Hastings & St .Leonards Cycling Club Archive

The time trial season is now well on its way and some of the events may seem a long way back. It is not my intention to go over the programme week by week as many accounts naturally duplicate in other notes.

The KCA 50 was held in blustery and showery weather. Roy Manser won in 2-6-6. Bob French got going very well and should have been somewhere near this time. He unfortuately punctured and sufferred a delay of 9 minutes finishing in 2-18-58. Martin Chambers recorded 2-18-29.

Seven members entered the ESCA 25 held in June. Martin Chambers was best and recorded 1-4-29. He was eight fastest. One of our regular supporters in the all round sense, Brian Kent from London, did a personal best tricycle ride of 1-9-39.

Jack Southerden was amongst members who turned out to ride in the Sussex Senior road race championships. Unfortunately non managed to finish the event. An excellent photo of Jack in uncharachteristic style appeared in the local paper by way of compensation. On the same week end Maurice Carpenter partnered by John Mansell (Worhting Excelsior) rode the tandem trike in the Colchester Tandem 30. Their time was 1-12-36.

It was a wonderful morning for the club Open 50. Hazy with a soft breeze. 95 entries were received from a wide area, establishing this event as a popular fixture in the South.

With all racing members on the start sheet, and many on holiday, marshalling was far from easy. Dennis Neeves found the stregth and stamina for the push off. I should like to mention that in addition to a mountain of other work, Fred Martin, our President motored 300 miles to make the event possible. Guy Little has requested that green sponges be barred in future. From remarks afterwards it appears that everything went well for the competitiors. All six ladies faced the starter. They were not so lucky as the wind increased later on, but they plugged unfalingly. Bob French was in good form and triumphed in 2-3-23. R Gardiner (Folkestone) and J Clements (Letchworth Velo) were second and third respectively. Pam Wells won the ladies in 2-24-47 with Jean Baker (San Fairy Ann) and Iris Stevens (Eastbourne) second and third. Brian Kent (Mephisto) won the trike secion. Veteran Ted Coussens turned up and road in his usual steady style. As he rode to the event it was quite a tidy mileage for the morning.

After the event the sky clouded and the wind increased. The left over marshalls were robbed of the much anticpated kip on Little Stone Beach. Instead we had a chilly and fitful snooze on some forlorn grass verge. Tea at Stone was enjoyed before the weary ending to a succesful day.

Our Presidets’ birthday run was belssed with the usual fne weather as on previous occasions. Whether the dates come from Old Moore’s Almanack or not they are always right. As befitting the title this was a leisurly run. Elevenses were at Chitcombe. Just past Robertsbridge we bumped into a crowd of some 50 ramblers. Lunch was al fresco at Burwash. As the pub was near the recreation ground we were able to take our drinks over and watch the local cricket match. When they adjourned for lunch the midday break was rounded of by a snooze in the hot sunshine. Tea was originally arranged for the “Abbey Hotel” Battle, but they could not take us on this occasion. “The Star” bang opposite was fortunatley able to take us at a moments notice. It was a fine tea and not since pre war have I seen so much on the table. Although we had several young people at the tea, some was left over. Many thanks, Fred from all for an excellent day. In Battle ramblers were as thick as flies. Just like the 1930’s. Life goes on.

The evening 10’s have been well supported. Rye with Jim Holland at the head have provided fine support throughout. Bob French has done some 23m. odd at times. The juniors who turn up everytime must be mentioned. Peter Miles has proved fastest so far.

The experimental photographic evening last year proved a success. By popular request another evening on a bigger scale is planned for this year. It will be held at the “Abbey Hotel”, Battle on the 25th October commencing 4-30 p.m. Tickets including buffett tea 5/6. Those who would like to compete are invited to submit not more than 4 half plate prints mounted on card with a one inch border. Anyone may also submit 4 colour slides of 35 mm size only. A film show will round of the evening.

Stan Russell.

The end of the summer' mixed fortune being enjoyed, or rather endured, by our racing team, although from a series of D. N.S.'s, D.N.F’s, fallings off and blowing up, a few bright spots shine out. The E.S.C.A. ' 50 ' provided a few surprises for us - Maurice managed 4th place, 3rd handicap and 1st vet., Martin did a very praiseworthy 2.23.32, Tim finished with a credit able 2.29.40 and Terry did 2.31.21. In the E.S.C.A. '25' Tim deservedly won the 1st handicap with a two minute improvement to 1.8.29, with Stephen, our only other finisher, recording 1.11.15. The following week, Tim was 2nd fastest Juvenile in the K.C.A. ' 25 ' on Romney Marsh.

On the last Sunday in October, twelve people set off on our 50 in 4 trial. At the end of the madcap dash to Ringmer and back, only one person failed to report to the timekeeper within the allotted time. He was a member of 'another club', and succumbed to the siren lure of home as he rode through Sidley. Dave and Audrey even had time to partake of a. mini-banquet which they produced from their saddlebag and ate in a bus shelter. Robin Peters made one of his rare appearances, and rode round in fine style. This was David Kitching’s (" no relation" he laments), introduction to our way of club life; he and his wife Jennifer have joined us from the Hillingdon C.C., and we are very pleased to welcome them.

At our A.G.M. in mid - November, there was little change in the hierarchy. A few minutes aberration were sufficient to see Esther elected President for 1978. Martin has taken over from Dave Morris as Runs Captain, and Ron Longley and David have been added to the committee. We decided to introduce a new category of membership -· it was agreed that O.A.P' s. should pay the same reduced membership subscription as the juniors. So far, the expected hordes of senior citizens, brandishing their pension books and demanding membership have not materialised, but when word gets round, who knows what may happen!

