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LEAGUE OF VETERAN RACING CYCLISTS 

The 

Veteran 

Leaguer 

The official newsletter of the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists 

Volume 10 No 02 Summer 2001 

Objective of the LVRC 

The provision of a programme of competitive and social cycling events for male and female members 

of 40 years of age and over

Regional Officials 

REGION 1. N.W. . ENGLAND 

CHAIRMAN 

Dennis Agnew 

44 Commonside, Ansdell 

EVENT CO-ORDINATOR 

Keith Boardman 19 Clydesdale 

Road, Hoylake, Wirral, CH7 3RP. 

0151-632-3185 

Lytham Lancs FY8 4EX 

01253-739428 

NEWSLETTER CORRESPONDENT 

Richard Lang, 

REGISTRAR 

Ray Groves 

2 Locks View, Ince 

The Lodge,Cerrigilwydion Hall, 

Llandyrnog, Nr Denbigh, LL16 4LE 

Wigan Lancs WN1 3HL 

01824-790398 

01942-495214 

SEC, CONTACT & TREASURER 

Wally Hodge 

NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTOR 

Eddie Hayes 45 Leominster 

Road, Wallasey, Merseyside 

43 Wyre Avenue, Kirkham 

CH44 5UT 0151-691-1458 

Preston Lancs PR4 2YE 

01772-682531 

REGION 4 MANCHESTER and 


NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE 

Jack Stokes 

CHAIRMAN & REGISTRAR 

2 Orchard Close, Tag Lane 

DaveWatson 

atson 

207 Manchester 

Preston Lancs PR2 3TG. 

Road, Greenfield, Oldham OL3 

01772-768234 

7HX 01457-837113 


CONTACT/EVENTS/N-L CORR 

Harry Benson 

Nev Ashman 

77 Hulme Hall 

‘Fylde Cottage’,1 Havenlyn Park 

Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire 

Cabus, Preston PR3 1AB 

SK8 6JZ. 01614-857969 

01524-791604 

TREASURER 


John Carter 

Dave Edge 

123 Carrhead 

41 Holthouse Road, Tottington, 

Lane, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancs 

Bury BL8 3JP 01204-886635 

FY6 8EG 01253-890852 

QUARTERMASTER 

QUARTERMASTER 

Bob Murray 

Keith Wright 

29 Church 

7 Hoylake Close, New Moston, 

Street, Kirkham, Preston PR4 

Manchester M40 3WU 

2SE 01772-499213 

0161-688-6152 


REGION 2. N.E.ENGLAND .ENGLAND and 

YORKSHIRE 

CHAIRMAN & EVENTS CO-ORD 

Les Bailey 

51 Romans Rd, Northwich, 

Cheshire,CW8 1DE. 

Derek Smith 

15 Moor Grange 

01606-781760 

View, West Park, Leeds 

LS16 5BN. 0113-275-9733 

REGION 5. EAST and NORTH 

SEC, N/L CORRESP & QM 

MIDLANDS 

Alan Edmondson 

CHAIRMAN & N/L DISTRIBUTOR 

’Seven Oaks’, Newlay Wood Ave, 

John Downing 

Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 4LN 

REGISTRAR 

0113-258-7194 

Jenny Downing 

33 Doncaster Road, Costhorpe, 

REGISTRAR 

Worksop, Notts, S81 9QY. 

John Lawton 

21 Nursery Lane, 

01909-732764 

Leeds LS17 7ED. 

0113-295-6916 

SECRETARY, EVENT CO-ORD 

Colin Abdy 10 Foredale, Barton 

TREASURER 

on Humber, South Humberside, 

Vera era Simpson 22 Hill Estate, DN18 5NE 01652-633656 

Upton, Pontefract, WF9 1HT. 

01977-649205 

TREASURER 

John Flear 

14a Water Lane, 

NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTOR North Hykesham, Lincoln LN6 

Derek Smith 

4 Ashfield Drive, 9QST 01522-687738 

Ovenden, Halifax, West Yorks 

HX3 5P 0142-225-8839 

QUARTERMASTER 

Roger Hearsum 

Manor Farm, 6 Front Lane, Treeton, 

REGION 3 NORTH WALES and 

Rotherham, Yorks, S60 5QP 

MERSEYSIDE 

01742-694868 

CONTACT,TREASURER & 

REGISTRAR 

Geoff Brandt 29 Templemore 

Road, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, 

CH43 2HB 

0151-652-0217 


Rod Forster 

Walnut House, Waithe, Brigsley, 

Grimsby, S.Humberside, DN37 0RJ 

0147-823368 

REGION 6. MID WALES and 

WEST MIDLANDS 

CONTACT, EVENTS & QM 

Les Archer 

14 Broadfield Close, 

Kingswinford, W Mids DY8 9DY 

01384-273109 

REGISTRAR and TREASURER 

Colin Willetts 201 Mildenhall 

Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, 

B42 2PE 0121-358-6768 

N/L CORRESP & DISTRIB 

Colin Dooley 62 Gillhurst Road, 

Harbourne, Birmingham, B17 

8PB3 0121-427-2149 

REGION 7. 7 S.E 

.E.MIDLANDS .MIDLANDS and 

EAST ANGLIA 

CONTACT 

Ron Day 11 Kingsbridge, 

Furzton, Milton Keynes, Bucks, 

MK4 1EH. 01908-501461 

REGISTRAR 

Richard Abbott 

124 Oxford Crescent, Didcot, 

Oxfordshire, OX11 7AX 

01235-210178 

TREASURER & EVENT CO-ORD 

Mike Burns 

14 Briars Close, 

Long Lawford, Rugby, Warwickshire, 

CV23 9DW 01788-567637 

N/L CORRESP & DISTRIB 

George Bridge 

30 Wilby 

Park, Wellingborough, Northants, 

NN8 2UL. 01933-271234 

REGION 8: S.W 

.WALES and 

WESTERN ENGLAND 

CONTACT 

Chas Bland 

Poplars, Hillside, Long Ashton, 

Bristol, Avon, BS18 9LG. 

01275-393696 

SECRETARY 

Austin Heath 

Melrose, 12 Heol Morlais, 

Llannon, Dyfed SA14 6BD 

01269-832975 

TREASURER 

Kevin Green 

107 Cherington, Yate, South Glos 

BS37 8UT 01454-881486 

REG, N/L CORR & DISTRIB 

Ralph alph Wilson 

42 Bradstone 

Road, Winterbourne, South Glos 

01454-776062 

EVENT CO-ORD & QM 

Terry Wilkins 

71 Fflorens Road, Treowen, 

Newport, NP1 4DW 

01495-244866 

REGION 9: LONDON and S. 

EAST ENGLAND 

CHAIRMAN 

Ian Tollady 

9 Rosecroft Avenue, 

Hampstead, London, NW3 7QA. 

0207-794-3410 

SECRETARY and CONTACT 

Dave Friend 

Berden Hall Farmhouse, 

Berden, Herts CM23 1AY 

01279-777285 

REGISTRAR 

Bill Ollis 157 Cedar Road, 

Strood, Kent, ME2 2JR. 

01634-721502 

TREASURER 

Peter Wilson 

52 Knoll Drive, 

Southgate, London, N14 5NE. 

0208-368-0698 

EVENT CO-ORDINATOR & QM 

Fred Little 45 Hillhouse Close, 

Billericay, Essex, CM12 0BB. 

01277-658807 

N/L DISTRIBUTOR & CORRE- 

SPONDENT 

John Scott 

39 Montrouge 

Crescent, Epsom Downs, Surrey, 

KT17 3PB 01737-352025 

REGION 10: SOUTH WEST 

ENGLAND 

REGISTRAR, EVENT CO-ORD 

John Marshman 

Primera Sport, 

244-248 Charminster Rd, 

Bournemouth BH8 9RR 

01202-775588 

REGISTRAR & N/L DISTRIB 

Tim O’Donnell 

1 Argyle Rd, 

Parkstone, PooleDorset BH12 

2DR 01202-388505 

TREASURER 

Paul Woodburn 

10 Willowdale 

Close, Stroud, Petersfield, Hants 

GU32 3PS 01730-265061 


Trevor Fenwick 

50 Methuen 

Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH8 

8DN. 01202-299249 

REGION 11: SCOTLAND 

CHAIRMAN/CONTACT 

Ken MacDonald, 16 Charnwood 

Ave, Willow Bank, Johnstone 

01505-337131 

N/L CORR 

George Stewart, 472 Main 

Street, Bonhill, Dumbartonshire 

01389-758260 


Bob Wilson 

9 Brierie Avenue, Crosslee, 

Houston 01505-690907 

MARKETING 

John Wylle 

Fourwinds, Edmondstone Drive, 

Danderhall, Dalkeith 

0131-6602969 

QUARTERMASTER 

George Skinner 

84 Kirkwall Avenue, Blantyre 

G72 9NX 01698-828469 

Page 2 Veteran Leaguer: Summer 2001

LEAGUE OF VETERAN RACING CYCLISTS 

The Veteran Leaguer 

is the official Newsletter 

of the League 

of Veteran Racing 

Cyclists 

Newsletter Editor 

Ray ay Minovi, 

45 Augusta Road, Moseley, , Birmingham B13 8AE 

Tel/fax: 0121-449-1347 

email: raminminovi@cnews.freeserve.co.uk 

THE SPORT WE LOVE seems doomed to be 

dominated by drugs. Professional sports, of 

course, dance to the tune of those who pay 

the money. The primary concern of any pro 

team manager is to keep his sponsor happy. A 

good many sponsors have made it clear in the 

past that, as long as they’re getting good publicity, 

then they won’t ask too many questions. 

Riding in tandem with the sponsors, professional 

cycle sport has a complaisant ‘governing 

body’ which has, for half a century, done 

as little as possible to interfere. 

The latest sickening news from the Giro 

d’Italia shows that professional cycling still 

hasn’t got the message. The tired old clichés 

about ‘preparing yourself’, the myth that the 

riders can only compete at all in big-time racing 

if they’re doped, the lies and evasions were 

all routinely trotted out yet again. In Italy, as 

in France in 1998, the law finally stepped in 

and did what the sport should have done for 

itself. We shall no doubt hear that cycling does 

more than any other sport to fight drug abuse. 

Yet at the Lausanne conference on drugs in 

sport in 1999, the UCI was one of only four 

of the 34 governing bodies present to refuse 

to agree to a mandatory two-year ban for 

being caught using drugs – and this only a year 

after the Festina affair. 

Our sport is poisoned: the drugs lobby have 

made it impossible now to know for certain 

whether any single rider is clean. 

Where next? Two possible futures beckon: 

we can accept drugs as an integral part of cycle 

racing and cease to be an Olympic sport; 

or we can get rid of them, and that requires 

money and firm, unequivocal measures in the 

form of effective bans. If the sponsors finally 

decide enough is enough and withdraw, where 

is cycle sport then? 

Wanted: race stories – the bare results don’t 

tell us much; and photos – we know you’re 

out there, we see you snapping away at the 

roadside, so where are the pictures? 

We welcome all contributions from anyone – 

letters, comments, results, articles, reports, 

pictures, even abuse as long as it’s in the bes 

possible taste. We’d rather have your stuff 

handwritten than not at all, but if you can 

type it or supply it on computer disk we’re 

even happier. Word, .rtf, or ASCII are all fine. 

Deadline for next issue: 31st August 2001 

The Veteran Leaguer, Summer 2001 

Contents 

Regional Officials 2 

Editorial 3 

Corrections 3 

Point of View: Tom McCall 4 

Exec Cttee 2001 4 

Chairman’s View 5 

Regional News 5 – 6 

Obituary 6 

International Events 6,7 

Feeding station 8 

Racing: results 9, 10, 12 

Pictures 11 

On the Dole 13 

Murder in the Pyrenees 14 

LVRC Shop 15 

Reviews 16 – 17 

Easter in Ireland 18 

Tour de France Quiz 18 

Autumn in the Luberon 19 

Track Championships 19 

The Mid-Life Athlete: poem 20 

Helmets 20 

Letter 21 

Coach: being warm 24 

Corrections/additions/changes 

North Bristol Road Race is now on Sunday 2nd September, and 

not on 1st July as in Handbook. Change owing to Leyhill Open 

Prison, which is the HQ, holding their Open Day. All other details 

are as in Handbook. 

New event: Sunday 29th July, Criteriums at Birmingham Business 

Park, near the NEC, all categories. Charity event in aid of 

Child Victims of Crime. Michael Wright, 3 Southfields Close, 

Coleshill B46 3EG. Tel: 01675-463179 

Fareham Wheelers Autumn Road Race is on 19th August ONLY, 

not Sat & Sun as in Handbook. 

Circuit of Bredon Hill, Sunday 22nd July. Please note: the organiser’s 

address has changed: Lawrie Hunt, 12 Gordon Road, 

Leckhampton, Cheltenham GL53 0ES. Tel: 01242-230982 

Solihull Road Race, Saturday 14th July, now has an improved 

prize list, with four frames (aluminium alloy, carbon forks) as the 

principal prizes. Location: Bearley, near Henley in Arden, Warwickshire, 

start time 9.30 a.m. Organiser is Guy Elliott, 01676-532174 

Deadlines & intended publication dates of future issues 

Issue Deadline Publication 

3/2001 Autumn 31 August 27 September 

4/2001 Winter 10 December 3 Jan 2002 

1/2002 Spring 9 March 2 April 

2/2002 Summer 15 June 6 July 

Cover Picture 

A fine solo win by Marcus Walker (Worcester St Johns), Stage 3 (Race 

1) of the Tour of the Abberleys in Worcestershire at the end of May. 

