NORTHERN NEWS

Number 141                                                                                                                                 

Nov 05

                  

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR

TO YOU ALL

 

 

NEXT COPY DATE – TUESDAY  3rd  JANUARY.

 

HON SEC’S JOTTINGS                                                                                                 by John Bedford

Telephone List. This has now been updated. Please ask Beryl or myself for your copy. Please check and let us know of any errors or omissions.

Christmas Present suggestion. Still not a member of the CTC? How about requesting that Santa buys you membership so that you can have all the advantages of a magazine every two months, third party insurance and access to legal, touring and technical advice. From the 1st October membership costs are:-  Adult   £33,  Senior (65+) & unwaged   £20,  Under 18 & F/T students under 26   £12.  There is also a First Year Introductory Rate of £16, but this has restricted benefits. Forms from Beryl or myself. More details about the CTC on www.ctc.org.uk.

Abnalls Lane. Those of you who use this lane will not be surprised to hear that the gates at each end of the lane should be kept closed to restrict traffic and to make the lane safe for cyclists. I understand that on a traffic survey 400 cars a day were using the lane. There have been major crashes on this lane, and I had to brake suddenly the other week when confronted by a speeding car. It has been suggested that we should take a few moments to close the gate each time we pass through.

 

CHRISTMAS SOCIAL PROGRAMME

Thursday Christmas Lunch. 1st December. Bromley Hayes GC.

Meal at 1.30pm. Menu details later. Bookings to Alan Dodwell.

Friday Christmas Lunch. 9th December. The Dog, Whittington.

Bookings to Brian Hailing.

Festive Tea & Award Presentation. Sunday 11th December. Shenstone Clubroom. Bookings to Val Jones.

Please do not leave your bookings to the last minute.

 

 

SHENSTONE CLUBROOM

Tues. 20th Dec. Free mincepies, tea & coffee. Free admission

Come & meet old & new friends.

Tues. 17th Jan.  ½ hour slideshow. “Back & Forth over the Rockies”

by John & Beryl.

 

BIRMINGHAM WINTER CLUBROOM, Carrs Lane Church Centre. Birmingham. 7.30pm.  £2

Thurs.  8th December.    ‘Tandem Trotting’              by Peter Clare

Thurs. 12th January.        ‘Images of India’               by John Bennett.

 

 

 

Other Dates for your Diary.

Sun 18th Dec. Meriden Carol Service. Car-assisted. Details Brian Langdell. Village Hall opens 12.00. Meriden Parish Church 2pm.

Sun 29th Jan. Lichfield Section New Year Lunch. The Moorings Restaurant, Darnford Lane, Lichfield. 12-30 for 1pm. Details from Sylvia Sharples or Ann Watkins.

 

HEART OF ENGLAND RALLY   May  20th – 21st

 

Planning for this major event in our annual programme is now taking place. The following article outlines the origins of the Rally, which has evolved to its present format over the years. It is now seen very much as ‘A Celebration of Cycling’ and it is hoped that many more of our own members will avail themselves of the opportunity of meeting up with other cyclists from around the country. The cycling clubs based around Meriden, such as ourselves, act as hosts, leading the rides, helping on the weekend and generally joining in with the activities. Please make a note now of the date in your diary.

The Cyclists' War Memorial                                          by Keith Lewis

 

There stands in the heart of England on Meriden Green a simple pillar of

grey Cornish granite with the inscription which reads 'To the Lasting

Memory of those Cyclists who Died in the Great War 1914-1919'.

 

The late Mr. 'Biddy' Bidlake was the first to think of a national memorial to fallen cyclists. In October 1919 after the idea had been discussed in the pages of 'Cycling,' a meeting to inaugurate the fund was called in London by Mr. G. H. Stancer. An executive committee was appointed with Mr W. G. Howard Gritten MP as chairman. Lord Birkenhead, the Lord Chancellor, accepted the invitation to become the president of the memorial fund.         

