep Water …

In 1756 two travellers scratched a message in a pane of glass at Shocklach church (see last issue), where they had taken shelter: “the roads were so bad we were in danger of our lives”. In this autumn’s deluge it has been easy to identify with their plight - Cheshire’s countryside and lanes have been under-water for much of the season, making cycling tricky.

7 Anfield Circular 944 The Red Lion, Parkgate - 29th December 2012 An early morning phone call from my coach and training partner advised weather would be atrocious and the bicycle not recommended. Meteorologists, sometimes carry the stigma of politicians, totally unreliable, and so today, fired-up on Chapter 7, ‘My Time’ (worth reading), I went out for a solo ride.

Tucking in at Parkgate. Taking note of a dark threatening sky to the east and some brightness to the west, a gentle southwesterly breeze but no rain, the 22 mile circular route through the Wirral lanes was a welcome return to normality after the Christmas festivities. Geraint Catherall and David Bettaney arrived at the Red Lion on bikes, Nigel Fellows, Tony and Chris Pickles, Geoff Sharp, David Birchall, John Williamson and John Whelan made up the gathering. We enjoyed good company and food, When the party broke up I was standing outside the pub on my own preparing to ride the 5 miles home, pondering as to whether David and Geraint, going their separate ways would encounter rain, I hoped they stayed dry, I was fortunate, only to use the racing cape to retain body heat for the short journey. It was also the day for announcing of the New Years Honours. ran high in the order of merit. In particular the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, a Knighthood for Bradley Wiggins to acknowledge his international performance, and a Dame to Sarah Storey (4 gold medals), and to a Knighthood for as performance director, the guy with foresight, courage, patience and determination, the spearhead to the achievements of British cyclists in recent years. I recall a comment by during the Olympics when he suggested it an honour in our lifetime for us in cycling to witness these outstanding moments in our sport. Let us not forget that Chris, through his determination, courage and achievement was a part of the catalyst honoured today. Keith Orum The morning rain stopped by ten o’clock, so it was in the dry that I set off from Sychdyn and headed down through Northop to Shotton. After negotiating the traffic in Shotton I joined the cycle track through Deeside Industrial Park to the Welsh corner. Then it was up the lane to Woodbank, and, a short distance along the A540, Two mills. I was in the lanes again at Puddington, continuing through Burton, via Ness Gardens and Neston, to Parkgate. As I arrived I saw another Anfielder cycling towards me – Dave Bettaney. Soon after, John Whelan appeared, followed by David Birchall, Geoff Sharp, John Williamson, Tony and

8 Anfield Circular 944 Chris Pickles, Nigel Fellows and Keith Orum. There was much discussion about Bradley Wiggins’ knighthood, and the recent wet weather. John Whelan was telling us about the recent spate of punctures, from glass fragments, he had experienced. The Welsh Hills across the marshes came and went with showers one after another, drifting down the estuary. Thankfully the rain had stopped in time for my return journey - much the same as the outward, except at Shotton I headed to Queensferry, Ewloe Green, and so home. Geraint The Bull, Shocklach - 5th January 2013 For the first weekend in January, the day was as mild as any in Spring. The sun was shining, and the blackbirds were singing for all their worth. Starting in the village of Kelsall, rather than taking the shortest way, the route evolved. As a result the itinerary led through busy Tarporley to the ramparts of Beeston Castle. Then it was into the lanes that climb to Harthill (wonderful views over Cheshire), and Brown Knowle. The final stage was downhill at evens to Tilston, and destination Shocklach: twenty-three miles.

Frosty landscape, Harthill The Bull has had a chequered history recently, with a succession of landlords, none of whom have stayed long enough to build up business. It is as though there is a death wish on the place. The last time we were here, the landlady showed more interest in her pals outside, and, while the food was ok, the beer was sour, and one of us was (nearly) rooked. For this visit, we should have phoned to check all was well, but (big mistake) instead relied on the pub's reassuring website: new management, new menus, open every day for food, and Saturdays from midday till late. What a disappointment it then was to find five glum Anfielders sitting in an empty room, with no lights, no fire, no welcome. No food either. Not an auspicious start for 2013. After half an hour we departed, Dave Bettaney, John Whelan, Ben Griffiths, and Geraint heading homeward unfed. The rest of us (Tony Pickles, prospective recruit Alan Jones, Bill Graham, and David Birchall) together rode to the Carden Arms in Tilston, where Mary Birchall joined the party. Though only a couple of miles from Shocklach the Carden Arms was a world away in atmosphere. The gamekeepers' annual lunch was in progress, friendly locals chatted to us, a log fire blazed in the hearth, and the food and beer were good. The contrast could not have been greater. It saved the day.