Photo: Amanda Court 

Veteran Leaguer: Summer 2001 Page 3

Executive Committee 2001 

Chairman 

Peter Ryalls, 11 Devonshire Close, Dronfield, 

Sheffield S18 1QY 01246-413515 

13515 

Secretary 

Peter Wilson 52 Knoll Drive, Southgate, 

London, N14 5NE. 0208-368-0698 

Treasurer: 

John Flear, 14a Water Lane, North Hykeham, Lincs 

LN6 9QT 01522-687738 

Newsletter Editor & Coaching Secretary 

Ray Minovi, 45 Augusta Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8AE 

Tel/fax: 0121-449-1347 

email:raminminovi@cnews.freeserve.co.uk 

Registrar 

Alan Corbet, 41 Coles Lane, Sutton Coldfield B72 1NH 

0121-240-7307 

Stock Controller 

Chris Singleton, 23 Barnwood Road, Quinton, 

Birmingham B32 2LY 0121-427-1912 

Event Co-ordinator 

Colin Willetts, 201 Mildenhall Road, Great Barr, Birmingham 

B42 2PE 0121-358-6768 

Results Co-ordinator 

Tom McCall, 1 Norfolk Road, Thornton Heath, 

London CR7 8ND 0208-7680081 

International Racing Secretary 

Mick Ives, 78 Mill Hill, Baginton, near CoventryCV8 3AG 

02476-304009 (Thursday–Sunday); or mick.ives@ctc.org.uk 

Plus one representative from each region 

LVRC Website: 

roy@roygardiner.com 

Point of View 

For some time now, I have been watching with great 

interest the gradual progress that cycling officialdom 

and the governing bodies have been making in their 

fight against doping in general, and EPO in particular. 

The rumblings about EPO exploded on to the public 

stage with all the exposures in the Tour de France a 

few years ago, with the Festina team being cast as the 

main villains, after the seizure of substances from one 

of their team officials. TVM, were, of course, included 

in this witch-hunt very soon after. 

I am not going to go into these affairs, as they have 

been well-documented, but I do want to mention 

EPO, and the general effect that this type of substance 

has on an athlete. If memory serves me correctly, this 

product was created and produced for people who 

were deficient in red blood cells. I am not sure if this 

product is able to assist the body in producing new red 

blood cells, or whether it purely convinces the body 

by simulation – anyone with a medical background 

will know better than I – but, either way, the points I 

want to make have the same meaning. 

For many years now, athletes have known of the 

benefits of training at altitude, because it stimulates 

the production of red blood cells in the body. It is no 

secret that if this process is scheduled in relation to a 

major event then the athlete will be there on the big 

day in the best possible condition. 

For years, there have also been rumblings about 

‘blood doping’. This, of course, would mean that an 

athlete would train, and acclimatise at altitude, have 

his oxygen-enriched blood drawn off, and stored, and 

then re-infused prior to a major event. There has been 

a finger of suspicion, but no proof, pointed at certain 

leading athletes and cyclists, who allegedly used this 

method. 

Now, we have EPO, which will artificially produce 

Tom McCall 

this effect. The UCI have stepped in and set an 

acceptable haematocrit level of 50%, and for a little 

while now, the ‘vampire squads’ have descended on 

riders at events at dawn to take their random blood 

samples in the hunt for transgressors. If a rider had a 

level in excess of 50%, it was deemed (but it couldn’t 

be proven) that he had probably been indulging in 

something he shouldn’t have been, but the worst they 

could do is make the rider stand down for a while on 

health grounds, until his level returned to normal. 

The most publicised example of this was Pantani in 

the Giro. 

Quite how all this relates to riders who live at 

altitude, I don’t understand at all, and you regularly 

read articles about the benefits of training at altitude, 

which confuses me even more, so where is the level 

playing field? 

Now we have a urine test which can supposedly 

detect the presence of EPO, but this has brought its 

own problems, because it looks as though the rider 

will only be required to produce a urine sample for 

this test, if he seems to have a level of over 50% from 

the blood test. We now also have cases pending 

where riders apparently had been found to have a 

haematocrit level of over 50%, were stood down, and 

had to provide a urine sample, which subsequently 

came up negative for EPO! It would be no surprise if 

legal action followed this type of situation, with 

accusations of defamation of character. 

It is certain that something is going on, as there is 

no smoke without fire, but no-one has quite managed 

to put their finger right on it, and I am sure that there 

will be an intricate on-going battle between officials 

and the medical experts attached to all major teams, 

with legal eagles watching from the wings. Any 

comment on this issue would be welcome. V 


Chairman’s View 

I KNEW IT would end in tears! 

More calls and letters on one event than I’ve received on 

any subject since taking office. Why, when the VTTA run 

events for head bangers every week, do we, an organisation 

devoted to proper racing, want to get involved? 

Our TT championship, run on a weekend clear of other 

promotions, attracted approx 25% of the entries we normally 

get for a road race. Not exactly popular, but, apparently, 

plenty of opportunity for wind-ups. 

I now learn that, apart from those silly-looking bikes, also 

essential to testing is the wearing on the head of what is 

best described as a hollowed-out tadpole. If such apparel 

is not allowed, then it is reason for much gnashing of teeth 

and reference to the Handbook. The cause of such consternation: 

Rule 25, which refers to both LVRC and RTTC, 

and so reason for considerable discourse as the RTTC allows 

silly hats – or no hats at all! We should have noticed it 

before, but of course the dearth of such events, except as 

part of a stage race, means that most of us did not even 

know that the rule existed. 

End result: one possible category winner refusing to start 

without silly hat, one actual category winner accused of 

getting away with wearing said hat. Is it worth it? 

So, organisers – it you feel the urge to promote a TT, first: 

think again; second, make sure you state ‘Under LVRC 

rules’. V 

Regional News 

Region 1 

OUR TWO NEW EVENTS at Grange-over-Sands and Capernwray 

had to be cancelled because of foot-and-mouth. 

However, at the time of writing, all the region’s other events 

look as though they’ll go ahead. 

The proposed May trip to the Isle of Man was cancelled 

because of problems over the ferry arrangements. The 

Heysham are at 2 pm, which means no chance of a day’s 

cycling – inless there’s someone out there who’d be interested 

in organising a trip with an overnight stay in Douglas. 

Clubruns First Tueday each month at the Priory Cafe, 

Scorton, 10 – 10.15 am 

Meetings First Thursday each month at the Priory Cafe, 

7.30 pm. 

AGM Thursday 13th September, 8 pm at the Priory 

Cafe. 

Harry Benson 

Region 4 

TRACK TRAINING SESSIONS at Manchester Velodrome: 

all five of the winter track training sessions were heavily 

oversubscribed and as popular as ever, particularly the dernpaced 

events. Normally free refreshments are provided free, 

but for the December session, riders were asked to make a 

small donation and a total of £30 was collected which went 

to Oxfam. Thanks to everyone concerned. A lot of people 

were disappointed to get their entries back (only 50 were 

accepted for each day). So the message is clear – if you 

want to guarantee a ride, enter early for next winter. 

Still to come are two very different races – the Woodbank 

Trophy at Bank Holiday weekend which has a tough circuit 

(said to be one of the hardest LVRC races) and the flat fast 

Cheshire Challenge with lucrative lap prizes. The organisers 

will as usual be hoping for volunteer helpers from regional 

members. 

Italia 2001. In May, twelve Manchester vets went on a 

week’s training trip to Riccione,near Rimini, on the Italian 

Adriatic Coast. We went for the first time lastyear, as a 

change from Majorca, and as we all thought it was great 

and thecycling friendly hotel made us so welcome, we 

decided that we must go again.The holiday’s cost and climate 

is very comparable as a trip to Majorca but the roads 

appear to be much ‘heavier’ and the average daily mileage’s 

of 65 miles are less than we used to manage comfortably 

in Majorca (or is it that we are getting older?). Although 

May was not the ideal time for the racing season (I 

missed Jack Watson’s race again) it did ensure good weather 

again and it provided the ideal preparation for the vets in 

the group who will be doing the Etape in July. 

The Italian Tourist Board is trying to extend their holiday 

season and are keen to attract cycling groups. Consequently 

a chain of hotels have become ‘bikehotels’ which specially 

provide for the cyclists requirements e.g. bike store/workshop, 

guides, itineraries, plenty of food etc. See 

www.italybikehotels.it. 

If anybody is thinking of going to the Riccione area we 

can provide useful information on hotels, routes, bike shops 

etc. 

Nev Ashman 

Region 5 

OWING TO CANCELLATIONS caused by foot and mouth, our 

first Regional event to take place was the Dinnington R.R. 

at Thurcroft on 29 th April. Police co-operation was extremely 

good, with the law effectively marshalling every major corner. 

Thanks are due to Ken Downing who stepped in at 

short notice when Christine Hearsum was injured in a vehicle 

accident. 

Further bad news is that LVRC Chairman Pete Ryalls broken 

his hip in a Spanish criterium. We wish Pete a good 

recovery from this painful injury. 

On a more positive note, Chris Hobby, our regular and 

reliable organiser of the Lincoln Ridge Road Race writes of 

his event on 13 th May: ‘This years event proved a great 

success, enjoying hot and sunny weather on the day. Clashing 

with the Lincoln Grand Prix caused a few absentees 

with riders wanting to watch this classic race instead. However, 

the Lincoln Ridge R.R. had more competitors than 

the BCF event, with 148, a record number. Riders each 

donated £1.00p car park fee towards the David Rayner 

Fund. The collection totalled £118.00p on the gate, plus 

£25.00p donated by Mrs Pat Davies who handled the ca- 


tering. A worthwhile exercise towards a very worthy cause’. 

Following my request in the Winter issue Barry Pape of 

Sheffield Sports C.C. has kindly supplied a dictaphone for 

regional use, and helped to replace the two that were missing. 

Thanks, Barry, for your generosity. 

The Regional AGM will take place after John Elliots’ Alford 

Road Race on 26 th August, the final Region 5 event of 2001. 

NB: after three years your Newsletter Correspondent will 

be standing down at the AGM and this advance notice is 

to give the chance for a successor to come forward. 

Rod Forster 

Region 6 

THE COUNTY AIR AMBULANCE is a helicopter which annually 

performs dozens of rescues and saves numerous lives. 

Naturally it costs an arm and a leg to maintain, staff and 

fuel, and there’s never enough money. Last year, following 

the initiative of Chris Singleton at the Tour of the Abberleys, 

sponsorship of this and other LVRC regional events, plus 

donations, raised a total of £250 for the County Air Ambulance 

and simultaneously raised the profile of the League 

as a caring organisation.Several regional events are raising 

money this year and the Three-Day Tour of the Abberleys 

started off the fund with £100 donated. 

Bad luck for Walker in Region 6 Champs 

The regional road championships were again run on a 

Wednesday evening, 13th June. With only 19 riders signing 

on separate races would have been pointless, so all 

categories started together. After numerous individual attacks, 

Marcus Walker (Worcester St Johns) had established 

what looked like an uncrackable lead of around 30 seconds 

by the top of Astley with a mile and a half to go. Then 

disaster – he punctured outside the HQ a mile from the 

finish and had to stand at the roadside and watch the lead 

group, now down to seven, come by. In the uphill sprint 

62-year-old Ray Minovi took it from Steve Bennett and 

Howard Jones. 

The inexplicably poor response on a fine June evening 

means that this will almost certainly be the last Region 6 

championship event. You’d think a mid-week event on a 

fine evening in June would have them queuing up, but only 

25 riders of all categories entered in advance, a few signed 

on on the line, and 19 started. Organisers Brian Taylor and 

Les Archer are considering approaching neighbouring regions 

to suggest joint championships in future. In the meantime 

they’d be glad to hear from regional riders for their 

preferences. Les Archer is on 01384-273109. 

Region 9 

TREMENDOUS RESPONSE FROM LVRC riders for Norman 

Bright’s evening events at Eastway, a 20% increase this year, 

numbers now up by around 50 per event, which is good 

going for evening races. More needed at North Weald. 

Obituary 

Roger Storey, a member of the Solihull 

CC, collapsed and died of a heart 

attack on 19th May while competing 

in a Two-day race in South Wales. 

Roger joined the Solihull CC in 

1960, enjoying the club and training 

runs and making friendships that 

lasted throughout his life. He raced 

successfully and held a First Category 

licence through the 1960s, when he 

competed in Star Trophy and other 

top-class events. He was a member of 

the very strong Solihull CC road team 

of that period and gained top placing 

in many events, among them the 

Shropshire Journal Three-day, which 

he won. Roger also raced regularly in 

the Track Leagues at Salford Park in 

Aut 

Birmingham, at at the Butts Stadium 

in Coventry. 

For many years business commitments 

took him away from competition, 

but whenever he could he 

turned out for the Solihull CC Saturday/Sunday 

club runs. 