 

Then commenced the task for the committee of selecting a suitable memorial. Should it be a library or a wayside drinking fountain, as was first suggested? Or should it be an obelisk, and with commendable forethought it was decided that this pillar of memory should stand as near as possible to the geographical centre of England. Lord Aylesford of the manor of Meriden readily gave the scheme his sanction.

 

In less than a year a sum of money exceeding £1,200 was collected. The

memorial was built on a concrete base with a concrete core running up

the column, with thirty-two tons of granite used to face the thirty feet high column, at a total cost of £1,100.

 

The work of the committee was now accomplished, the balance of the

fund, amounting to over £100 was invested and members of the committee were appointed trustees of the memorial fund. On May 21st 1921 before an estimated assembly of 20,000 cyclists, the largest assembly of cyclists the world has ever seen, the memorial was unveiled by Lord Birkenhead. The Rev. B. G. Bouchier gave the dedicatory prayer.

 

 A bronze plaque was affixed to the memorial in 1963 to commemorate

those cyclists who died during World War Two.

*******

The Current Situation                                                by John Bedford

Over the years the number attending the Service have slowly depleted. A number of factors have been attributed to this decline. When I moved into the area there was a led ride on the Saturday, a slideshow on the Saturday evening and the Arden Rides (self-led with route sheet) on the Sunday afternoon. Since then a meal on Saturday evening and an Audax on the Saturday have been added. More recently the CTC Challenge Rides have started from Meriden. A move is being made to change the format of the Service from ‘Evangelical’ to more ‘A Celebration of Cycling.’ Planning for next year is taking place, and details will be published as confirmed. Please try and keep the weekend of May 20th-21st free so you can support this national event.

 

 

 

 

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S AROUND THE CORNER                                                     by Brian Hailing

 

Twenty of us had emerged from St. Mary's on Tuesday, gently trolling through the lanes towards Kings Bromley. Approaching a farm entrance, a very large horse appeared pulling a governess trap driven by a very pretty lady who was clearly not a governess. Naturally we stopped and got in tight by the hedge as the lane was narrow. The horse seemed to be O.K. until it was level with the tail end (no pun intended). At this point the horse reared up, breaking the leather bit that fixes him to the trap. Luckily he didn’t try to bolt, but wedged himself into the hedge, looking very agitated.

 

Just like when a lady gets a puncture, all the gentlemen stood back a moment, to see who would volunteer. Being a different problem to a puncture, and seeing that the lady driver was quite pretty, the trap, horse and lady were soon surrounded by the Northern horde.

 

Having no Roy Commander at hand, the releasing of the horse from the trap took a little time, but on release, the horse came out of the hedge and seemed prepared to continue it's journey, although trapless . By this time there were cars at each end of the blockage, and the lady was getting worried about her trap. She then smiled sweetly at someone who I dare not identify, resulting in Colin Shepherd getting between the shafts, and a mob of others of us pushing as hard as we could down the lane to a farmyard.

 

When, gasping for breath, we arrived at the yard, the lady told us that she was training the horse to act as a taxi for a wedding. This we presumed would be alright so long as the couple were in no hurry, and were not too bothered about where the reception was.

 

When we had trudged back to our bikes, the others were interested to know how we had performed such a miracle. I informed them that it was all done by kindness, and after we had stroked her, and patted her flanks, we then took care of the horse.

 

GOLDEN BEECHES WEEKEND                            by John Bedford

22nd – 23rd October

 

About100 cyclists met at Stokenchurch (near High Wycombe) for a weekend of glorious led rides in the Chiltern area. It was coincidental that Bernard Fookes had booked the same B&B as Beryl and I. Along with a lady cyclist from Essex, we spent Friday evening in The Ship, putting the world to rights and sharing cycling experiences.

 

On both days we took the shorter route because we had ‘other duties’ to perform. The highlights of the Saturday ride were the old school, almshouses and church at Ewelme, and the Red Kites which have once again become well established in the Stokenchurch area.