9 Anfield Circular 944 The Druid, Llanferres - 12th January 2013 Eight o’clock and a cold, wet and windy day. Definitely not cycling weather. A quick trip to the newsagent to get the papers followed by a day in front of the fire. Nine o’clock, still cold and windy, but it had stopped raining and I’d just been presented with my list of jobs by Delia so, naturally, I decided to brave the elements and get the bike out. The most direct route was too short and too hilly so it was via the slightly longer but more gradual roads through Queensferry, Hawarden and Pontblyddyn. After the first few miles the weather Tony Pickles, Bill Graham and Geraint didn’t seem so bad after all, a view apparently admire Chris Pickles’ new bike shared by many others as I was passed by numerous cars with mountain bikes attached heading in the direction of the circuit at Llandegla. The slopes up through Coed Talon were into the wind and very hard-going but after turning right at Rhydtalog the wind was more favourable and I soon arrived at The Druids, closely followed by the President, the Editor (minus his canine friend), the Secretary and the Captain. We were soon joined by the motorised Pickles but with bikes on the rack en - route to Llandegla to try out Chris’s brand new machine with 29” wheels, which, apparently, are now commonplace amongst the off-road brigade. Inside the food was good and the temperature a lot better than outside. Conversation was varied and we were given a demonstration of the workings of the Editor’s new (and clever) camera. It was soon time to brave the elements and I left the others outside examining Chris’s bike with 24 tooth inner ring and 36 bottom sprocket. I was passed by Geraint on the climb out of Loggerheads and was quite content to let him disappear into the distance – not that I could have done anything to stop him! Dave Bettaney The Carden Arms, Tilston - 19th January 2013 Phone calls to the usual suspects suggested there would probably be no takers for this run, so bad were the conditions. But such is the unpredictability of clubrun support that four hardy souls made their way to Tilston – resulting in two reports (and thank you): On Tuesday afternoon, Alison received a text from her brother Stephen asking if he could come up to see us on Saturday. No problem, then came Friday and the snow, roads closed etc., so where and when can we pick him up? Capenhurst Station was the answer, and then we can go on to the clubrun. The main roads were not a problem as they had been salted; but the lanes to Tilston, these needed care: no heroics from Fellows. The snow drifts on the side of the lane showed what it had been like on Friday.

10 Anfield Circular 944 We arrived at the Carden Arms to find a white mountain-bike outside. So someone else had braved the elements, but who and was it an Anfielder? Yes it was Geraint by the bar with a drink, having ordered lunch as well. As Stephen had only had a sandwich at Liverpool, we all did the same. After the meal and a natter with Geraint, he decided it was time to head home again, while we stayed a bit longer in the hope of more support. From what the lady behind the bar said, Friday's weather had caused real problems, as she, the chef, and another member of staff couldn't get to the pub. At 1345hrs we too left its nice log fire. The weather seemed warmer and a bit of a thaw in the air, but the lane was as icy as before. So it was easy as you go homeward. Good food and company, nice day. Nigel Fellows Sychdyn was still covered in snow. But a walk down to the post office confirmed that although there was snow on the lane there was no ice. A no go for a road bike, but possibly passable on a mountain bike. I left at 10:15 and rode carefully down to the main road. After New Brighton the road was clear - no snow or ice down to Ewloe Green. After a short walk to the cycle path I was back on my bike. I continued to Hawarden, and the lane from Broughton to Kinnerton. This was icy. Then it was steady going through Doddleston to Pulford and Holt, where I crossed the Dee into Farndon. Past Stretton Water Mill there was more ice, and I had to walk another short stretch. The road was then clear to Tilston. Soon after I arrived, Nigel and Alison appeared, along with Alison’s brother Stephen Marriott. We discussed the weather and snow which had caused the closure of schools – some in Wrexham announcing on Friday they would be shut the following Monday – how could they know what the weather would be like then? My return route took me to the Cock O’Barton, Nigel having reported that way was clear. Here I picked up the main road to Farndon and Holt. Then it was the climb through Burton Green to Kinnerton, Buckley, Mynydd Isa and home, safe and sound. Geraint Catherall The Buck, Bangor-on Dee - 25th January 2013 After doing the Saturday shop I decided to go to the club run at Bangor on Dee (again in the car, sorry). Travelling on the roads, it very quickly became apparent how the bad weather had affected the surface of them, potholes, and deep ones at that, seemed to be everywhere. The councils are going be busy sorting that lot out for some time. Anyway I got to the Buck at about 1245hrs. I didn't see any bikes outside so on the off chance I went inside and saw Dave Bettaney (he'd gone in his car too) tucking into BLT for his lunch. After a chat and a drink we left at 1345hrs and headed home as no one else had turned up by then. Nigel Fellows Coddington Parish Rooms - 2nd February 2013 With Peter Catherall under the weather, David Birchall collected the key to the Parish Rooms, and helped Nigel Fellows set up shop. President Bill was also under the weather, so with no senior officers it was touch and go as to whether the meeting would happen. Fortunately, Phil Mason arrived with the Treasurer’s books and Dave Eaton. Hard on their heels were Geoff Sharp, Keith Orum, Ben Griffiths and Tecwyn Williams, who all thought