When he retired Roger started racing 

again for the Solihull CC in LVRC 

events in 1999 and 2000, and 

showed he had lost none of his competitive 

edge: only 100% effort was 

good enough. 

He leaves a wife, Penny, to whom 

he was married for 35 years, daughters 

Jane and Sarah, and grandson 

Matthew. 

Right: Roger Storey taking part in 

L’Albigeoise randonnée in 1999 

Australian Masters Games 

5th – 14th October 2001 Newcastle and The Hunter 

Events 

Track events at Newcastle Velodrome: time-trial, individual 

pursuit (1000m – 3000), scratch races 2km – 10 km, Sprint 

30 –54 yrs, Derby 55–70 yrs 

Road Races 30km – 125 km at Minmi 

Time-trial, 26 km, at Seaham 

Hill climb, 7km at Newcastle 

Age groups: 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 

65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+, 90+. 

Details and entry forms from Mick Ives 

Cyclosportifs 

Details of randonées throughout France from Sport Communication, 

tel. 04 76 00 01 54, fax 04 76 03 16 67. 

Internet: www.sportcommunication.com 

Ufolep National Trophy events from 01 43 58 97 71. 


International Events 

Racing in Belgium 

WHY NOT PLAN a racing trip to Belgium this year? Various 

Belgian federations have events which accept our licence. 

The one with the nearest structure to ours is WAOD, who 

are fellow ICF members. Entry on the line is the norm, 

costs about £5, of which £2 is returnable deposit on your 

race number. Don’t forget to take your own pins. Prizes 

usually go down to 20th, but you don’t get a fortune, even 

if you can beat the combines and win. 

WAOD categories are: C, 40 – 48; D, 49 – 55; E, 56 – 

60; E+, Over-60; F1/F2, older riders and those who cannot 

compete in the other categories. Most events are criterium-style, 

on 5 – 10 km circuits, and are run in three separate 

events: C & D, E & E+; F1 & F2. 

Ghent is the ideal centre, cheap hotels including Formule 

1, and the youth hostel in the town centre is good value. 

If you’re planning a trip you need a good map in order to 

locate the races, most of which are in small villages. HQ 

will be a cafe/bar, and don’t expect changing rooms. Your 

own cologne or water bucket is the after-race douche. Always 

allow plenty of time to find the HQ. Speaking from 

experience, this is the most stressful part of Belgian racing. 

The ICF World Championships at Wetteren could be an 

ideal opportunity to organise your trip. Using a 5-day excursion 

ticket you could travel on 2nd August and race on 

3rd at Asper, 4th at Zeveneken, 5th at Wetteren, and 6th 

at Merelbeke, followed by a quick dash to Ostende or Calais. 

Merelbeke is a must, a real Kermesse, complete with 

fairground straddling the finishing line and plenty of cobbles. 

For those of you planning longer trips there are at least 

four events per week throughout the summer. I can give 

you locations in advance, but when you arrive you will 

need to find the times of start and race HQ for the first 

event from the daily newspapers, Het Laatse Nieuws or 

Het Volk. Once you’ve found the first event you’ll be able 

to buy a programme at race HQ which will provide full 

details for the rest of your visit. Peter Ryalls 

Useful contacts for Belgium 

Henri Neyt, Dendermondseteenweg 887, 9070 

Destelbergen, Belgium. Tel: 09/355-17-63. Full race calendar 

obtainable from Henri. 

Roly Crayford will also be happy to advise: Tel 01622- 

843155. 

Race in Poland 

Roudnice upon Labe, Team Race, 5/6 July 

5th July, p.m.: Giro de Zavadilka for three members of 

the team, for all categories – men, women, children, vets. 

6th July, a.m. International Cup for Veterans. Cat 1, 30 – 

40 yrs; Cat 2, 41 – 50; 51 – 60; 61 – 70; 71+ 

Accommodation can be arranged. Teams from Germany, 

Austria, Belgium, Latvia are expected. Information from 

Mick Ives, 02476-304009 (Thu - Sun)or 

mick.ives@ctc.org.uk 

ICF World Champs 5th August 

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL be run on a 7.8 km circuit at 

Wetteren, 10 km SE of Ghent, on the River Schelde, Exit 

17 on E40 from Ostende. 

Programme 

50+ (Cats C/D): start 10 am, 62.4 km 

60+ (Cats E/F): start 10.01 am, 54.6 km 

40+ (Cats A/B): start 12.30 pm, 70.2 km 

Event HQ: 

Cafe Feestzall Tonneke 

48 Massemsesteenweg, Wetteren 

Entry: standard LVRC form to reach P. Ryalls (address on 

p 4 and Handbook) by 14th July. Cheque for £5 to ‘LVRC’, 

must include date of birth, plus SAE. 

Event: frame number tags, race number pins, licence. 

These races are no easy touch (writes Pete Ryalls): the 

last World Champs in Belgium had 350 competitors. In the 

1980s and early 90s, when they were in 5-year age groups, 

we had a lot of success in the 50+ and 60+ groups, Dave 

Orford and Harry Hall winning titles. Since 1993 the races 

have been for 10-year age groups, and Dave Nie (3 times) 

and Ian Hallam have won titles here. We’ve never won the 

40+ title in Belgium – let’s see our A & B Cats giving it a go. 

Wanted: information 

MICK IVES, LVRC International Racing Secretary, urgently 

requires information about contacts (numbers, names, addresses) 

for any or all European countries, with the aim of 

building a database for all members. Among our 2000 

members there must be a good deal of such information 

floating about. Contact Mick on: 

Mick Ives, 78 Mill Hill, Baginton, near CoventryCV8 3AG 

02476-304009 (Thursday–Sunday); or mick.ives@ctc.org.uk 

UCI Champs in Austria 

World Masters Road Champs, St Johan, Tyrol 

23rd and 24th August 2001 

Road Races at St Johan, 19th and 20th August 

Full details and entry forms from Mick Ives, address above. 

Deutschlandberg, Austria 

European Masters Champs, 11th & 12th August 2001 

Festival 13th – 18th August 2001 

The Championships on the first two days, then a programme 

of age-related road races, handicaps, team time-trial, individual 

time-trial for all masters (born 1971 or earlier). 

15th August: 2-up TTT, three events, 18 km. 

Details and forms from Mick Ives. 

The Italian Connection 

World Amateur Road Championships, 5th August 2001, 

at Livorno, distance 87 km, Cats ABCDE. No costs, but 

information from Cicli Falaschi, Via le Carducci, 48 57100 

Livorno, Telephone 0586/403139. 


The Feeding Station 

The Zone Diet? Forget it 

You may have heard of the 30-30-40 diet, also known as 

‘the Zone Diet’. That wouldn’t be surprising, because over 

the last five years it’s had a lot of attention as a method of 

improving training adaptations and performance. But the 

theory behind the method seems to have no support from 

science. 

The ‘Zone diet’ was announced by Dr Barry Sears in his 

1995 book The Zone. By following his special diet, he 

claims, a ‘zone of optimal health, permanent weight control, 

and improved performance’ can be achieved. The key 

is ‘a perfect balance between insulin and glucagon levels’. 

It can be achieved by eating a dietary energy mix of 40% 

carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 30% protein. This is supposedly 

done by dividing foods into ‘blocks’: good (low glycaemic 

index) carbohydrate blocks, protein blocks, and fat 

blocks, and then eating a special ratio of these at meal times. 

In real life, however, food doesn’t come in perfect ‘blocks’ 

and the recommended dietary energy mix is hard to achieve 

from typical eating patterns and normal food choices. 

The Zone is confusing and contradictory, and the rec- 

ommendations impractical. It is full of dramatic claims about 

cures for various diseases based on biochemistry that just 

don’t hold. Research is selectively quoted and anecdotal 

reports about people improving their well-being or athletic 

performance are dressed up to look like studies. In short, 

there is no proof for any of the claims made. This hasn’t 

stopped Sears and his followers (among them Joe Friel, 

author of The Cyclists Training Bible) from attacking current 

health and nutrition guidelines, or any nutritionists or 

scientists who question the Zone Diet. One claim of the 

Zone diet is that it improves sports performance. Again, 

testimonials from successful athletes are used to ‘prove’ 

this. However, there is no scientific evidence or even a 

reasonable hypothesis about why this should be so. It is 

strange that the cover of the book promotes the notion 

that ‘athletes will perform better on a high fat diet’, because 

the Zone diet is actually low in fat and energy if 

followed literally. The main effect of the Zone diet is weight 

loss, resulting from severe calorie restriction. There’s nothing 

new in this. 

Breakfasts compared 

Cooked breakfast 

2 rashers fried streaky bacon 

2 fried eggs 

2 slices white toast with butter 

1 grilled tomato 

600 kcal; fat=44g; sugars=8.5g; fibre=3g 

Continental breakfast 

2 croissants 

20g butter 

20g jam 

612 kcal; fat=37g; sugars=29g; fibre=1.6g 

Toast and marmalade 

2 slices white toast 

20g butter 

20g marmalade 


Breakfast cereal 

1 bowl (50g) bran flakes 

125 ml semi-skimmed milk 


2 Weetabix 125 ml semi-skimmed milk 

180 kcal; fat=3g; sugars=8g; fibre=5g 

Breakfast advice 

Always include at least one portion of fruit with breakfast, e.g. 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 orange, 

4oz (100g) strawberries 

Include at least one high carbohydrate food: e.g. breakfast cereal, porridge oats, toast, bread, 

English muffins, bagels, pancakes, waffles 

If you aren’t keen on high-fibre cereals, mix your favourite low-fibre cereal with a cereal 

providing at least 7g fibre per 100g 

Use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk instead of full-fat milk 

Avoid fried foods: e.g. bacon, sausages, and high-fat foods, e.g. croissants, pastries 

Add dried fruit, e.g. raisins, dates, prunes, instead of sugar to sweeten your cereal. They also 

provide extra fibre and vitamins. 


Racing: 

Racing: stories & results for April – June 2001 

CICLOS UNO: : Eastway, , 4th March 

A . 1. Patrick Schills; 2. Colin Ludo, 

3. Graham Burridge. 

B. 1. Robin Hargreaves. 

C. 1. Bill Butterworth; 2. Dave Griffiths, 3. 

John Power. 

D. 1. Charlie Bruce. 

F. 1. Terry Law; 2. Arnold Russell. 

CICLOS UNO: : Eastway, , 18th March 

A . 1. Jeremy Pattinson 

attinson; 2. Mick Gray, 

3. Carl McDonagh. 

B. 1. Bob Downs. 

C. 1. Terry Devine, 2. Max McCalla. 

D. 1. Shay Giles. 

E . 1. Mike Brushett; 2. Terry Law. 

DIDCOT PHOENIX: Harwell, 15th April. 

Race 1. 

1. Mick Ives(E); 2. Ray Minovi(E); 3. Roger 

Barnes(D); 4. John Leach(D); 5. Richard 

Sydenham(D); 6. Peter Whitfield(D); 7. Hugh 

McGuire(E); 8. Roger Storey(D; 9. Ken 

Haddon(E); 10. Jeff Garner(D) 

D. 1. Roger Barnes, 2. John Leach, 

3. Richard Sydenham. 

E . 1. Mick Ives; 2. R. Minovi; 3. H. McGuire. 

F. 1. Roger Smith; 2. Terry Law; 3. Brian Lee. 

G. 1. Pete Sandy. 

Race 2. 1. Trevor Cameron(B); 2. Tony 

Woodcock(C); 3. Pete Trotman(B); 4. Dave 

Griffiths(C); 5. Ralph Wilson(B); 6. Brian 

McGuire(A); 7. Paul Dean(B); 8. Jeremy 

Patterson(A); 9. Richard Collier(A); 10. Tony 

Couchman(A). 

A . 1. Brian McGuire; 2. Jeremy Patterson, 

3. Tony Couchman. 

B. 1. Trevor Cameron; 2. Pete Trotman, 

3. Ralph Wilson. 

C. 1. Tony ony Woodcock 

oodcock; 2. Dave Griffiths, 

3. Paul Ruta. 

BISHOPSWOOD: : Selby, , 22nd April 

A . 1. Roy Francis 

rancis; 2. Keith Richards; 

3. Roger Harvey. 

B. 1. Trevor Cameron; 2. Steve Webster. 

C. 1. Steve Woodrup 

oodrup; 2. Ian Murray; 

3. Tony Beddis. 

D. 1. Brian Sunter; 2. Stuart Ackroyd; 

3. Chris Poole. 

E . 1. Dave Elliott; 2. Bernard Burns; 

3. Jack Wright. 

F. 1. Brian Bliss, 2. Roger Smith. 

THURCROFT, , 29th April 

Race ace 1. 

1. Neil Martin(A); 2. Trevor Cameron(B); 3. Ian 

Harvey(A); 4. William Belcher(A); 5. John 

Hadfield(A); 6. Simon Day(A); 7.S.Bamber(A); 

8. Roger Harvey(A); 9. Steve Wakefield(B); 10. 

Paul Wakefield(A). 

A. 1. Neil Martin, 2. I. Harvey, 3. W. Belcher. 

B. 1. Trevor Cameron, 2. Steve Wakefield. 

Race 2. 1. D.Horton( 

.Horton(D), 2. R.Pyne(D), 3. 

I.Murray(C), 4. B.Mitchell(C),5. B.Rouse(C), 6. 