 

After the rides on Saturday the South Bucks. members had prepared a feast of a meal for 65 hungry cyclists. Then, to fill in the time before ‘The Chilterns’ slideshow, there was a quiz. The Northern were able to hold their heads up high, as Bernard won the first visitor prize, and Beryl and I were second.

 

On Sunday our short ride took us to Henley on Thames. Then it was along the Thames Path to Hambledon Lock. The sun was shining brightly – it was idyllic. The route back through Hambledon and Fingest was steady, followed by a short but steep climb back to Stokenchurch. The sun really enhanced the golden colours of the trees. Once again a meal was provided before we dispersed to our various homes.

 

We very much enjoy these types of weekends. It is an excuse for riding in a different part of the country and the route sheets usually include the best routes, scenery and places of interest. Over the years we have made many new friends, and it is always interesting to hear about the tours they have undertaken since last meeting.

 

We have already booked for The Cotswold Weekend on 1st – 2nd April 2006. This will be based at Winchcombe in the Cotswolds and will follow a similar pattern to the Golden Beeches weekend. Beryl and I have copies of the details and hope that you will join us there. Let’s make this a Northern Weekend Away. Early B&B booking is desirable, but camp and caravan sites are also available nearby.

 

 

LANDMARK THAT GUIDES US HOME           by Maurice Purser

 

Well as towers go maybe this one doesn’t have the elegance enjoyed by other grander structures, but there it stands a short way over into Leicestershire.         

 

The country round about is undulating in the extreme, but our tower has been placed on just about the highest point for miles around.

 

No doubt the authorities have come up with a title to reflect the politically correct meaning for its existence, but the locals have given it the more suitable romantic name of Tollie’s Tower,and so Tollie’s Tower forever it will be, at least to the poets in us.

 

We rode out a couple of days ago, out through Clifton Campville and so on, just to have a good look, and take a couple of photos; leaving the main highway just beyond No Man’s Heath, to follow a very rough path for a couple of furlongs or so.

 

Now this track climbs sharply with a very rough surface which demands dismounting and hoofing it for a hundred yards; then out it shoots to cross a motorway by means of a most elegant single span bridge which has been placed right there for no other purpose than to carry this humble little path onwards.

 

A glorious June day it was too. As the track lifted us just as high as it could, the horizon around must have stretched for at least 300 degrees – there to the north-west was Mountsorrel, then the eye could follow round and round from one gentle high point to another.

 

Could those be the Clees over in Shropshire, and fainter still the outline of the Welsh border? Well at least we liked to think so. But it was Tollies that we had come all this way to see. More than once it has been a landmark, guiding us home from many a tour eastwards.

 

On the way home we pulled up for a while, to finish off those sandwiches, seated in the homely little bus shelter in Haunton; not only does it act out its true function, but just take a look inside – the walls are covered with neat little notices detailing various local events – from formal typed important public meetings, right up to the more imaginative coloured ones created most likely by kids at local schools. Great.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

TOUR OF BRITAIN                                                                                                 by Steven Stansfield

Birmingham Time Trial

 

Along with a few thousand others and Northern member John Green I went to see the above stage on Saturday 3rd September. The race was a short 2.5 mile time trial around the Broad Street area of the city. Throughout the proceeding week I had attempted to discover from local news information about the race but without much success. From my point of view there had been very little publicity, which probably accounted for the grid-lock that we met upon arrival in the vicinity of the event. I suspect that many locals going about their everyday business, with no interest in the race, had thus been inadvertently been caught up in the resultant chaos.

Anyway having spent some time escaping the traffic and parking up we made our way on foot to Broad St. We managed to get a good view of the riders almost immediately since although there were many spectators there was also ample space and a grandstand view was easily available. Given the open space of Broad St the riders did not appear to be going that fast, however a calculation soon made one realise that they were actually travelling at an average speed of 30 miles per hour! I did do that downhill once, in fact thinking about it I reckon I could take any of them on in a pure downhill, it's the uphill bit that would worry me!

 

Enid, please note I am already in training to take back my downhill title you currently have on loan as a result of my absence in June.