At the moment we are all on tenterhooks for Ted Coussens, who only needs to ride just over 1,000 miles to achieve his ambition of reaching his 400,000 mile target. All being well, he should make it by spring of next year. We have seen little of John Lawrence throughout the summer, although he assures us he has been getting in the miles in the New Forest area. A long way to go for secret training rides, we thought, until he confided that he had relatives down there in the licensed victuallers trade, and they supplied the digs.

The Carpenters gave their recently acquired tandem an airing on the afternoon of the E.S.C.A. tourist trial. After one or two rather wobbly permutations had been tried, it was decided that Maurice and Esther should ride the machine to Hellingly, closely escorted by Tim and Stephen. They agreed that their journey was well worthwhile, as they demolished their share of the splendid tea provided by the Southboro' Ladies, although they felt rather shamefaced when they saw all the people who had been brave enough to start in the event in the morning.

Guy Little who celebrated his 70th birthday this year, is looking forward to next season, when he hopes to complete a hundred mile ride. Provided he can get through the winter, and given the right sort of conditions, he is confident he will succeed. Whilst tidying out his garden shed, Ernie Spray came across an article which he was able to identify as a bicycle, and he has promised that he will be in attendance on some of the more leisurely clubruns! This seems to be an ideal opportunity to thank the 'Rovers' for the hospitality they extended to us on a recent Monday evening. We are not quite in the same class as them at ping-pong, though Richard and Joanne did their best for us. We held our own at the more sedate games, and it was generally agreed to be a very jolly way of spending an evening.

As I seemed to have filled my quota of space, it remains only to wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year. As ever,

Ragged Shorts

I don’t know how this event happened, or how cyclists became involved, as the itinerary produced by Union Sportive Argenteuillais, USA, doesn’t mention cycling. It seems like we were an add on, possibly something to do with John Davies. As I lived 20 miles away, I only saw anybody from the club at weekends. As i understand it this was a cultural exchange between Hastings and Argenteuil Paris. Everything paid for. There were teams of football, judo and I think athletics, plus us bikies. The coach picked me up in Rye, it was packed plus 5 bikes up the centre isle. The bikes were loaded onto the boat, hanging by their front wheels and craned into the hold. We had a smooth crossing, John Davies and his wife offered us cake, Lynn, Martin and myself had been warned about this, so didn’t partake. Those who did were quite happy and merry. John Davies and his wife had friends in Paris, so they went to visit them. We were put up by, CSM Puteux. M & Mme Segard, of that club and became our Director Sportives. We stayed in a sort of hotel, I think that it was a brothel, a lot of coming going all night, plain concrete staircase, made a lot of noise. In the bedroom there was a wash basin and Lynn And Martins first encounter with what they thought was a French foot bath (Bidet), they hadn’t seen one before, I had encountered Bidets in 1961 when I went and watched 3 stages of The Tour de France. As I was an electrician, the wiring shook me in the toilets, no door handle just a sliding bolt to close the door, only thing was, one wire went to the bolt and another wire to the fastening catch, slide the bolt and the light came on. It meant that the bolt and its fastening were very much LIVE.

A club rider took us to restaurants and cafes to get us feed and took us for rides about the area, the cafes were a bit crude, the toilets were holes in the floor with two footprints on where to place your feet. While we were riding around two things happened, one people would call out BAA BAA, it was Maurices beard, now there are a lot of bearded cyclists, then none. The other thing we kept getting, was there were a lot of mopeds about and as they passed, they would offer their back wheel to give us pace. Our club rider (I never found out his name) informed us that there was only one race that weekend and it was one of the selection races for the Tour de L’Avenir.

The race was in Puteux 80km, 4k lap, 20 laps. 1k up smooth tarmac, the finish would be at the top of this hill, with fast bends at the top with polished cobbles, 1k down rough cobbles at the bottom leading into a sharp narrow 90-degree bend and a very narrow-cobbled road, the rest was flat back to the start. At the signing on as in this country you hand over your licence, Maurice only had a CTC membership card, which he handed over, alongside the signing on official was a chap typing a stencil of the riders names, he printed out the start list of all the riders and was handing them out to the press and public. There were 115 riders, we were used to a maximum of 40. We were all called to the start in club and nation order, so when the race started we were near the front. The start was a rush up the hill and a mad rush down the hill to the narrow bend, it was so tight, the rider on my left lent on me, I lent on the rider to my right and round the bend we went, I never touched my brakes and of to the start of the next lap, after a few laps of this, I realised I was getting shoved back. So I put the pressure on up the hill to keep my place near the front. Maurice and Martin didn’t last long as they said the road was so rough it was shaking everything on their bikes loose, as to John tummy trouble so he said. Lynn dropped out about the time I crashed. On the fourteenth lap six riders made a gap, I went after them up the hill and on the fifteenth lap, over the top there was a bend, which I took much to fast, bang crash that was it, bent wheel when riders behind me rode over my back the wheel broken spokes and bent rim meant. End of race.

Now because we were racing, we missed our coach. M Segard our D.S. grabbed a motorcycle policeman, put me and my bike in his car. Police motorcycle up front, blue light flashing, M Sager car followed by Lynn, Martin and Maurice on their bikes took off, though red traffic lights, overtaking traffic to the Gare d Nore train station, bundling us onto the train, which left as we got on. On the trip to the port we passed our coach, and were able to wave to them. Meeting them to get on the boat together, our bikes were left behind in the rush. We got them back a week later.

Bob French