M.Holmes(D);7.B.Garnett(D);8.A.Hitchcock(D), 

9. D.Maughan(C), 10. P.Etches(C). 

C. 1. Ian Murray, 2. B.Mitchell, 3. B.Rouse. 

D. 1. Dave Horton, 2. R.Pyne, 3. M.Holmes. 

Wind, hills and helmets in first TT champs 

FORMER TRIPLE 25-MILE TT champion Eddie Adkins used a combination of skill and 

brute power to make fastest overall time in the first LVRC Time-trial championship 

in Warwickshire on 22 nd April. But it was close, Adkins taking a mere three seconds 

out of former BBAR Glenn Longland, with Ferryhill Wheelers’ Steve Davies only 

another 11 seconds away. Riders faced an uphill struggle into a solid wind all the 

way to the turn, with a return designed for 11-tooth sprockets, and these three 

were the only riders to average over 25 mph. 

Unfortunately the event was marred by controversy: refused permission to wear 

his aero helmet, Roger Iddles turned down a loaned hard shelll and withdrew ‘on 

principle’ because he felt the programme note had been unclear. 

Another favourite, Nick Yarworth, had trouble with his disc, and gave up in frustration; 

and Len Benton was stranded at the roadside 80 miles away with petrol in 

his diesel engine. 

The B Cat event was a close fight, but Adkins, Ron Pyne, Ray Minovi and Clare 

Greenwood had comfortable wins in their age categories, and Harry Reynolds made 

a glorious return to racing after years in the wilderness to win the F Cat event from 

clubmate Alan Boden. See you next year, but bring the right helmet. 

Results 

A Cat 

1. Paul Lilley 59.51 

2. Mark Vallis 1.3.08 

3. Jon Davies 1.13.15 

B Cat 

1. Glenn Longland 55.44 

2. Steve Davies 55.55 

3. Peter Greenwood 56.12 

C Cat 

1. Eddie Adkins 55.41 

2. Graham Truelove 57.25 

3. Barrie Mitchell 58.39 

Race 3. 1. M.Ives (E); 2. H.McGuire(E); 3. 

J.Watson(E); 4. B.Thomas(E); 5. J.Downing(E); 

6. J.Wright(E); 7. D.Smith(F); 8. B.Bliss(F); 9. 

B.Burns(E);10. G.Bennett(E). 

E. 1. Mick Ives, 2. H.McGuire, 3. J.Watson. 

F. 1. Derrick Smith. G. 1. Syd Wilson. 

CICLOS UNO: : Eastway, , 29th April 

A. 1. Mick Bell, 2. Robert Cranstone, 3. Ian 

Ferrell. 

B. 1. Mick McManus, 2. Ken Bakey, 3. Max 

McCalla. 

C. 1. Dave Griffiths, 2. Steve May, 3. Trevor 

Trett. 

D. 1. John Duckworth, 2. D. Smith, 3. S. Giles. 

E. 1. Tony ony Woodcock 

oodcock, 2. Roly Crayford. 

A1 CLASSIC: : N.Yorks, 6th May 

Race ace 1 A/B. 1. Kevin Brown, 2. Dave Werrell, 

3. Gerry Watson, 4. Steve Horsey, 

5. Roy Francis, 6. Brian Davidson, 7. Jim 

Forrest, 8. Joe Grant, 9. Dave Hudson, 

A. 1. Roy Francis, B. 1. Kevin Brown. 

Race 2. C. 1. Ian Murray; 2. Ken Cowdell; 3. 

Steve Woodrup; 4. John Clarke; 5. Paul Fisher; 

6.Jeff Standley. 

D Cat 

1. Ron Pyne 59.03 

2. Bob Richards 1.1.52 

3. Brian Northing 1.1.54 

E Cat 

1. Ray Minovi 57.02 

2. Mick Ives 59.57 

3. Hugh McGuire 1.3.42 

F Cat 

1. Harry Reynolds 

1.3.47 

2. Alan Boden 1.4.22 

3. Alan Neale 1.16.28 

Ladies 

Clare Greenwood 1.3.43 

Race 3. D. 1. Brian Sunter, 2. Mick Holmes, 3. 

Rob Stones, 4. John Tingle; 5. John Leach, 6. 

Bernard Garnett. 

Race 4. 4 E/F/G. 1. Jack Wright 

right; 2. Bernard 

Burns; 3. Derek Smith; 4. Roger Smith; 5. Brian 

Ellis; 6. Len Grayson. 

ANGEL of the NORTH: Stamfordham,12 May 

A . 1. P.Stubbs, 

2. D.Rawson, 3. G.Brown. 

B. 1. S.Davies, 

2. B.Davison, 3. J.Belcher. 

C. 1. I.Murray, 2. K.Cowdell. 3. D.Maughan. 

D. 1. R.Stones 

.Stones, 2. S.Ackroyd, 3. B.Sunter. 

E . 1. J.W 

.Watson 

atson, 2. M.Ives, 3. J.Downing. 

F. 1. D.Smith 

.Smith, 2. B.Bliss, 3. H.Harrison. 

G. 1. R. . Longstaff. 

SCALE HALL CRITS, , 13th May 

Handicap race - all cats. 1. Brian Ellis(E); 2. 

David Stevens(A); 3. Steve Davies)A); 4. Colin 

Bell(A); 5. Gordon Helm(B). 

Scratch Race. A. 1. Bob Pye; 2. David Stevens; 

3. Steve Davies; 4. Keith Neil. 

Prime: 

David Stevens. 

Scratch Race. B/C/D. 1. Gordon Helm; 2. Peter 

Miller, 3. Jeff Stanley, 4. Brian Ellis. 

LINCOLN RIDGE: : Long Bennington, 13th May 

Race ace 1. Jeremy Patterson(A), 2. Roy 


Harrison(A); 3. Roger Harvey(A); 4. Steve 

Wakefield(B), 5. Simon Day(A), 6. Ian 

Harvey(A), 7. Mark Denton(A); 8. Garnett 

Smith(B); 9. Lewis Teal(B); 10.Dave Scargill(B). 

A. 1. Jeremy Patterson 

atterson, 2. R. Harrison, 3. R. 

Harvey. 

B. 1. Steve Wak 

akefield 

efield; 2. G. Smith, 3. L. Teal. 

Race 2. 1. John Tingle (D); 2. Phil Etches(C); 

3. Malc Robinson(D); 4. Barrie Mitchell(C); 5. 

Ken Cowdell(C); 6. Ken Downing(C); 7. Alan 

Pettit(C); 8. John Downing(C); 9. Dave 

Gretton(D); 10. Alf Davies(D). 

C. 1. Phil Etches, 2. B. Mitchell, 3. K. Cowdell. 

D. 1. John Tingle, 2. M. Robinson, 3. D. Gretton. 

Race 3. 1. Tony Reynolds 

(E); 2. John Downing(E); 

3. Bernard Burns(E); 4. Jack Wright(E); 

5. George Bennett(E); 6. Brian Bliss(F); 7. John 

Dowell(F); 8. Terry Law(F); 9. John Orwin(E); 

10. Dave McKay(E). 

E. 1. Tony Reynolds; 2. John Downing; 3. 

Bernard Burns. 

F. 1. Brian Bliss; 2. John Dowell; 3. Terry Law. 

CAPERNWRAY: : Scale Hall, 19th May 

1. Rob Pye(A); 2. Dave Stevens(A); 3. Gordon 

Smith(C); 4. Goldon Helme(C); 5. Brian 

Pearson(A); 6. Nev Pearson(A); 7. John 

Buxbaum(C); 8. Jeff Standley(C); 9. Don 

Parry(C); 10. Brian Ellis(E). 

A. 1. Rob Pye; 2. D. Stevens, 3. B. Pearson. 

C. 1. G. Smith, 2. J. Buxbaum, 3. J. Standley. 

D. 1. Geoff Rushforth. E. 1. Brian Ellis. 

3RD GIRO D’FIUME: : Calverton, 20th May 

Race 1. A/B 1. John Hadfield(A); 2. Ian 

Harvey(A); 3. Clive Belfield(B); 4. Colin Bell(A); 

5. Graham Flasby(A); 6. Gary Brown(A), 7. 

Jeremy Patterson(A); 8. Mervyn Sperry(B), 9. 

G.Smith(B); 10. Phil Dowson(B). 

A. 1. John Hadfield, 2. Ian Harvey, 3. Colin Bell. 

B. 1. Clive Belfield, 2. Mervyn Sperry; 

3. G.Smith. 

Race 2. C/D 1. Les West 

est(D); 2. Brian Sunter(D); 

3. Barrie Mitchell(C); 4. Ken Cowdell(C); 5. Bob 

Rouse(C); 6. Alan Hitchcock(D); 7. John 

Elliott(D); 8. Dave Holmes(C); 9. Bernard 

Garnet(D); 10. Dave Phillips(C). 

C. 1. Barrie Mitchell; 2. K. Cowdell; 3. B. Rouse. 

D. 1. Les West; 2. B. Sunter; 3. A. Hitchcock. 

Race 3. E/F/G 1. Mick Ives(E); 2. Jack 

Wright(E); 3. Ben Thomas(E); 4. John 

Downing(E); 5. Bernard Burns(E); 6. Derek 

Smith(F); 7. Brian Bliss(F), 8. Ken Haddon(E), 

9. Dave Elliott(E), 10. Syd Wilson(G). 

E. 1. Mick Ives; 2. J. Wright; 3. B. Thomas. 

F. 1. Derek Smith; 2. B. Bliss; 3. J. Dowell. 

G. 1. Syd Wilson; 2. Derek Smith. 

Region 6 Regional Championship 

1. Ray ay Minovi (E), 42 miles in 1. 49.30; 2. Steve 

Bennett (B) @ 2 lengths; 3. Howard Jones (B); 

4. David Hartshorne (C); 5. Joe Rowe (B); 6. 

Chris Duffield (A); 7. I. Wilde (A) all st; 8. C. 

Singleton (B) @ 32 sec; 9. C. Dooley (C) @ 

53; 10. K. Haddon (E) @ 2.09; 11. R. Smith(F); 

12. K. Haynes (D). 

Category Champions 

A . Chris Duffield B. Steve Bennett 

C. David Hartshorne D. Ken Haynes 

E . Ray Minovi F. Roger Smith 

G. John Pottier 

Frank Tidmarsh Memorial 

13th May 

Race 1 (A,B,C) 

ROAD SUBSIDENCE FORCED organiser Tony Summerfield to make a last-minute course 

change. Skilfully and decisively carried out though it was, it did little to alter the 

severity of the hardest and most demanding course of any LVRC race, on a single 

loop of ‘only’ 43 miles. Over the eight-mile stepped climb from the Severn valley 

to the Wheathill summit (1100 ft) the bunch split, but had reformed by the foot of 

Cleehill, where Nick Yarworth punctured. The Angelbank side of Clee is four miles 

long and climbs 266 metres (865 ft) to 379m (1231 ft), the highest road summit 

south of the Peak. It was meat and drink to Neil Martin who rode off and gained 

steadily over the endless ‘minor’ hills to the finish. At Highley, 7 miles to go, Keith 

Jones left the trailing group to take second place just over a minute behind. 

Race 2 (D,E,F) 

ON A COURSE virtually designed for him Les West won pretty well as he pleased, 

only superfit Trevor Horton offering real resistance. West, Horton, Roger Iddles, 

Ray Minovi (E) and Roger Barnes were at the head of affairs from the gun, and at 

Wheathill they split the field, leaving West, Horton and Minovi in a clear lead 

which they extended to Angelbank. On the Giant of Shropshire West attacked 

again and was soon alone. Horton pursued him all the way to the finish, still 20 

shattering miles distant, once closing to within ten seconds but unable to make 

contact. Two minutes behind, Minovi was caught by Iddles, and they continued to 

gain on a demoralised bunch swollen by stragglers picked up from the first race. 

Result 

Race 1 

1. Neil Martin, On the Edge, 43 miles in 2.00.07; 2. Keith Jones @ 1.18; 3. A. Crabbe @ 

2.13; 4. M. Sperry; 5. I. Wilde; 6. P. Halliwell 7. P. Cooke; 8. R. Francis, all st. 

Race 2 

1. Les West, 

2.3.50; 2. Trevor Horton @ 53 sec; 3. Ray Minovi @ 3.11; 4. Roger Iddles st; 

5. M. Thompson @ 7.40; 6. H. Canning; 7. R. Barnes; 8. P. Fisher, all st. 

Category winners 

A Martin B Crabbe C Halliwell D West E Minovi F Alan Boden 

Tour of Flanders, 19 May 

A COLD DAY and a muscle-sapping wind greeted the riders in the Tour of Flanders, 

13 miles from Stirling in the picturesque village of Buchlyvie. The weather was so 

awful that in the A-D race half the field retired to double egg and chips. 

In a classic move, last year’s 70+ winner Jimmy Reid forgot his bike, and in a 

field reduced to five riders Ian Grant won the EFG race by eight and a half 

minutes over the 36 miles. 

In the 45-mile A-D race Robert Wilson took the big bunch sprint by a tyre 

from Colin Fraser, with C/D rider Alan Hay third. Many thanks to all helpers. 