 

Back to the time trial. John and I walked round most of the course and got good views from various parts including encountering a confrontation between two local Police Constables (ON BIKES) and a number of people who could not exit a local hotel due to being within the area of the course. Having spent a few hours waiting to exit, tempers were becoming frayed and at one point a man said to the police,' what would you do if I move the barriers myself ?' the response to which was' I'll arrest you sir'. Ah, the memories came flooding back of my misspent career, what fun we used to have!

 

After that excitement we walked back to the starting ramp and got an excellent view of these professionals getting ready to go. It reminded me of our group waiting on the Boldmere ramp on a Saturday morning, with John Bedford counting us off using his fingers. And what a difference between the competitors, the T-Mobile riders stood out like beacons, their bikes and kit looking resplendent and from head to toe they looked so professional. It was nice to be able to get so close to riders of this calibre and admire their bikes and kit and also take a few good photographs. Not all the riders looked so smart, indeed the ultimate winner of the stage and tour overall Nick Nuyens looked, in my opinion, well down in the fashion stakes. So I guess appearances count for nothing in a race.

 

Overall I thought it was a successful and very enjoyable event and would go again if the opportunity arises. We stayed for the champagne presentation and were informed that highlights of the whole tour would be on TV on the following Sunday. For my part I couldn't help thinking what a golden opportunity was missed not to show live coverage of the London final stage which was due the next day and would, I believe, have interested cyclists and non cyclists alike. The powers that be always state their interest in promoting cycling to all ages in order to encourage fitness etc but rarely seize such opportunities. I suppose 48 HOURS OF BIG BROTHER AND THE LIKE IS MORE FUN !

 

LIVING DANGEROUSLY                                        by John Bedford

 

Two years ago we flew into Los Angeles and cycled down the coast for a couple of days. Two local cyclists, Jo and Dee, invited us to join them for coffee at a café at Huntington Beach – and we ended up exchanging e-mail addresses. I contacted them recently regarding a river trail I had heard about and which seemed a possibility on our next tour this November. I happened to mention that we had cycled the Ortega Highway, and the new trail seemed a suitable alternative. The email response I got was “I can’t believe you did the Ortega Highway!!! That’s the most dangerous and deadly highway in California!! Not much bike lane either”. It is no wonder that the shop at the summit of the pass was selling teeshirts which said ‘I SURVIVED THE ORTEGA HIGHWAY.’

 

 

 

 

 

REVOLUTION                                                         by Alan Dodwell

 

No, this is not a story about secret plans to bring down the government, (although there are probably some of us who wished it were ), but more about the recent trip to Revolution 9 at Manchester Velodrome. The coach departed Four Oaks station spot on time and after picking up more of the group at the Scott Arms we were soon heading up the motorway. What can I say about travelling up the M6? Nothing really, except it contained all the usual pitfalls. Roadworks, traffic jams, litter, pollution, you name it, we had it! Apart from this the journey was uneventful, with the English countryside still looking good in its warm Autumn sunshine and someone even ventured to say, and several of us agreed, we should have had an early start and gone up on our bikes! Arriving in the environs of Manchester, it’s obvious that the city is on the 'up'. Travelling along the inner ring road there seems to be luxury apartment blocks 'springing up' everywhere and one can see more cranes than on the Spanish Costa's! On reaching the Velodrome everybody groaned, with comments like,"if only we had something like this in Birmingham" and entering this 'Cathedral of Sport' one cannot fail to be impressed by the organisation, cleanliness and moderately priced food it offers. The meeting was between some of the British and Dutch national teams and both sides 'fielded' a host of World Champion Stars. They soon got stuck into each other and this was only in the chips queue before the cycling had even started! The racing got underway and all evening we were presented with a spectacle of these two sides going at each other 'hammer and tongs' There were also events containing the 'future stars' and some of these soon proved they are going to leave their mark and when the programme reached its conclusion at about 10.15 p.m. the question was raised about where else can one see over three hours of sporting entertainment for the 'wrinkly' sum of five quid! Leaving the Velodrome our coach was waiting and since it was only half full several of us 'grabbed' a double seat each and it was at this point we agreed that the very thought of cycling up there was a daft idea anyway! We pulled away from the sports complex and after passing the largest Asda I have ever seen we were presented with a display of the recently erected 'Starburst' sculpture (the name escapes me at the moment) and comments were made about it 'knocking spots' off Brums Iron man! Making good time we arrived back at Four Oaks at 12.30.a.m. and I must thank Geoff. Findon for organising the trip and Geoff Howle for supplying a comfortable coach with an excellent driver.