11 Anfield Circular 944 that the day was so nice, blue skies, bright sunshine, that the journey was worth it. When the official business was over, tea and sandwiches, thanks to Knutsford WI, rounded off the meeting. Then it was back to the farm with the key, a chat about the Anfield, and home. The Plough, Christleton - 9th February 2013 Icy rain put paid to cycling today. But with a trip to Chester and the Plough only a half hour walk away, attending the clubrun was on. An added incentive was that Mike Hallgarth, travelling to the Wirral from Gloucestershire, had emailed his intention to be there if possible too. However there was no sign of him or anyone else on my arrival. Happily there was hardly time for a sip of beer before Dave Bettaney and John Whelan appeared - and then John Thompson and Maggie (homeward bound to Gloucestershire), and Bill Graham, who completed the party. It was a thoroughly enjoyable get-together. The chat ranged far and wide - from John and Maggie's tandem tour of Chile to G P Mills's 1886 End-to-End tricycle record. We also touched on Liverpool Museum's interest in oral history. As part of the lottery bid they would like something about cycling. And who better than Bill Graham to provide it? His knowledge of the sport in Liverpool starts in the 1930s. For frame builders, cycle clubs, and personalities - Bill's your man. So sitting him in front of a microphone and talking is the aim. But alas not today (no recorder), which was a pity because Bill was on good form. The Dysart Arms, Bunbury - 16th February 2013 What a beautiful day it was for the clubrun. It was such a change from the snow, blizzards and rain endured in the past week, the evidence for which was still very apparent today. Crossing the Dee at Farndon, the water level was so high that the riverside fields were flooded. I reached the Dysart Arms about 12.15hrs. In the pub were Geraint and John Whelan, having a sandwich, which didn't seem a bad idea, so Fellows did the same. After weeks of rain and snow, Geraint was concerned about the danger the large puddles on the lanes posed (not knowing what was at the bottom of them – possibly large potholes). So how nice it was to be out on a dry day for a change. Let’s hope this is the start of some good weather and, may be, just may be, a good summer (fingers crossed). After about forty minutes or so, we left, making our separate ways home. Nigel Fellows Geraint adds - from Sychdyn the route led through Hawarden and Broughton. From Broughton a meander followed to Doddleston and Holt, where there were still floods in places from the rain and snow that had fallen in the previous weeks. Next came Aldford, Tattenhall and Beeston Castle, and so to Bunbury. After lunch it was a simple matter of retracing via Beeston Castle, Tattenhall, Farndon and Broughton, before climbing up though Hawarden and Ewloe Green to New Brighton and home to Sychdyn. The Griffin, Trefalyn - 23rd February 2013 In Cornwall last week Spring seemed well and truly sprung, with snowdrops, daffodils, and camellias putting on colourful shows in Heligan and Trelissick. In contrast, in Cheshire this week temperatures have stayed stubbornly close to zero. Sixty two miles in the countryside

12 Anfield Circular 944 around Jodrell Bank, snatched over three days, in biting east winds was all I could manage before the cold became too much, and the bike went back into the garage pending better conditions. With Saturday’s forecast adding snow flurries to the cold, it looked like another no cycling day, so I offered President Bill a lift to the Griffin. The actuality of Saturday morning was much more promising than the forecast – it seemed not a bad day for cycling. Proving the point on our arrival there were three machines outside. They belonged to John Whelan (who is piling in the miles), Dave Bettaney (likewise), and Ben Griffiths. Ben was on his way to Broxton in support of Graham Thompson, Jayson Rees-Hughes, and Geraint Catherall who were representing the ABC in the first time trial of the season locally. The rest of us chatted by the log fire in the cosy bar. But outside there was a sting in the tail: the forecast was not completely wrong. At Northwich, on the way home, a vicious snow flurry layered the ground white, briefly. So I hope the cyclists were lucky and missed it. The Amazing Adventures of George Pilkington Mills In this issue we publish Roger Alma’s account of G P Mills’ astonishing 1886 End-to-End tricycle record. Roger is the Editor of the Tricycle Association Gazette, and has written definitive books on the History of the Tricycle and also on the Malvern Cycling Club. Mills’s 1886 tricycle End-to-End was undertaken on a machine similar to the one in the photo taken at the Glan Aber on the Whitsun Weekend of 1886 (detail here). You never know what research might uncover. Looking into Mills’s prolific riding in 1886 has revealed an error on the Long Distance Shield. A month before the tricycle ride, he completed his famous penny-farthing End-to- End (5 days 1 hour 45 minutes). Reports show that he reached John O’Groats in the early hours of Saturday 10th July. But both the ABC Yearbook (1886) and the Shield record that on the 11th July, back in Liverpool, he rode to Kegworth, returning to Crewe in 24hrs. On a Sunday? The probability of such a ride seemed unlikely, even for Mills particularly because the ABC rule against Sunday racing would have barred the ride. In this context Mills would have known that Lawrence Fletcher had to ask the Committee for a special dispensation over his eight day End-to-End tricycle record the previous year. Delving deeper the more likely date would have been 11th June 1886, starting on the Friday evening and riding through to Saturday. This was the weekend when many members attempted and secured standard medals on the Kegworth route.