Report: George Stewart 

Group A/B 

1. Robert Wilson CRT Inverclyde, 45m in 1.48.52 

2. Colin Fraser @ inches 

3. Jamie McGahan 

Group E/F/G 

1. Ian Grant, 36m in 1.28.40 2. Sandy Bain @ 8.32 

Lyme RC RR 

Swynnerton, 10th June 

Race ace 1 

1. Nick Giles; 2. Martin Tolley @ 2 lengths; 

3. William Belcher @ 12 sec. 

Race 2 

1. John Archer; 2. Steve Horsey; 3. Dave 

Werrell; 4. Pete Maxwell; Dave Daynes; Hugh 

Canning. 

GroupC/D 

1. Alan Hay 

2. Calum McNeil 

3. Derek Hayes all st 

Race ace 3 

1. Ray ay Minovi; 2. Nev Ashman @ 1 sec; 3. 

Clive Walmsley @ 20 sec. 

Categories 

A 1. N. Giles; 2. M. Tolley; 3. W. Belcher 

B 1. T. Cameron; 2. S. Horsey; 3. D. Worrell 

C 1.J. Archer; 2. P. Kay; 3. D. Hartshorne 

D 1. P. Maxwell; 2. D. Aynes; 3. H. Canning 

E 1. R. Minovi; 2. N. Ashman; 3. C. Walmsley 


Clockwise from top left: The Abberleys: Neil Martin 

& Trevor Cameron close the gap on 1 in 5 Stanford 

Bank; working hard at Stamfordham in the Angel of 

the North – Jack Wright, Bryan Bliss, George Bennett; 

Nick Giles’ 40-mile solo on Stage Three at the 

Abberleys; big names at the Ron Kitching Library at 

the Otley Clubhouse – L to R, Bob Maitland, Brian 

Robinson, Ken Russell 


Tour of the Abberleys 3-Day 

5/6/7 May Sponsored by Reliant Windows 

Race 1 (A & B) 

Neil Martin, last year’s winner and favourite, 

entered the Abberleys 3-day in 

Worcestershire in preference to the BCF’s 

Peter Fryer event – and won again. 

Stage 1:After Ron Hewes (Harlow) had 

been out front for 20 miles Martin, 

William Belcher, Nick Yarworth and Nick 

Giles got across. Two miles out, 

Yarworth and Martin left their companions, 

Yarworth comfortably taking the 

sprint. 

Stage 2. After 23 miles Trevor Cameron, 

Vinny Smith and Martin Bush had a 3 

minute lead. But on the fearsome climb 

of Stanford (200 metres of climbing in 2½ 

miles, max 1 in 5) Martin soloed up to 

join Cameron. Big Nick was unable to 

match lightweight Neil and the pair 

worked hard to gain time over the remaining 

19 miles to the finish, where 

Martin won. 

Stage 3. Giles was out front for 40 miles, 

his lead never exceeding 1.30. When he 

was caught Marcus Walker immediately 

jumped away and remained 30 seconds 

clear at the finish, Martin and the other 

leaders doing no more than was necessary 

to maintain their positions. 

Stage 1. 1. N. Yarworth (A), 44 m in 1.49.57; 

2. N. Martin (A) st; 3. Ron Hewes @ 29 sec 

Stage 2. 1. N. Martin, 64 m in 2.52.04; 2. T. 

Cameron st; 3. N. Yarworth @ 1.34 

Stage 3. 1. M. Walker (A), 56 m in 2.33.27; 

2. N. Yarworth @ 26 sec; S. Davies, st 

Overall: 1. N. Martin, 7.15.51; 2. N. Yarworth 

@1.31; 3. W. Belcher @ 2.34; 4. T. Cameron 

@ 2.39; 5. R. Hewes @ 4.48; 6. N. Giles @ 

4.50; 7. M. Walker @ 6.04; 8. S. Davies @ 

6.37. 

Race 2 (C, D, E, F) 

Stage 1. A field of 50 meant some riders 

were giving away 16 years to their juniors, 

but much of the action came from the C 

and E cats. Dave McMullen and Roger 

Barnes rode off the front early and were 

gifted 45 seconds by a somnolent bunch. 

A last-lap charge reeled in a tired Barnes, 

but McMullen stayed clear. 

Stage 2. Big Roger Iddles clipped off to a 

two-minute lead, but was caught after 

Stanford by McMullen, Lew Gardiner, and 

Phil Cooke, with Trevor Horton and John 

Watchman getting across with three miles 

to go. McMullen remained yellow jersey, 

Ray Minovi taking the lead in the Over-60s 

when John Downing lost ground on 

Stanford Bank. Other losers included Ben 

Thomas (E) with an untimely puncture, and 

Pete Halliwell (C). 

Stage 3. Dave Leyland left the lethargic 

bunch on the first lap, was joined later by 

Clare Greenwood and Halliwell, and 

stayed away to the end. But McMullen and 

Watchman did enough in the final miles 

to retain their respective category leads, 

McMullen winning overall by a comfortable-enough 

margin. Minovi took the 

Over-60s for the third year running. 

Stage 1. 1. D. McMullen (C), 44 m in 1.53.33; 

2.J. Downing (E) @ 48 sec; 3. R. Minovi (E), st. 

Stage 2. 1. J. Watchman(C), 64 m in 2.55.14; 

2. T. Horton (D); 3. D. McMullen (C) all st. 

Stage 3. P. Halliwell (C), 56m in 2.40.38; 2. 

D. Leyland (D); 3. C. Greenwood (C), all st. 

Overall: 1. D. McMullen, 7.29.55; 2. J. Watchman 

@ 49 sec; 3. T. Horton @ 54 sec; 4. R. 

Iddles (D) @ 59 sec; 5. D. Leyland (D) @ 1.07; 

6. C. Greenwood @ 1.08; 7. P. Cooke (C) @ 

1.51; 8. R. Minovi (E) @ 1.53. 

Ray Levers Trophy 

Rotherham, 10th June 

Race 1 (A/B) 

1. Dave Stevens, 70 km in 1.01.10; 2, M. 

Sperry @ 2.20; 3, P. Wakefield; 4, V. Smith; 

5. S. Davies; 6, B. Davison all st 

Race 2 (C/D) 

1. Stuart Ackroyd 70 km in 2.00.45; 2, D. 

Hargreaves st; 3, J. Blacker @ 1.13; 4, A. 

Swimby @ 1.25; 5, B. Sunter; 6, B. Garnett 

Race 3 (E/F/G) 

1, Mick Ives, 60 km in 1.45.00; 2, J. 

Watson @ 3.58; 3, B. Thomas, st. 

Category winners: 

A Dave Stevens B Mervyn Sperry 

C Dave Hargreaves D.Stuart Ackroyd 

E Mick Ives F Bryan Bliss 

Severn Stoke Road Race 

Worcester 

orcester, , 16th June 

Race 1 (A & B) 

1. Nick Yarworth 

(A); 2. Vinny Smith (B); 

3. Mac McGready (A); 4. W. Rodgers; 5. 

S. Davies (B); 6. M. Walker (A); 7. Garnet 

Smith (B); 8. R. Francis; 9. A. Vallance; 10. 

S. Bennett all st. 

Race 2. (C & D) 

1. Gordon Smith (C); 2. Tom McCall (D); 

3. Dave Leyland (C); 4. D. Benger (D); 5. P. 

Halliwell (C); 6. R. Richards (D); 7. R. 

Barnes (D); 8. B. Hodgson (C); 9. M. Webb 

(D); 10. D. Worsfield (C). 

Race 3. (E/F/G) 

1. Ray Minovi (E); 2. John Downing (E); 

3. Jack Watson (E); 4. J. Wright (E); 5. B. 

Thomas (E); 6. D. Elliott (E); 7. B. Bliss (F); 

8. K. Haddon (E); 9. E. King (E); 10. G. 

Bennett (E). 


A Nick Yarworth B Vinny Smith 

C Gordon Smith D Tom McCall 

E Ray Minovi F Bryan Bliss 

G Peter Sandy 

Dursley RC RR 

Thornbury, , 17th June 

Race ace 1 (A & B) 

1. Nick Yarworth 

(A), 57m in 2.25.00; 2. P. 

Withers (A); 3. M. Bush (B); 4, G. Smith; 

5, S. Hall; 6, P. Dean 

Race ace 2. (C & D) 

1. John Williams (C); 2. Dave Pitman (C); 

3. W. Hodgson(C); 4, M. Parker (C); 5, D. 

Worsfold; 6, L. Hunt (D) 

Race ace 3. (E/F/G) 

1. Ray ay Minovi (E), 46 m in 2.03.00; 2. Mick 

Ives (E); 3. Jack Watson (E); 4. B. Thomas 

(E). 

The Tour of the Abberleys. L to R: Roger Shayes, Dave McMullen, Ray 

Minovi, Neil Martin, & organiser Chris Singleton. Photo: Ken Haddon. 


A Nick Yarworth B Martin Bush 

C John Williams D Lawrie Hunt 

E Ray Minovi F Roger Smith 

G Peter Sandy 


Let’s face it, training is a never-ending fight with the elements, with equipment that has a mind of 

its own, and with our training partners. So why do we do it? 

On the dole and tyred out 

WALLY IS AN EQUIPMENT freak. He 

takes his bike to pieces every 

week and reassembles it. 

Which is why his gear cable pulled 

through the retaining nut, leaving him 

with only the top sprocket halfway up 

the hill. This was the alternate Wednesday 

run through the Shakespeare country, 

Stratford, the Vale of Evesham, the 

Cotswolds. ‘I must have forgotten to 

do it up again,’ he said. I was reminded 

of my time in a government establishment 

where they had a policy of 

‘Planned Maintenance’, a practice very 

like pulling up flowers every so often 

to see how they’re growing. 

We stopped at an alleged farm to 

cadge a screwdriver. The owner was 

in the yard, hitting a tractor with a hammer. 

‘Screwdriver?’ he said. ‘No, no, 

no. I got some ply-urrs, though. They’ll 

do ‘un, most like.’ Actually he didn’t 

talk much like that, but you readers of 

country fiction expect some attempt at 

local colour. Mostly he complained 

about the price of sheep. 

We got away after a surprisingly short 

time and settled to the hard graft. ‘Still 

dry,’ Wally said. ‘Hasn’t rained yet.’ I 

protested, but it was too late, the damage 

was done. 

At Redhill Wally turned off through 

Alcester – he has to get back in time 

for work at three. That’s when session 

musicians start work. Why did I never 

get a job like that? Too talented, probably. 

Anyway, the rain started at the 

same moment. 

A mile after Redhill there was a violent 

report and Hughie’s rear tyre exploded 

in a spectacular cloud of spray. 

He uttered a strange Scottish oath, but 

it had no effect – there was an inch 

split in the wall of the cover. 

I rooted about in the ditch among 

the usual debris that a carefree British 

motoring public leaves for needy cyclists. 

A cast-off Indian takeaway container 

looked promising. 

‘Wodge a bit of this under the cover,’ 

I said. Why not? It worked in wartime. 

As a child most of my shoes were made 

of compressed cardboard. If I could 

walk three miles to school on old newspapers, 

then Hughie could surely ride 

as far as Bidford, three miles on. 

Priory Cycles are a mail-order business 

in the industrial estate that doubles 

the size of the small town of 

Bidford-on-Avon. Chris and I set out 

with five pounds to buy a replacement 

cover. On the way we told each other 

jokes. Chris makes a living working 

clubs as a stand-up comic. He is never 

offended if you tell him a clean joke – 

he can always filthy it up to use in one 

of his routines. 

‘Went to Milletts the other day,’ he 

would begin.‘Wanted one of them 

camouflage jackets. The bloke took 

hours, he was wandering around the 

shop. “I know they’re here somewhere,” 

he said. “Can you see ‘em?” 

Then I went next door to the sex 

shop…’ 

On the industrial estate we circled 

the access roads like a computer game, 

stuck forever on Level 1, but it was 

there all right. 

Priory Cycles is a breeze-block warehouse, 

with maybe 400 complete bicycles 

hung and stacked in rows and 

tiers. They had five tyres. 

Chris bargained for a 20 mm at £11. 

‘Have we got enough money?’ he muttered. 

But we settled eventually for a 

Clement Gentleman at only £7. We 

thought the name suited Hughie, who 

now owed Chris £2. 

Next Wednesday, of course, when 

Chris reminded him, he’d just ask casually, 

‘Have you got any change?’ and pull 

out a £50 note. We folded the tyre and 

met Hughie as he scooted with one 

foot across the 30 sign in an attempt 

to save his rim. The cardboard had 

worked at first, but it was disintegrating 

in the wet. I knew how it felt. Obviously 

we weren’t going to make the 

Craycombe Country Cafe at Fladbury, 

with its cast-iron stove. 

In the Bidford Tea Rooms we coaxed 

the girls into putting on the Calor gas 

fire and started getting outside the 

bread pudding and tea. Hughie 

warmed up, then went out to change 

the tyre. 

He held up the discard. ‘Wha’ shall 

I do with this?’ he said, very Scottish. 

‘D’ye think he’ll gie me my money 

back? I only bought it this month.’ 

‘Stranger things have happened,’ I 

said, ‘but, no, I don’t think so.’ 