 

Whilst I have the opportunity I would like to thank Beryl and John Bedford and Sheila and Harry Child for the stirling work they do in producing the Northern News. As a retired person myself I don't know how they find the time to put such a publication together and their efforts are much appreciated.   [Thanks, Alan]

 

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS RESEARCH FUND   by Sylvia Sharples

 

Now that we have put the clocks back and the shorter days are with us again, we find time to catch up with the little jobs that get put aside during the summer months. These past few weeks I have had even more time to sit and relax as I sustained a sprained ankle, resulting in enforced inactivity.

 

It was during this period that I was browsing through photos taken throughout the year and I came across a set taken on Saturday 20th August when I had an open garden day in aid of Multiple Sclerosis Research.

It was a fine sunny day and it was lovely to have such good support for this very worthy cause.

 

Of course the tea, coffee and cakes went down very well and my Blackberry and Apple jam was a sell-out. I even managed to sell some homemade handicrafts as well as the runner beans donated by Judy and Alex. Many thanks to Brian Hailing for the donated Canna plant for the raffle and also to Park Cycles for the inner tubes. Jenny Fookes won the Canna and Ann Watkins the inner tubes.

 

Altogether £310 was raised so many thanks to all those who contributed. A cheque for this amount has been sent to the University of Cambridge Addenbrookes Hospital.

 

The Third series of the

Manchester Cycling Revolution Track Racing

has started and

Geoff Findon

is again organising a coach trip to see

REVOLUTION 11

at

Manchester Velodrome

on

Saturday 21st Jan 2006

Remember this year Britain had its best World Campionships ever,

winning the team Sprint, Team Pursuit and the Madison.

Viki Pendleton won gold in the Sprint.

 

The coach will leave

Four Oaks Station at 15.45 and Barr Hill at 16.00.

The Fare is £14.00 for coach plus £10.00 for Adults or £5.00 for Seniors and under 16’s.

 

Contact:

Geoff Findon, 47 Castle Close, Cradley Heath B64 6RN

0121-601 8973 or gwf@blueyonder.co.uk

Payment ASAP in January please

The final event will take place on 18th February 2006 and again I hope

I can arrange a bus.

 

 

  STARTING THE NEW YEAR WITH A CLEAR-OUT?

  Don’t throw any re-usable cycle parts away. Please donate them to

  the Club for the Cycle Jumble Sale on Sat 4th March.

NOSTALGIA                                                            by Brian Langdell

Northern News Feb – April 1951

                                                               

Membership within the Birmingham and Midland DA was made up as follows;-

Northern             769        Western             193

Southern           1052        South Western   413           TOTAL 3157

Eastern                428       Kidderminster      98

West Bromwich    57       Tamworth             44

Central                 153

[Whilst the Kidderminster Section has since moved out of the DA, the current membership for the DA is only 1100. Many of the Sections have disbanded. There is now only the Northern, the Southern, the Southern Wheelers, the Western and West Bromwich, plus a small group in the south calling themselves the Over Fifties.  Ed.]

 

The NN announced the engagement of Joyce Hughes and Roy Griffin (John’s older brother) and Jean Bellfield and Albert Bolton.

 

George Dale was requesting photographs for the Club Album. (We could do with some more for the current album. If you have any spare photos please pass them to me).

 

The Cyclo Gear Co., Aston, were advertising their new handlebar (end) gear changer for the Benelux front and rear derailleur, with a choice of block with 3 or 4 sprockets (pointed or flat teeth) and 5 speed (flat teeth only). ‘Leaders in derailleur gearing since 1910’.