13 Anfield Circular 944 GEORGE PILKINGTON MILLS: The Tricycle End to End Record of 1886 Roger Alma 1886 must be one of the most astonishing years in the life of any long-distance cyclist. In April, according to the Anfield Bicycle Club Report for 1886, George Pilkington Mills, (1867-1945), who joined the Anfield in 1884 and was a founder member of the North Road Cycling Club in 1885, rode two hundred and thirty one miles from Liverpool to Burton on Trent and back in twenty-four hours. Between July 5 and July 10 he completed the eight hundred and sixty-five miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats in five days, one hour and forty-five minutes on an ordinary bicycle, setting a new record. Having finished the record-breaking ordinary bicycle ride on 10 July, Mills set a new record for twenty-four hours on 5 August at Biggleswade on the North Road, covering two hundred and sixty-eight and a half miles, also on an ordinary bicycle. He attacked the tricycle record from Land’s End to John O’Groats in August, setting off from Land’s End at midnight on Sunday, 15 August, 1886. He arrived at John O’Groats five days and ten hours later, beating the previous record, held by Tom Marriott of the Anfield Bicycle Club, by over thirty hours. T R Marriott’s ride in 1885 was accomplished in six days, fifteen hours and twenty-two minutes. He had the distinction of being the winner of the first ever twenty-four hour cycle race, covering two hundred and eighteen and three- quarter miles in the London Tricycle Club event of 1883. Since 1875 Marriott had been in partnership with Thomas Humber, manufacturing bicycles and tricycles. There was often a close relationship between champion amateur cyclists and manufacturing in those years. Following his tricycle End to End record in August, Mills rode with A J Wilson, on a tandem tricycle, to break the one hundred miles record in six hours and forty-six minutes and the fifty miles record in two hours, forty-six minutes and three seconds, both on the North Road, on September 14 and September 22 respectively. Wilson was also a member of the Anfield BC and a founder member of the North Road Cycling Club. To complete this annus mirabilis, on 5 October Mills improved his twenty-four hour distance to two- hundred and ninety-five miles, also on the North Road. This record was set on a safety bicycle. The Anfield had a number of very fine long-distance riders in those years and a tradition of helping

14 Anfield Circular 944 fellow-cyclists. Mills’ first experience of the End to End was in May of the previous year, 1885. At the age of eighteen, Mills had assisted Lawrence Fletcher on an End to End ride. According to Alan J Ray, Mills was scheduled to ride with Fletcher from Gloucester to Edinburgh on a 53 inch ordinary, but his replacement did not turn up at Edinburgh so Mills continued to John O’Groats, completing an estimated six hundred and fifty miles. Later in August of the same year, Mills won the first North Road CC twenty-four hour race, covering two hundred and fifty-nine miles, so by the time he launched into the amazing feats of 1886 he had good experience of long-distance cycling. It would be interesting to know how many miles G P Mills cycled in 1886. Not only did he record the series of rides listed above, but he also won the Anfield BC’s Annual Twenty Four Hours’ Road-Ride with two hundred and twenty-eight miles on a very unfavourable day, “the roads being heavy and a strong wind preventing fast travelling”. The Anfield BC Report does not give the date of this event: it may have been in Whit week. Mills was the winner of the attendance prize for club runs, turning out for thirty-nine of forty-eight possible runs. He also found time to attend the Anfield’s Easter tour to .

The Anfield BC at the Glan Aber Hotel, Betws-y-Coed, Whit weekend 1886

A splendid photograph of the club at the Glan Aber Hotel, Betws-y-Coed, printed here by courtesy of David Birchall and the Anfield BC, includes G P Mills. The tricycle on the left of the picture is similar to the machine he rode from Land’s End to John O’Groats later in the year. Mills is in the third row from the back, fourth from the left, next to a gentleman in a bowler hat.