‘Ah, tae hell,’ he said, and hid the 

written-off tyre up the alley alongside 

the shop. Not at all Scottish – with care 

it could have been made into all sorts 

of useful things. 

It had stopped raining and there was 

a tail wind to get us home. We returned 

at around 24 mph, towards Redditch. 

Hughie dived off the Ridgeway at 45s, 

dared a BP tanker circulating the 

roundabout at the bottom, escaped by 

the skin of his tights, and gained 400 

metres while we waited for the tail of 

cars to pass. 

‘That Scotch git!’ Chris said, ‘and 

after we fetched that effing tyre for 

him. Bloody Clement Gentleman!’ 

Bit and bit for two miles on the 53 x 

13 up the Redditch by-pass, touching 

thirties once or twice, got us up to the 

flying Scot just as the lights changed at 

the end of the dual carriageway, leaving 

him stranded. After that it was just 

a matter of the two-mile climb of 

Icknield Street, the old Roman road 

(original surface), and home through 

the South Birmingham suburbs. 

‘Nice ride in the end, really,’ Hughie 

said when he caught up. ‘Wish I’d 

brought that tyre back, though. I 

reckon he really ought to give me my 

money back.’ 

But he couldn’t have been too worried: 

when I dropped in at the Bidford 

Tea Rooms two months later, the tyre 

was still there, in the alley. And only a 

twenty-five-mile ride away. V 


One of the arguments for using performance-enhancing drugs in the big Tours is that no-one can 

cope with such impossible tasks unaided by drugs. So how would they have managed in 1910 …? 

Murder in the Pyrenees 

THE BALLON D’ALSACE and the Col 

Bayard were climbed as early as 

1905, but the 8th Tour de France 

in 1910 launched a frontal assault on 

the real mountains. The tenth stage, 

from Luchon to Bayonne, was 326 kilometres 

and crossed the four cols of 

Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet and 

Aubisque. The roads were unpaved, 

the riders had single gears, and the start 

was at 3.30 in the morning. 

This assault on the Pyrenees was 

the idea of Henri Desgrange’s righthand 

man Alphonse Steinès. The difficulties 

were real enough, but in 

order to convince Desgrange he’d 

had to exaggerate them. The day before 

‘the colossal stage’ (as it was 

called in l’Auto) Desgrange fell ill and 

had to hand over the race direction 

to the journalist Victor Breyer, who 

takes up the story: 

HAVING GIVEN THE signal for the off, I 

got into the Race Director’s car with 

Steinès. My plan was, as far as was 

practical, to drive him to where we 

would see the leading riders as they 

climbed each of the four cols. The first 

two, the Peyresourde and the Aspin, 

difficult as they were, were simply the 

starters on the day’s menu.There was 

no desperate battle: Lapize demonstrated 

his virtuosity by crossing both 

summits first, followed closely by 

Garrigou. 

On the never-ending climb of the 

giant Tourmalet their duel became increasingly 

fierce. They climbed it together, 

each leading in turn, but Lapize 

reached the summit some 500 metres 

before his rival. Curiously, whereas 

Garrigou rode the whole climb, Lapize 

alternated riding and running. There 

were, of course, no derailleur gears. 

Some riders had a different sprocket 

on either side of the rear hub, but 

changing the wheel round would lose 

you precious minutes. 

Having crossed the Tourmalet we 

drove ahead and climbed the 

Aubisque, the fourth of the terrible obstacles, 

where Steinès supposed that 

we would see the climax of the contest. 

He should have said ‘drama’. 

Three-quarters of the way up we 

pulled into the roadside under some 

shade at the end of one of the few long 

straights on the twisting route. From 

there we should be able to see the riders 

approaching us. We were hungry 

by now and we soon disposed of the 

light lunch we’d brought with us from 

Luchon. Now all we had to do was 

wait. 

According to my calculations the first 

riders should be with us within 15 minutes. 

The quarter of an hour passed, 

then another… and another. I consulted 

my chronometer constantly. The 

sun was at its zenith, its rays striking 

down out of the dense, cloudless blue. 

The heat was suffocating. The wilderness 

was utterly silent. And still nothing. 

An hour dragged by. I was suddenly 

struck by a presentiment of disaster: 

the task we had imposed on the 

riders was, in truth, impossible, superhuman. 

Not a single competitor would 

be able to achieve it. The Tour de 

France would sink into nothingness. 

And then, suddenly, at the far end 

of the straight, a rider appeared. He 

was totally unknown to me. Heavy, 

massive, bent over the machine which 

he was forcing brutally along, each 

stroke of the pedal an enormous effort, 

he progressed: slowly, yes, but he 

progressed. Instantly I was at his side: 

‘Who are you? What’s happened? 

Where are the others?’ Utterly absorbed 

in his Herculean task, the rider 

didn’t turn his head or utter a word. 

Soon he passed from sight round the 

next bend. 

Steinès read his number off the list: 

François Lafourcade, from Bayonne, an 

individual belonging to no team. He 

had come from behind to rejoin and 

then leave behind the top riders. It was 

unbelievable, but I was relieved. At 

least, I supposed, others must be close 

behind him. I fretted as the weary minutes 

dragged by. Fifteen minutes after 

Lafourcade had passed the second 

rider came into view. I recognised him 

immediately by his blue jersey with a 

red collar: it was Lapize. He was on 

foot, propping himself up on his bicycle 

rather than pushing it. But unlike 

the man before him, he was speaking 

– and how he was speaking! As soon 

as I reached him he began to shout 

abuse: ‘You’re nothing but a bunch of 

murderers!’ 

To discuss anything in these circumstances, 

and with a man in such a state, 

would have been cruel and stupid. 

Walking beside him, I remained silent, 

while he continued to heap curses on 

me, ending with a declaration into 

which he seemed to pour the last of 

his strength: ‘But don’t you make any 

mistake – at Eaux-Bonnes I’m packing 

it in!’ 

However, as we know, Lapize didn’t 

abandon in the spa town at the foot of 

the descent: he went on to win the 

stage and the Tour. V 

Octave Lapize was the first 

superstar of cycle sport, a 

great all-rounder who could 

win any kind of event: singleday 

classics, the Tour, cyclocross, 

track. Despite his short 

professional career, his 

palmarés includes triple wins 

in Paris–Roubaix (1909– 

1911) and Paris–Brussels 

(1911–1913). He also won 

Paris–Tours and was French 

road champion three times. 

Lapize was killed flying a 

fighter in the First World War. 


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LVRC Jerseys, long-sleeve £37.50 

Cloth badges £2.00 

Metal badges £3.00 

Post & packing for jerseys £1.50 

Offer 

Old-style LVRC Jerseys, short or long-sleeve £20 

Free car-sticker/helmet cover/armband (various colours) 

with all orders 

From: 

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Birmingham B32 2LY 

Cycling in 

Provence 

(South of France) 

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Reviews 

The Gino Bartali Story (The Lion of Tuscany). 2000. 

Video, 90 mins. From Bromley Video Entertainment, 11 

The Terrace, Barnes SW13 0NP. Tel 0208-876-4671. Catalogue 

no BVE0180. 

BARTALI’S CAREER LASTED from 1934 to 1953. He was, from 

the first, a champion and a star, courted by the media, 

loved by the tifosi, so film exists of even his earliest successes 

and Bromley Video deserve our thanks for bringing 

us this rare footage. Amateur cycling historians will have a 

wonderful time identifying riders and locales, picking out 

Campag Paris-Roubaix gears, and spotting precisely when 

Gino first adopted the ‘Bartali’ brake lever. You can’t show 

Gino in his greatest races without showing his contemporaries 

too: Bobet, Coppi, Robic, and the ultimate in effortlessness, 

Hugo Koblet. There are some great clips: Gino 

beating none other than Rik van Steenbergen in the sprint 

on the Via Roma for an amazing victory in the 1950 Milan– 

San Remo; his casual start in a Tour time-trial (120km!), 

tightening his straps as he rolls gently away; his little rest 

every six or seven pedal strokes on a climb. There’s a lot of 

mountain riding, on appalling roads, the riders often descending 

at no more than walking pace. 

Strangely, his intense and bitter rivalry with Coppi isn’t 

mentioned until 1952, but we do see Gino helping Coppi 

back to the bunch after puncturing in the 1949 Tour, and 

handing him the famous water bottle in 1952. 

Originally made in Italy, this is perhaps a slightly chauvinistic 

presentation of one of the greatest of all roadmen. 

Bartali’s withdrawal in 1950 after the trivial episode with 

the picnickers on the Aspin is thus presented as ‘a bunch of 

desperadoes threatened to stone the Italians’. Koblet’s 

crushing victory in the Giro the same year is attributed to 

amazing luck combined with conspiracies against Gino, 

‘betrayed’ by his own countrymen. Patriotism is no doubt 

why the list of every Italian team has to be read out in full. 

Nothing wrong with any of this – it all adds to the atmosphere. 

After all, if they expressed themselves temperately 

then they wouldn’t be Italians. I kill you for that. 

Unfortunately the commentary leaves a lot to be desired, 

a mixture of original bad writing and bad translation. God 

alone knows who was responsible for ‘Gino having much 

discomfort and befalling to many accidents’. And ‘gunning 

for someone’, means you’re out to get them, not encourage 

them. Phil Liggett is fine commenting live on the Tour, 

but he can’t read a script for toffee or pronounce a single 

foreign name correctly or even consistently wrong. Is 

‘Manyay’ supposed to be Magne or Magni? This, plus the 

lousy translation, is, I suppose, largely responsible for the 

bits that are difficult to follow, and the out-and-out errors. 

To name but a few: Bartali was not second to Kubler in the 

1951 World’s – he was 9 th ; Ruiz did not win a time-trial stage 

in the 1948 Tour, or any other; Koblet did not ride the 1950 

Tour; Coppi did not do the Giro-Tour double in 1951, but in 

1952; and, strangest of all, we’re told that in 1952 ‘Gino 

has the yellow jersey after discussions with Binda and Coppi’ 

in a race he never led. All this suggests rather a casual approach 

based on the assumption that most people are more 

interested in pictures than facts – which may well be the 

case, of course. Choice of background music is bizarre (My 

Way, Glenn Miller, French songs) but quaint rather than 

intrusive. 

As good a way as any of re-living your youth, and several 

other people’s, and cheap at the price. Ray Minovi 

Breaking the Chain: Willy Voet. Yellow Jersey Press (Random 

House) 2001. 132 pages paperback, £10. ISBN 0- 

224-06056-2 

IF THE DRUGS ‘sportsmen’ use to enhance performance were 

harmless, then we’d all take them every day, just like cornflakes. 

The harmless ones don’t work, and those that work 

are dangerous. They’re banned because they damage 

health and threaten life. That means it’s illegal to use them, 

and to do so is to cheat. If you’re known to be ‘winning’ by 

cheating, then everyone else will be tempted to do the 

same. Willy Voet has never understood this, and still doesn’t. 

With Voet we enter a world in which all the values that 

more-or-less honest people live by are reversed. Here the 

honest are regarded with contemptuous amusement; those 

attempting to stamp out drug abuse are villains and liars; 

actually to catch someone is in itself ‘unfair’; and the worst 

thing you can do is tell what you know – to ‘spit in the 

soup’. This from a man who shoots up with a mixture of 

amphetamines, caffeine, cocaine, heroin, painkillers and 

corticosteroids (‘Belgian mix’) merely to drive the car. But 

to be ‘immoral’ requires a sense of right and wrong. For 

Voet and his ilk there’s nothing wrong – it’s what you do. 

That’s why we believe him. Why would this grubby, contemptible 

little lowlife lie? He’s not ashamed and every 

word has the ring of truth. And it’s all so petty, so fiddling: 

Voet bartered drugs for team clothing he stole from individual 

riders’ kitbags and replaced from stock later, like 

stealing your neighbour’s laundry in the middle of the night. 

And along with the amoral, cynical stance of this base man 

runs a vein of sentimentality that is truly nauseating. He’s hidden 

drugs in rectal tubes and condoms, is caught with a flask 

of Belgian mix in his underpants. Yet the full body search 

(rubber gloves and vaseline) horrifies him. ‘What had I 

done,’ he cries, ‘that they should treat me like this?’ 

Well, Willy, you did nothing more than conspire to cheat 

and lie, to peddle dangerous drugs, to defraud the public, 

and to poison an entire sport. That’s what you did. But you 

still don’t get it, do you? So when he weeps with self-pity 

in his cell and blubbers over his wife we feel, not pity but 

contempt. He’s not just bent, he’s gutless. 

Voet makes it quite clear that drug use does not make for 

a level playing field: individuals respond differently. He 

was himself used as the team guinea-pig to test the effects 

of clenbuterol, the crude anabolic hormone used by beef 

farmers. Here we realise that he’s not really the team’s 

‘masseur’, he’s the ultimate gofer, a man infinitely corruptible, 

who’ll do anything he’s told for money: self-inject 

clenbuterol, drive all over Europe high on amphetamines 

collecting drugs, keep EPO in his fridge next to the margarine, 

inject his riders with unknown substances; but finally 

will refuse to obey the rules, the omertá. If he’s going down, 

then he’s taking people with him. 