 

The Northern was to get involved with the Festival of Cycling 1951, to be held at the Dunlop Sports Ground in Birmingham. Sponsors were the CTC, NCU, CLARION, the British Cycle Industry and Gaumont and Odeon Cinemas. It was advertised as ‘A giant cycle rally, a peagent of cycling over the last 100 years, cycling events with big prizes. In addition, Britain’s country crafts and costumes with British music and dancing, ending with a great firework display! For those travelling from afar, breakfasts would be provided. The cycling pageant was to consist of 200 riders in costumes depicting countries from around the world, plus a larger number of ‘stand ins.’ There are photos in the Club album taken at the rally.

 

Although only March, the date was fixed for the Northern outing to the Pantomime in 12 months time; 150 seats at 7 shillings and 60 seats at 2 shillings had been reserved.

 

A second hand camera was advertised for sale for £5. It took 8 photos on a roll of film with a modest f6.3 lens and 3 shutter speeds. £5 in today’s money would buy you a new good quality digital camera capable of taking hundreds of photos on a single memory card, which is re-usable. There’s progress for you.

 

CYCLE GEARING MYSTIQUE EXPLAINED–SIMPLYby Anon

For general riding with the club, I use a 65.4-inch gear. For those to whom gear ratios are a mystery, this means that for every complete revolution of the pedals, the bike travels forward 65.4 inches multiplied by 3.14 (or pi as it is known in mathematical circles), which equals 205 inches, or just over 17 feet.

The next question obviously is "How is the expression 65.4-inch gear arrived at?" The formula used sounds complicated when put into words, but is really quite simple when the appropriate figures are put into the formula. The formula goes:-Multiply the number of teeth on the chainwheel by the diameter of the rear wheel in inches and divide the result by the number of teeth on the rear sprocket. This means that, in my case, using a 46 tooth chainwheel, and 700C wheels (approximately 27 inches) with a 19 tooth rear sprocket, the equation becomes:

46x27     which equals 65.4 inches.

19

So far so good!

This brings me to my pet hobby-horse. How many times have I heard the boast, "I've got 27 gears", or "I've got 30 gears"? Taking the average set-up of 700C wheels, with 48, 40, and 34 tooth chainwheels, and a rear cassette of 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 26 teeth, this gives a theoretical availability of gears of 100, 87, 83, 76, 72, 71, 68, 64, 62, 61, 57, 56, 54, 51, 50, 48, 47, 44, 42, 40 and 35 inches. On paper this looks great, but if one wanted to use these gears in sequence, two operations would be required, a change of chainwheel and a change of sprocket, and a brain like a pocket calculator. Usually we use the middle chainwheel and three or four of the rear sprockets except on the rare occasions when an unusually steep hill is encountered. As most of us do not aspire to race at Lance Armstrong speeds requiring the gearing to pedal downhill at speeds in excess of 60 mph, the top two gears are redundant. Also the 48x23 and 48x26 combinations and the 34x13 and 34x15 combinations are not to be recommended due to excessive chainline misalignment, resulting in rapid wear on chain and sprockets. A more logical set-up for the average club cyclist is a single 40 tooth chainwheel with a seven-speed cassette with 13, 15, 17, 20, 23, 27 and 30 teeth. This gives gears of 83, 72, 64, 54, 47, 40 and 36 inches. This allows as wide a range of gears as the average' over-60 (of which I am one), requires, without carrying superfluous ironmongery every inch of the way.

 

I admit that I am biased because, except for hilly touring or audaxes, I find a single speed fixed gear of 65.4 inches adequate. No complicated mechanisms, no unnecessary weight, and chain and sprockets that last almost indefinitely due to perfect chainline. I wouldn't suggest that everyone take this option, but I do think that a simpler, less extreme and less expensive gear range could be used by the average older cyclist with no problems from a riding point of view. The only down-side is that the posers won't have so much machinery to show off at the refreshment stops!