15 Anfield Circular 944 I have been unable to trace a detailed contemporary account of the 1886 tricycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats: the ordinary bicycle ride of July is slightly better documented. I should be very pleased to hear from any reader who can add to, confirm or correct the information given here. Most of the factual information given above is from the 1886 Report of the Anfield BC, checked against the history of the North Road Cycling Club published in 1935 and later sources. The dates for the tricycle ride are given in the Anfield Report as August 16 to 21. The Portsmouth Evening News of 24 August 1886 says that Mills left Land’s End “on Monday morning last…He reached Wick by 8.20 on Saturday morning, and proceeded at once to John O’Groats, where, says the special correspondent of the Bicycling News, he arrived at ten o’clock.” The North Road account dates the ride from August 15, which was a Sunday. I think the accounts can be squared by assuming the start was at midnight on Sunday, 15 August, respecting the Sabbath. The July ordinary bicycle record ride certainly started at midnight and finished in the early hours of the morning. The distance is given in the Anfield BC Report as eight hundred and sixty-five miles, elsewhere as eight hundred and sixty-one miles. This is the distance given in a cutting from the Anfield archive taken from the Portsmouth Evening News mentioned above, and in accounts of the ride given in other sources, such as Badminton Library Cycling of 1887. The Portsmouth Evening News cutting is also interesting in that it contradicts information in the contemporary Anfield BC Report about the weather conditions experienced by Mills on his record-breaking tricycle ride. The Report recorded that on the July bicycle record ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats Mills and his companions were “favoured with almost perfect weather” and that in August the weather was “fairly good”; however, the Portsmouth Evening News cutting says that Mills was “impeded by wind, rain and bad roads” on the tricycle record ride. Despite the conditions “he looked remarkably well”. Alan J Ray claims that Mills was “handicapped by abominable weather”. (It is worth noting that a short article by David Birchall about Mills’ ordinary bicycle record ride says that Mills and his companion were delayed by “unseasonably strong headwinds and intense cold” in the Grampians after starting in very hot weather. In later years Mills recalled that they were blown off their ordinary bicycles in Glen Garry and forced to walk for some of the way. Bad weather makes a better story.) It is difficult to establish the exact route taken by Mills north of the Border. In the route was much the same as the one used today, passing across Bodmin Moor, through Exeter, Bristol, Worcester, Warrington, Preston, Lancaster and over the Shap Fells to Carlisle, though of course going through towns and cities rather than by-passing them. In Scotland I believe that the route lay from Beattock through Abington to Edinburgh, rather than through Moffat and over the Devil’s Beef Tub. In the early twentieth century both routes were used: in 1905 George Olley rode to Edinburgh via Abington while two years later William Welsh took the road over the Devil’s Beef Tub. Passing through Edinburgh with the help of local cyclists, Mills crossed the Firth of Forth on the Granton steam ferry and continued north via Perth and Blair Atholl to Inverness, crossing from Inverness to the Black Isle on the Kessock ferry and into Caithness on the Meikle ferry. The last part of the

16 Anfield Circular 944 journey was on the difficult coastal road via Helmdale and Berriedale to Wick and John O’Groats. All accounts confirm that the roads in the remoter parts of England and Scotland were little more than tracks in places, and poorly sign-posted. Mills recalled that between Land’s End and Penzance he and his companion had to dismount from their high-wheelers because the surface was too loose and stony to ride safely. In his old age Mills recalled that the roads resembled a shingle beach. The riders had to push these same cycles both up and down Shap Fells because of the boulders that covered the roads. David Birchall’s account also gives a reminder that “in towns and cities, cobbles, granite setts and tramlines paved their way”. If indeed Mills had to endure rain as well as difficult wind conditions, the roads would have been both dirty and heavy, the solid-tyred wheels sinking into the poor surfaces, though the tricycles would have been more stable than high-wheelers in the wind.

A Humber Beeston Roadster, 1886 Badminton Library Cycling, 1887, reports that Mills broke the record for the End to End ride on a Humber Cripper tricycle. Alan J Ray says “his only pre-record experience of the Cripper tricycle employed was a ten-mile ride from Penzance to the start.” Humber produced a wide range of tricycles similar to the one pictured above. The original Cripper Humber Beeston Roadster “with ball bearings all over, plated parts, bent steering rod, etc.