Because we believe his stories about riders, managers, 

soigneurs, occasions and events, we equally believe him 


when he assures us that Charly Mottet, Gilles Delion, 

Bassons and others are genuinely clean. We already knew, 

of course, that when riders like Neil Stephens say I’m clean’, 

they mean either ‘I’m using something undetectable’ or ‘I 

haven’t been caught yet’. 

The title suggests (I think) that Voet hopes his book may 

help to end the abuse of drugs in cycling. No. He’s hoping 

it will make money. 

One view has it that the riders are innocents; the villains 

are the sports scientists, the team doctors, the drug manufacturers 

– let them all be sent to jail. Rubbish: men in 

their twenties and thirties have to take responsibility for 

their own actions, to know that there is a choice they can 

make. Virenque and the other cheats and liars not only 

knew what they were taking, but had their own centrifuges 

(at £300 a throw) to test their own haematocrit. Now Dario 

Frigo is caught with a room full of various poisons which he 

‘was not using himself’. So he’s a dealer, then? This is a 

defence? Yet the UCI, in the tainted person of Hein 

Verbruggen, continues to temporise. 

Reading this book is a lot like staring in horrified fascination 

at a microscope slide showing the progress of some 

particularly revolting disease. This is partly owed to an excellent 

translation by William Fotheringham, which reads 

like real, original English. If you buy a copy ask for the 

proceeds to go to the families of those who died to prove 

that unregulated abuse of drugs is highly dangerous, that 

they should be banned, and that the Willy Voets of the 

world should be kicked out of the sports they disgrace with 

their dirty presence. 

Ray Minovi 

Sport Nutrition Guidebook: Nancy Clark. Human Kinetics 

1997. 454 pages paperback, £12.95 ISBN9-780873- 

227308 

‘AMERICA’S LEADING SPORTS NUTRITIONIST!’ is a large claim, 

but Nancy Clark has been around a long time, she covers 

the universe of nutrition, and she writes in a good, lively 

prose with no more technical language than is absolutely 

necessary. She’s an enthusiast for exercise, sport, health 

and food, and her advice is based on sound common sense 

and the findings of current research. Thus she recommends 

a diet for sports people based on 60% – 70% carbohydrate, 

no more than 25% fat and around 15% protein. 

What’s more, this is a book aimed directly at the athlete, 

not the sports scientist. Above all the aim is to eat healthily, 

to enjoy your food, and to remember that food is good for 

you, not a necessary evil. The keys are variety, moderation 

and wholesomeness – natural foods have more nutritional 

Salad dressings add fat … 

value and fewer questionable additives. Your diet has to be 

balanced. To support this there are no less than 125 pages 

of recipes, grouped by foods, pretty well all of them readily 

available in the UK. 

There is an exhaustive account of the nutritional value of 

practically every foodstuff you’re likely to encounter. Clark 

reminds us that supplements are unnecessary for someone 

on an adequate, balanced diet. There is as yet no evidence 

that vitamin supplementation improves performance. Remember: 

manufacturers of vitamin pills have a vested interest 

in downplaying the importance of food. 

Layout is excellent. The text is broken up with shaded 

and lined boxes for special items, tables, and diagrams and 

lively, cartoon-style illustrations. There are seven pages of 

references and a good index. Excellent value. Ray Minovi 

Dr Atkins’ Vita Nutrient Solution: nature’s answer to 

drugs: Robert C. Atkins. Direct (on 28-day approval) from 

Agora Lifestyles Ltd, Freepost Lon 7829, London WC1A 

1BR. 407 pages, £9.99 post free. 

THIS PAPERBACK IS a virtual bible of vitamins, minerals, amino 

acids, fatty acids, herbs, hormones and many other vita 

nutrients with full explanations of their roles and applications 

written in layman’s language. Dr Atkins, an alternative 

medicine practitioner, offers non-drug cures for over 

50 common medical conditions or health shortcomings. 

Best of all, he shows you how to create your own personalised 

programme to improve or regain your health. Lest 

you think that here are the maunderings of a far-out alternative 

medic, just examine the 24 pages of cutting-edge 

research revealed under References. Even if you are merely 

inquisitive about the human body’s chemistry, here is a 

comprehensive reference source. Alan Geldard 

The Literary Cyclist: James E. Starrs. Breakaway Books, 

1997. 390 pages paperback, £11.95. 

SHAKESPEARE KNEW ABOUT suffering in the saddle: ‘I am bound 

upon a wheel of fire,’ cries King Lear, 250 years before 

Kirkpatrick Macmillan put cranks on a hobby-horse. Shakespeare 

isn’t here, but fifty pieces about bicycles from literature 

are, in this re-printing of a book first published in 

1982. Its original title, The Noiseless Tenor, from Gray’s 

Elegy, seems intended for cyclists: 

Along the cool sequester’d vale of life 

They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. 

He hadn’t seen L’Alpe d’Huez in July. Anyway the earliest 

piece is from Mark Twain, around 1889. Then there’s Flann 

O’Brien’s Third Policeman, in which bicycles assimilate their 

owners’ personalities (and persons), passages from H. G. 

Wells, Conan Doyle (Holmes and Watson trailed a suspect 

by his tyre tracks), Somerset Maugham and others. Alfred 

Jarry’s bizarre account of the ultimate 10,000 mile riders 

fed on ‘Perpetual Motion Food’ will ring a few bells. My 

favourite is Hemingway’s brief encounter with the Tour du 

Pays Basque in The Sun also Rises, and his account of the 

races in the Vel d’Hiv around 1925. ‘I must write the strange 

world of the six-day races and the marvels of the roadracing 

in the mountains,’ he wrote. But he never did, and 

we’re the poorer for it – look what he did for bullfighting. 

This is a widely varied and very enjoyable collection, and 

costs only as much as you’d spend on seven copies of Cycling 

Weekly. Think about it. 



Fancy a lively and energetic Easter where the crosswinds are demanding, the sprints are hairy, 

and even the roads are green? Neil Martin knows just the place… 

Easter in Ireland 

Neil Martin 

Tour de France Quiz 

1. Twice in the history of the Tour 

three brothers have all won stages. 

They were? 

2. Which of them set a record for 

stage wins? In which year? 

3. Which of them went on to win the 

race? In which year? 

4. Which of them retired while 

leading the Tour? Why? When? 

And who won instead? 

5. Which of them abandoned 

because of a row with a 

commissaire about the number of 

jerseys he was wearing? In which 

year? 

6. In which year was the dérailleur 

gear permitted for all riders? 

7. Which winner, in which year, had 

I’VE RACED IN IRELAND a good few times 

over the past 20 years (14 Tours of Ireland 

inc Ras Tailteans and Nissans) so 

the opportunity to combine an Easter 

visit to the in-laws with a bike race 

wasn’t to be passed up.The race was 

the ‘Gorey 3 Day ‘, an annual Easter 

event I’d heard a lot about but never 

ridden. Now in its 35th year, this was 

the 36th edition as they held two ‘annual’ 

races one year! 

Open to Seniors, Vets, Juniors and 

Women from clubs and regions, it 

proved to be a lively affair with 148 

starters for the 65-mile first stage from 

the outskirts of Dublin (Tallaght) to 

Gorey in Co. Wexford on the East 

coast. A fairly hefty crash in the crosswinds 

caused a split, with yours truly 

on the wrong side of what was officially 

described later on the result sheet 

as a ‘ pile- up ‘. 

After a manic chase and various splits 

and re-groupings I ended up in a 14- 

bod group going for the kill, managing 

7th in a more than hairy gallop. The 

stage was won by an 18-year-old who 

made Steve Joughin look like a giant. 

The main group came in a couple of 

mins. down with some riders losing 20- 

30 minutes; it’s a finish-at-all-costs 

event for some of them. 

Sunday morning’s Stage 2 was an 

individual four-mile TT from the outskirts 

of the town back into Gorey and 

this highlighted the laid-back attitude 

of the race – with 10 minutes to go to 

there wasn’t a soul to be seen at the 

place where we supposed the start to 

be. At the death the timekeeper appeared 

and the first rider was away into 

the block headwind and slight damp 

to finish at the war monument. I recorded 

a time of 8.42 to finish 7th on 

the stage and move up to 3rd. on GC. 

The nature (undulating) and length of 

the course meant that messing about 

with utensils and apparatus such as tribars 

and wheels proved unnecessary 

– the top ten all used standard road 

bikes. 

Sunday afternoon’s Stage 3, four laps 

of a 15-mile circuit on the outskirts of 

the town was quite a lumpy affair with 

dodgy road surfaces in places but still 

run off at approx. 24 mph average with 

a group of 8 holding off various other 

groups to gain about a minute and a 

half’s advantage on the overall. I finished 

in the 2nd. group to slip to 7th= 

on GC. and 2nd Vet. overall as a crafty 

old boy I’ve known for years sneaked 

into the move of the day. Curses ! 

Stage 4 on Monday was a cracking 

day of 60-odd miles from Gorey to 

Brittas, a small village three miles from 

Saturday’s start point. Break after break 

jumped away only to be hauled back 

a positive drug test but received 

no penalty? Why? 

8. What is the biggest interval 

between wins by the same rider? 

Who? In which years? 

9. What is the biggest winning 

margin in a post-WWII Tour? By 

whom? Who was second? 

10. And the smallest winning margin? 

By whom? And who was second? 

11. What happened to Raymond 

Poulidor at 7 p.m. on 28 th June 

1966 at Bordeaux? 

12. What happened to Eugene 

Christophe in Grenoble on the 

morning of 19 th July 1919? 

Answers on page 23 

by the teams going for the individual 

and team overall, the result being one 

of the hairiest bunch gallops I’ve ever 

been in – but good fun! 

The end result was I finished 8th 

overall and 2nd Vet to net IR£105 for 

my troubles and an invitation to bring 

an LVRC squad to next year’s event. 

It’s always held at Easter and the organisation 

can book all the accommodation 

required in Gorey, though we 

decided to commute each day, an 

hour’s drive each way from the in-laws 

place on the South side of Dublin. The 

roads can be rough so good wheels and 

not-so-light tyres would be recommended 

but generally the standard of 

riding was excellent and anyone with 

a reasonable amount of fitness 

wouldn’t have a problem with getting 

round; there are no time limits and all 

are encouraged to finish and even the 

weather was kind with just a spot of 

damp on the Sunday morning. The security 

on the race was also first class, 

with almost a total rolling road closure 

system that put our traffic management 

at races to shame. 

All in all a trip well worth considering 

next year. As a footnote: if anyone 

wants to look at the race results 

and pictures just log on to 

www.irishcycling.com V 

Win a Frame! 

in the 

Solihull 

Vets Road Race 

Saturday 14th July 

Four top-quality alloy 

frames, carbon forks, 

seatpins & chainstays, builtin 

headsets – they retail at 

£500+. Plus lots of other 

great prizes! 

Details from organiser 

Guy Elliott 

01676-532174 


Dave Orford makes his annual autumn visit to the sunny south and is instrumental in tidying up 

a poignant monument… 

Autumn in the Luberon 

Dave Orford 

FOR THE LAST TEN years or so I have 

taken a late autumn holiday in the sun, 

two weeks of gentle riding with Enid. 

Around eight years ago we motored 

down to Provence and made our base 

in the Luberon National Park, turning 

off the autoroute when I saw a sign for 

Carpentras – the tragedy of 1967 

flooded back into my memory. My 

friend Harry Hall, who was in the car 

following Tom Simpson on his death 

ride, had told me all the details, but 

one sticks in my mind: Tom had been 

helped back on to his bike after his first 

collapse, but he couldn’t pull his 

toestraps tight. ‘Straps, Harry, straps’, 

and Harry explained while pushing 

Tom, how he had to lean through the 

frame to get at the strap on the opposite 

side. You can picture the scene. 

Enid and I motored up the Ventoux 

in the hot November sunshine. Famous 

names were still there on the road from 

a recent race, and we emulated other 

drivers in taking the long way round 

the hairpins because of the steep gradient. 

I can imagine the suffering this 

road has witnessed. At the point where 

Tom fell for the final time, where the 

memorial stands, I had time to contemplate. 

After all those past years I 

could still remember Tom writing to me 

in 1955, just a few weeks before his 

18 th birthday, when he had just won 

the BLRC Junior National Hill-climb 

Championship, and he was pleading 

to be allowed to ride the independent/amateur 

‘Circuit des Grimpeurs’ 

which I was organising for 29 th October. 

Of course I let him ride, and he 

finished fifth. 

But the memorial was in poor shape: 

it had slipped on the steep bank, and 

it looked like a junkyard, with dis- 

carded tyres and bottles, obviously left 

as tributes to him. 

I decided to write to the Mayor of 

Carpentras to see if he could help restore 

the memorial. I wrote as soon as 

I returned home, and two weeks later 

received a reply. He had been busy – 

first of all the village of Bedoin had 

agreed to take on the responsibility of 

the upkeep of the memorial. Secondly, 

as the Tour de France would go over 

the Ventoux the following July he had 

contacted the organisation and they in 

turn contacted Helen Hoban in order 

that a presentation could be made to 

her at Tom’s memorial. You may have 

seen it on TV. Helen was there with 

one of Tom’s daughters. I’m pleased 

that every time since that ceremony 

flowers are laid on the memorial by 

someone of note – last year it was 

Bernard Hinault. V 

National Vets Track Championships 

Sunday 23rd September 2001 

Calshot Track 

Fawley, Southampton SO45 1BR 

Telephone: 01703-892077 

Fax: 01703-891267 

email: ccsccal@hants.gov.uk 

Sponsored by PCA, BAA 21st Century, 

Fircroft Hotel, Ciclos Uno 

Bed and Breakfast available 

Parking for motorhomes. 

Book at Calshot direct. 

Programme of Events (all cats) 

Morning 

Event 1: Sprint TT, 280 metres (2 

laps) 

Event 2: 1000 metres sprint 

Afternoon 

Event 3: 10 km scratch 

Event 4: 15 km scratch 

Entry fees: £15 for one event, 

£25 for two events £30 for three 

events 

Entry Form 

National Vets Track Championship 

23rd September 2001 

Name 

Address 

Post Code 

Telephone 

Age on date of event 

Licence No 

Entries & fees to 

Dennis Tarr, 30 Oakford Villas, North Molton, 

North Devon EX36 3HN Telephone: 01598-740626 

(photocopy this form or use standard form) 


The Mid-life Athlete 

Youth spying through the eyes of middle age, 

Knotty, shaven pins, 

The mid-life athlete looks down 

At sagging muscle, and he occasionally wins. 

Fashioned on lost heroes of salad days, 

Fausto Coppi, Louis Bobet and the rest, 

He pits his strength, he bends his will, 

At all costs he must meet the test. 

The lightest bicycle money can buy, 

Dark glasses by Oakley’s superior brand. 

Strident Lycra enhances his manly appeal, 

With children long gone, life is once more planned. 

Long-faced spouse in car with Mills & Boon, 

Hours training in wind and rain, 

All the current exercise fads to hand, 

Knows training levels and best supplements, yet still 

feels the pain. 

Ever aggressive, cursing those who won’t share the 

pace, 

Uphill he’s retarded, even with twenty gears. 

Never gives up and must be commended, 

Though final sprint blunted by the years. 

Always an excuse for poor performance, 

Diet, lack of time, always something on which to depend. 

Maybe try that 

Gordon Daniels 

Helmets 

THE LVRC’S inaugural time-trial Championships in April 

saw a dispute over helmets in time-trials. Roger Iddles, the 

likely winner of his age category, turned up with only the 

helmet he uses in RTTC time-trials, a purely aerodynamic 

aid making no claim to offer protection. He asked if the 

helmet met with requirements, and was told that it didn’t. 

Roger was offered the loan of a hard shell, but refused it 

and withdrew, claiming that the programme was unclear 

about what type of helmet was permissible. 

Other riders were said to have worn aerodynamic ‘nonprotective’ 

headgear, but hadn’t asked beforehand if it was 

all right to do so, and hadn’t been told that they couldn’t. 

The LVRC race was preceded by an RTTC event, which 

allegedly confused some people, but the two events were 

run under the rules of their respective organisations. 

The matter was discussed at the National Executive Committee 

meeting on 16th June. The Committee are satisfied 

that Rules 19 and 25 are unequivocal and needs no amendment. 

The Rules read: 

19. The wearing of protective headgear of a member’s 

choice is mandatory in all LVRC events. This 

must be stated in all LVRC race programmes… 

25. Time trials mus t be run under the relevant Rules 

and Recommendations together with any special conditions 

of the LVRC and the Rules and Regulations of 

the RTTC. 

However, it was felt by some that the reference to the 

RTTC is superfluous and a proposal for its removal will be 

put up at the AGM. 

Organisers should make sure that their programmes carry 

the announcement ‘Under LVRC rules’. They are further 

advised that they should also print on the programme the 

first sentence of Rule 19: ‘The wearing of protective headgear 

of a member’s choice is mandatory in all LVRC events.’ 


Letters 

From Brian ‘Banner’ Lee, Worcester 

When I had the chance to retire from 

running my own country pub after 30 

years, I returned to my former passion 

of cycling. The thought of racing had 

not yet occurred to me - after all my 

average yearly mileage for many years 

had been almost nil! So I began by joining 

Evesham Wheelers and going on 

their weekly “Antique Road Show” 

ride, in the company of other retired 

or early retired people, and was content 

with their average speed of 15 

mph. However, the bug that had been 

dormant for so long, soon surfaced and 

took hold of me and I wanted to get 

back into some kind of racing. 

A near neighbour and good friend 

of mine, Nick Yarworth, explained the 

organisation of the LVRC and soon I 

was another of its faithful members - 

what a great job it is doing for vets of 

all ages - but unfortunately it does not 

take account of ability, only of age. 

Younger riders of 18+ ride to their 

ability in Elite, 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th 

category. So why is it assumed that 

every one of 65+ years will have the 

same ability? The difference is just the 

same even in our advanced age group 

and to put all ‘E’ and ‘F’ category riders 

together, is covering too large a 

span. What chance do average riders 

stand against those of world class i.e. 

Ray Minovi or Mick Ives? 

Having now done 10,000 miles 

preparation, I am not asking for any 

favours, I was only ever an independent 

or 1st category rider, but I would 

like to be able to race hard and contribute 

to the race, not just hang on to 

the tail-enders as long as possible. I’m 

sure there are others who are shy of 

racing because of the too high a standard 

they would have to race at. We 

surely need to be encouraging these 

people to participate. 

To that end, would it be possible to 

devise a fairer means of categorising 

the over 40’s? I offer my suggestion for 

the solution of this problem and wonder 

what views other people may have. 

Each age group i.e. A, B, C, D, E, F, 

G would each be given a number of 

1–7 and every rider would also be 

given a number 1–4 based on their 

ability. 

These two numbers i.e. A = 1 and 

Best riders = 1 and so on, would be 

added together, to give every rider a 

number between 2 – 11. 

Race fields would then be split according 

to the number of entrants or 

the organiser’s wishes, resulting in 

fairer competition with closer standards 

between the riders. This would 

not necessarily have to alter prize 

money as this could still be awarded 

as the organisers see fit. 

Spend enough time in Mallorca and you’ll see everybody. Dave Sinar, Steve Haines and Chris Singleton posing with 

a still-fit Claudio Chiappucci above Sa Calobra back in March. 


BIKELINE 

www.bikeline.co.uk 

NO WIN NO FEE 

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Call Alyson France for free initial advice 

0151 348 4400 

or e-mail me on bike.line@virgin.net 

(don’t be put off if you get my answering 

machine – I may be out on my bike! 

Leave a message & let me pay for the call!) 


Phil’s Cycling Hols 

Tel: el: 00115 933 3920 ( UK ) 

Fax: ax: 00 33 457 481124 (France) 

E-MAIL 

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Look at our Website: 

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Motorways – from Valence - A42 from 

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Att: Mr LVRC Member 

Dear Sir, 

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es@aol.com 

1. The brothers 

Pélissier: Henri 

(1913-23), Francis 

(1919) & Charles 

(1929-31). The brothers 

Simon: Pascal (1982), 

Régis (1985), & Jerome 

(1988). 

2.Charles Pélissier won 

8 stages in 1930. 

3. Henri Pélissier won the 

Tour in 1923. 

4. Pascal Simon fell, breaking 

a shoulder-blade, when leading 

in 1983 and retired. Laurent 

Fignon went on to win. 

5. Henri Pélissier in 1924. 

His brother Francis also 

abandoned along with him. 

6. 1937 

7. Pedro Delgado in 1988. The drug (probenecid, a steroid 

masking agent) was on the IOC list but not yet on the UCI’s. 

8. Gino Bartali, in 1938 and 1948. 

9. 28.17 by Fausto Coppi from Stan Ockers in 1952. 

10. Eight seconds: Greg Lemond from Laurent Fignon in 1989. 

11. He was asked to give a urine sample: it was the first 

doping control of the Tour. 

12. He was presented with the Tour’s first Yellow Jersey. 

How you scored: give yourself one mark for each 

event, rider, date, place. Max 31 

0 – 5 Domestique 

6 – 11 Protected rider 

12 – 18 Team Leader 

19 – 25 Yellow Jersey 

26 – 31 Race Director 


Warm Front 

WRITING IN AN issue of Sporting Cyclist around 1957 Brian 

Robinson advised racing cyclists: ‘Always train with the legs 

covered’. It’s a piece of advice that I have always followed, 

except in very warm weather. Robinson was one of the 

real hard men of road racing, and if he didn’t think it was 

wimpish to dress up against the cold, then that was good 

enough for me. As far as I know Captain Oates is the only 

man who got to be a hero because he froze to death. 

What’s more, it seems to me that it’s good advice not 

only for training, but also for early-season racing. This year 

we’ve seen a particularly long, cold winter-spring transition, 

and yet I saw riders in early April wearing shorts on 

days when the ambient temperature was around five degrees, 

and a bitter north-east wind chill was lowering it still 

further. Remember that in a temperature of 10°C a wind 

speed of 15 mph will effectively lower the temperature to 

only 2°C. If the temperature is only 4°C a 10 mph wind 

will lower it to -2°C. (We’ll publish a chart illustrating this 

in the Autumn.) Humidity is a factor, too. If it’s damp and 

overcast as well as cold, then the chill will feel even more 

penetrating. 

In Cycling Weekly for 12 th May I read the report of a 

Buckinghamshire 25, run off in similar conditions (‘a bitterly 

cold morning with a fierce wind’). In the opinion of 

top time-triallist Michael Hutchinson: ‘It was definitely a 

leg-warmers day, and I was surprised that I seemed to be 

in a minority of one in wearing them’. He won by four 

minutes. 

Human beings tend to under-perform in extremes of temperature, 

both high and low. Cooling a muscle causes it to 

become weaker and fatigue occurs more rapidly. The nervous 

system responds to muscle cooling by altering the normal 

muscle fibre recruitment patterns. Some researchers 

have suggested that this change in fibre selection decreases 

the efficiency of the muscle’s actions. The velocity at which 

the muscle shortens is decreased: that is, the muscle contracts 

more slowly, and as a result power decreases significantly 

when temperature is lowered. 

What it amounts to is that you can choose between going 

slower or using more energy. But the mechanisms which 

release more fuel (in this case ‘free fatty acids’) are themselves 

slowed down by the cold, so it takes longer to get 

the fuel into action. It’s like getting sludge in your petrol 

pipe. For us cyclists, who are in any case creating our own 

20 mph wind chill, this means we’ll go slower, fatigue 

quicker, and probably run out of energy before the finish. 

Competitors in the recent LVRC Time-trial championships 

may have experienced something like this. 

Being warm protects the body against external cold factors, 

and helps its metabolism to work normally in order to 

produce the energy needed, both for the demands of the 

exercise, and to keep warm. The simplest way of providing 

insulation against the cold is to wear sufficient clothing – 

and on a cold day that means leg warmers. 

Another aspect of the effects of temperature is the matter 

of warming-up – and warming-down. There’s not much 

The Coaching Page 


doubt that most cyclists warm up for too short a time, and 

in too unstructured a way. We’ve all heard people say, ‘It’s 

a lot of nonsense, is all this talk about warming up. I got to 

the start a bit late, threw the bike off the roof rack, stripped 

off me tracksuit and started – and I did my best-ever time!’ 

My answer would be: ‘With a proper warm-up you’d have 

gone even faster.’ 

However, just pottering about on the bike for ten minutes 

is not warming-up. I think you have to develop a structure 

for warming up that you find, with experience, suits 

you and allows you to achieve your optimum performance. 

Start off with three miles steady, lowish gear, say 18 

mph. Increase speed progressively for a mile to 23 

mph (these are very rough estimates, of course), 

making yourself breathe hard – but don’t go anaerobic. 

Then do (for example) three 6-second sprints, 

not quite flat out, with a couple of minutes rest between 

each. Wind up with another ten minutes brisk 

but steady, maybe including another minute a bit 

faster to make you breathe hard again. I would regard 

something like this as a minimum. Finish your 

warm-up about 10 minutes before your start time, 

and keep warm until two or three minutes before 

you’re off. If you warm up and leave a gap of more 

than 15 minutes, the effect is dissipated and you have 

to start all over again. 

It is possible to overdo the warming-up process. If the 

weather is very warm (a Saturday afternoon in June), your 

warm-up should be reduced substantially – your core body 

temperature is going to rise during the event in any case, 

and if you start off too hot, your performance may suffer. 

In these conditions particularly you must always keep well 

hydrated, drinking before the start and throughout the 

event. 

You’ll notice that I’ve been thinking mainly about timetrials 

here, but the same is equally true for road racing, 

where warming up for many people means riding round 

the car park making sure your gears are working. It’s perhaps 

not as critical as for a time-trial: distances tend to be 

longer, sometimes there are two or three miles of neutralised 

riding, but twenty minutes warm up should still prevent 

your being caught unawares by an unusually fast start. 

Being well warmed up usually reduces muscle soreness in 

the early stages of the event, and at all times it reduces the 

risk of injury. 

Don’t forget that we’re all individuals, and that what works 

for one may not be so effective for someone else, so you 

have to find out what suits you best by trial and error. Maybe 

throwing the bike off the rack and belting down the road 

will work for you. 

Warming down is beneficial, too. Continuing to exercise 

the muscles gently improves the blood flow and speeds up 

the removal of lactic acid. Fifteen to twenty minutes twiddling 

a low gear is as effective as half an hour’s massage.

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