17 Anfield Circular 944 costs £27 10s… The Cripper is also made as a Light Roadster, Racer, and Tandem - both Roadster and Racer.” The weight ranged from about 70lbs to 40 lbs apparently. The technical section of the Badminton Library Cycling states that Mills used an Illston’s self- lubricating chain “and he was much pleased with its working” - a nice example of how amateur cyclists endorsed products for cycle manufacturers. “The middle link (of a chain), usually solid, is in this case made in two parts, and is hollow, and this hollow link is filled with a very thick grease. The slight motion of the double parts of the link, and the pins, which pass through the viscid lubricant, cause it to work out in infinitesimal quantities; and thus the chain is kept lubricated without the necessity of oiling it – always a dirty job – for a practically unlimited time”. It was usual at this time for riders on record attempts to be paced. Reports of other End to End rides of the period indicate that, in addition to fellow club members giving help in planning and assisting on long-distance rides, local riders rode with, guided or otherwise supported the riders by organising food and accommodation and it is generally assumed that Mills was helped in this way too. As noted above, Mills assisted Lawrence Fletcher in 1885, riding with him for much of the distance. The Anfield BC Report notes that on the 1886 ordinary bicycle ride Mills was “accompanied over the whole distance by either A W Gamble or A H Fletcher, both of these riders doing much to assist the Record Breaker”. David Birchall records that on the final ride into John O’Groats, Mills was accompanied by Lawrence Fletcher: “With lamps illuminating the gravel road, the two machines rumbled out of the darkness to sweep across the finishing line outside the hotel. Waiting to cheer their man home was a small band of friends who had provided support throughout the enterprise”. Both A H Fletcher and Lawrence Fletcher were members of the Anfield. On the tricycle record ride in August 1886, “Mr Gamble, travelling by road and rail, checked and assisted Mr Mills from start to finish, and it is not too much to say that the rider’s success in both these ‘end to end’ journeys, is largely due to the untiring zeal and activity of his fellow Clubmen”. The same is probably true today.

References I have had generous help from David Birchall of the Anfield Bicycle Club and Martin Purser of The Tricycle Association in finding more about George Pilkington Mills, and record my thanks here. The following books have also provided useful information: The Anfield Bicycle Club Report for the year ending 31st December 1886 Badminton Library: Cycling, edited by Viscount Bury and G Lacy Hillier, 1887 100 Years of Cycling Road Records, Roy Green, 1988 Fifty Years of Road Riding (1885 -1935): a history of the North Road Cycling Club, S H Moxham, 1935 Cycling – Land’s End to John O’Groats, Alan J Ray, 1971 The End to End Story: 100 Years of Cycling Records, John Taylor, 2005

18 Anfield Circular 944 G P Mills and Sherlock Holmes - a Postscript Not many people know about George Pilkington Mills’s connection with Sherlock Holmes. Roger Alma’s research has revealed a hitherto unpublished account, The Missing Link by John H Watson MD, recounting how Holmes foiled a dastardly plot by ruthless gamblers McQuiad and Armstrong to sabotage the 1886 tricycle ride. The account can be read in full on the ABC website www.anfieldbc.co.uk. Film rights have been reserved. Apparently Holmes followed Mills’s subsequent career with interest and indeed travelled with him to in 1891 for the first Bordeaux to Paris cycle race, which Mills won handsomely, with Monty Holbein in second place and S F Edge third. A photograph of the time (left) shows Holmes in the second row, second from the left, rather unconvincingly disguised and with the pseudonym of Major Knox-Holmes. Captain de Bruno Holmes, front right, is of course Dr John Watson. It was Holmes who, clearly recalling the adventure of 1886, suggested that the British riders should take their cycles into their hotel bedrooms so they could not be sabotaged.

Arthur Conan Doyle on a “sociable” tandem tricycle G P Mills in 1893

19 Anfield Circular 944 The last continent – but one John Thompson Having toured in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, and North America, there were only two continents untouched by our tandem, and, given there are no roads in Antarctica, that only left South America. That was not the real reason for this trip. The idea started with Maggie finding that the only way she could study Spanish literature was to take a course in Latin American studies, and, as a result, got interested. We had also seen the film ‘Diarios de motocicleta’ recreating the trip by Che Guevara and Alberto Granado, as well as lots of documentaries, and we’d read plenty of accounts by adventurous cycle tourists. Our trip was to be a mere six weeks, and the means of John and Maggie transport a slow moving tandem, so all we could do is cover a very small area from a vast and varied continent. The Lake District near the Chile - Argentine border seemed a favourite haunt for many ‘organised’ cycle trips, so that became part of our itinerary. In outline the plan was: fly to Santiago, get an internal flight down to Patagonia, then cycle back to Santiago crossing the Andes into Argentina on the way. At this point we hit snag number one. We could find no airline that would take us – even those with very generous luggage weight allowances would not carry something with our tandem’s dimensions. Gone are the days when we could simply wheel the machine on, but now, it seemed, even with it boxed up, nobody would take us. We were almost ready to give up, having consulted a specialist travel agency and even explored the possibility of sending it out by cargo, when I found reference to tandems in an obscure corner of the Air France web site. We booked our tickets to Santiago – the trip was on. We had a B&B booked in Santiago for the beginning and end of our holiday, with an arrangement to store all out packing materials, but it proved impossible to arrange transport to Patagonia in advance. The solution turned out to be cargo transport by van for the tandem, and, for us, the most luxurious journey you can imagine. The lower deck of our coach catered for just six passengers giving us each a full length bed, which enabled us to sleep through six hundred miles or so as a team of drivers blasted down the Ruta 5 - the Pan-American Highway - to First night under canvas (all photos Maggie White) Puerto Montt.

20 Anfield Circular 944 We were rested and our tandem was unscathed despite, or possibly because, no packing at all had been required. At last we were ready to go, heading further south, along the Carretera Austral – a famous route for expedition cyclist going into the heart of Patagonia. That first day we took it easy, covering about thirty miles on tarmac. The next morning we continued down the Austral, again on tarmac, at least for a while, until it turned to ‘ripio’. This is sometimes described as a ‘gravel road’, but this gravel can come in fist-sized rocks. Struggling against a steep camber we came off; I had about a tenth of a second warning, Maggie much less and she came down with a nasty thump. It was a sobering experience, which upped my concentration as helmsman responsible for the two of us; I am pleased to say that over the next six weeks we had no further spills. Still somewhat shaken we arrived at the La Arena ferry. While waiting for it to arrive, rather than brew up, we took to the cafe for a cup of coffee, which turned out to be a cup of hot water with a sachet of Nescafe instant powder placed in the saucer! We were to discover that this was not a one off; it’s what they almost always serve up, a flash back to 1950s Britain. The crossing of about forty minutes, took us to the southern side of the ‘Estuario de Reloncavil’, which snakes east and north for about 60 miles. The plan was to turn off the Austral and follow this inlet on a minor road. This proved somewhat challenging. Like many a coast road there were continuous up and down steep short climbs, the surface got even rougher, the temperature soared and, worst of all, the dreaded Tabanus flies appeared in huge numbers. They’re big and they swarm round your head; the helmsman took to wearing a head net. We had been told they would not follow us into the shade, and this turned out to be the case, which was fortunate because otherwise to stop would Zilvinas and Diana with their loaded bikes have been impossible. After twelve hours of effort we reached Paelo, a settlement less than 25 miles inland. Santiago was beginning to seem a long way away. That second day had involved an unsustainable effort, and we learnt to cut down distances dramatically when the roads got really rough. As we reached the head of the estuary we met Zilvinas and Diana coming the other way. Originally from Lithuania, they had migrated to the USA, then upping sticks to cycle round the world. They were in their ‘day 409’, having cycled from Illinois, and they gave us On the way to Paso Cardenal - Mount Osorno from encouragement and, even more helpfully, our campsite at Ensenada

21 Anfield Circular 944 information. They’d come along the route we were heading for and were able to tell us which roads had tarmac, and, where there was ripio, how bad it was. From what they’d said it seemed we had done a particularly bad stretch. They also reassured us that the Paso Cardenal Antonio Samoré, though a main route into Argentina, and the first road crossing for hundreds of miles, did not have much traffic. So, with renewed confidence, we headed north towards our first traverse of the Andes.

Helmsman near exhaustion and volcanic ash at 1321m At 1,314 metres the Paso should not have created any difficulties, but a combination of an unrelenting gradient, the heat, and our friends the Tabanus, brought the helmsman close to exhaustion. The ‘descent’ turned out to have ups as well as downs, so all energy was spent by the time we put up camp. Our way northwards took us through the famous Lake District, in places easy (tarmac), in places hard (ripio). Where to cross back to Chile? That was the big decision, and we took every opportunity to confer with other travellers on the best route. We decided it would be Paso Mamuil Malal (1,253 metres). Though, the final part of the climb was ripio, the gradients were gentle and we’d seen the last of the Tabanus, and so our return to Chile was much easier. Nearing the top of Paso Mamuil Malal. Mount Lanin in the background.

22 Anfield Circular 944 On the way down we met Matthew Gorzlancyk and Christoph Miller. They were the real thing. Matthew had set out from his parents’ home in Wisconsin, cycled across the States and then all the way down. Chris’s journey started at Prudhoe Bay, at the top of Alaska. Both were heading for Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, right at the bottom. They’d met on the road, and were riding together, at least for a while. Yes they knew our Lithuanian friends; their paths had crossed several times. It seems there is a small community of riders making their way along the length of the Americas, keeping in touch with blogs and such. There was no time to hear about their whole trip, but, as far as I could tell, they never took a lift, even in the dodgy parts of Mexico. ‘Well, yes, we heard gunfire at night, but nobody bothered us.’ The confidence of youth! One last thing, ‘Swiss Chris’ was on a recumbent! What’s up the road? The next day, further down the valley, we had another encounter with fellow cycle tourists. We’d camped at Curarrehue, an interesting place, not least because 80 per cent of the inhabitants are native Mapuche, and we spent the morning looking and learning about their arts and crafts and ended with a lunch of Mapuche food. As we left, across the road, there was a group of about a dozen bronzed fit-looking young fellows with fully loaded bikes sat outside a cafe. They gave us a rousing cheer! Some ten miles or so down the road they caught us and we tagged on the back. They were such a crazy gang, whose mission, so it seemed, was to melt the reserve of everyone they passed. You see they were Argentinian (national stereotype ‘outgoing’), and we were in Chile (national stereotype ‘reserved’). So, the serious looking old lady by the side of the road would be greeted with song and shouts and waves, with both hands. Quite a scary sight from the back, as their huge loads, somewhat raggedly secured, swayed from side to side. This display continued with increasing gusto until the victim broke into a smile, which they always did, eventually. Though we were only about half way through our journey, we’d already covered most of ‘the big stuff’. We had more spectacular sights - particularly some coastal scenery - but the people we met along the way figure more in our memories. Again and again we were welcomed with generosity. A few examples are worth recalling. As we left the sparsely populated areas, working out a route became trickier, because, though there were more roads, it was sometimes difficult to decide which would be busy. A couple of times we hopped on a bus, not something we would do normally, but when the only practical alternative is the hard shoulder of a motorway, it’s the sensible option. Maggie sometimes wonders why every moment I’m not pedalling, putting up the tent, or employed in some other essential task, I’m staring at the map. It’s to find the route that motorists won’t usually take. On the road to Concepcion I got it badly wrong. From what had been a quiet road the traffic levels increased and increased, while it twisted and turned up and down with just two lanes. On our left cars and lorries sped past, to our right, at the edge of the road, there was a drop of ten to twenty feet where the foundations for a dual carriageway

23 Anfield Circular 944 where being prepared, and it was pouring with rain. Not good. We turned off to a small town called Curahilahue and, as we approach the centre, whilst waiting at a junction, we exchanged greetings with a motorist and asked where we might find accommodation. He told us to follow him, we did, but the hotel was full. He thought for less than a minute before inviting us to his house. As we entered, soaked, puddles formed around us and our bags. We were directed to the shower, clothes were washed, stuff hung to dry, food placed before us. Sergio, our host, had a bike shop just round the corner and another one in Concepcion, and was a keen mountain biker, interested in us, our trip, and our machine. He suggested we stay two nights, have a rest day, and then on the following day he would take us into Concepcion when he would be visiting his other shop. We agreed. There is ‘nothing as heavy as a light wallet’, so take at least three credit cards, and withdraw cash long before it gets low. But when the machines started to refuse our cards there was no immediate panic. I suspected, and this turned out to be the case, that in the smaller towns, cash machines would not work with foreign cards. We were in a small town Chanco, too small I thought for the cards to work, but still worth a try. The one cash machine was in a special room, and a queue had formed outside. It came to my turn, and, as expected, it finished with the message ‘invalid transaction’. The lady next to me had seen the problem and was concerned and annoyed on our behalf, sharing her thoughts with the rest of the queue. We reassured her that at the next big town, Constitution, the cash machines would be more helpful, thanked her, and went on our way. Towards the end of the tour, we were pedalling along a quiet road thinking about lunch, which, as usual, would be a picnic. We had everything, except a sweet. Just then we spied a shop - a series of tables under sunshades, laden with every fruit you could imagine. When we came to pay, the shopkeeper would not take our money. It may be that we had not bought enough, but it seemed to be because she admired what we were doing. We argued to no avail - the whole family was insistent. Then as we

The shop that would take no money moved off she raised a watermelon, waving us back. We explained that we simply could not carry it. She explained we should sit down and eat a view slices with them. We did. We weren’t showered with gifts every day, but such kindnesses were not unusual. If we needed directions or accommodation, for example, people were usually ready to help us. It was normal at campsites for people to approach us with a packet of biscuits in return for a chat. All too soon we were back in Santiago, spending a few days as normal tourists visiting the sites, which included the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos, dedicated to commemorate the victims of the Pinochet regime. It was hard to square the cruelty it documented, a cruelty, which was supported by a large part of the population, with our experiences ‘on the road’.

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