NORTHERN NEWS
Number 143
April 06
NEXT COPY DATE – TUESDAY 9th MAY.
HON SEC’S JOTTINGS
by John Bedford
Murray Johnson. By now most members will have
heard of the accident that Murray sustained recently. We wish him a steady
recovery. In such cases we usually have one member who takes it upon themselves
to keep in touch and let us all know the progress being made. In this case the
contact is Alan Dodwell. This helps to reduce the number of phone calls to the
family of the victim, particularly when they may be spending a lot of time with
hospital visiting etc. A ‘Get Well’ card
was also sent from the Section.
Ruby & Denis are greatly missed now they are
unable to join us at The Dog and at The Plough. We all hope that Ruby will be
feeling better soon.
Thanks to everybody who helped at the
recent Cycle Jumble. £353 was made for Club funds. This will be spent on
subsidizing club jerseys, the Northern News, promotional leaflets, Rides
programme etc. The Audax also makes a major contribution to Club funds. Please
offer your help or get your entry into Geoff Findon as soon as possible. 23rd
April’s the date.
New Family &
Beginners Rides
will start on Saturday, 15th April.
The meet will initially be just inside Town
Gate, leaving at 10am. It is planned to rotate the meeting point, depending on
who joins us for the rides. Harry & Sheila Child have volunteered to help,
but more helpers would be very welcome as we are moving into an unknown area.
Perhaps you know somebody who might benefit from these rides, which will be
very short and in the Park. Once confidence has been achieved by some of the
riders they may split into two groups and one group will start riding the local
quiet lanes. A leaflet is available about these rides.
New Wednesday Faster
Ride. Maximum so
far has been 5, but I think this number could grow once we get better weather.
Mileage is about 30, leaving Mere Green island at 2pm.
Ladies’ Invitation
Ride will be on
Saturday 27th May. A leaflet is available for this Saturday morning
ride. Do you know anybody who might be interested?
Kidderminster Jumble will be held on Saturday 22nd
April from 10 to 1pm at the Forest Glades Leisure Centre. £1 entry. Pay &
display parking opposite.
Campaigning. Thanks to Paul Nicholson for
getting the dangerous manhole cover in Streetly Lane re-aligned. I have been on
to Birmingham Council again about Rosemary Hill Road. There were 15 potholes on
my last count on this short stretch of road between Streetly Lane and Walsall
Road. For faulty Birmingham Roads just pick up the phone and dial 303 6644. I
have also reported a large number of potholes in the Streetly area to Walsall
Council. (Tel: 01922 663344)
What are the roads like near you? It is to our benefit that we keep up
the pressure on the local Councils.
Social. Tom Moore has volunteered to lead
a walk round the historic village of Shenstone on Tuesday evening, 16th
May. It has also been proposed that a photo competition be held in the winter.
Get those cameras clicking now.
Heart of England Rally,
Meriden, 20th & 21st May. Volunteers are still needed for this, which
is a significant event in the National calendar as it is, I think, the longest
running meeting of cyclists in this country. The Memorial on the Green was
erected in 1921 and has been the focus of an annual event since then. The full
programme is now available. Please let me know if you can help.
CTC Newsnet. This is a weekly newsletter for
those with an email facility, giving up to date information from Head Office.
To subscribe simply send your name, membership number (or postcode) and email
address to publicity@ctc.org.uk
Membership. In order to ensure that you get
all the benefits of CTC membership keep up to date with your renewal. For those
who have not yet joined, please give serious consideration to joining NOW.
NOSTALGIA
by Brian Langdell
Northern News Sept 1951
In 1951, the Clubroom was a large corrugated
shed at the rear of the ‘Plough and Harrow’ Pub, only 100 yards from the
present clubroom. 55 years on and the site is 90 metres away and part of the
carpark. A member wrote of his first visit:-
Having heard a lot about the ‘Northern crowd’,
I decided to go up to their clubroom one Thursday night. On the way to
Shenstone I fell to wondering what on earth everyone did during the evening.
I stood in the doorway of a rather dimly lit
hut, to find it crammed with brilliant coloured sweaters and lots of bare knees
of unequalled variety. Everyone was talking, some loudly, some quietly, but all
together. As I entered the noise seemed to encircle me like an overwhelming
crowd on a railway platform. It seemed as though everyone had a lot to say and
not enough time to say it in.
I looked round and saw a man selling little
enamel badges, who didn’t seem to know which tin to look in first for the right
one. Someone else was selling something – it looked like a small book; he had a
long list and beamed broadly every time he ticked something off. He stood there
like a bookie at the racecourse waving the book in the air until someone gave
him 3d. There was another man with a sheaf of papers moving about in a cloud of
tobacco smoke. It looked as though he was trying to get people to sign forms,
but he did not seem to have much success as he pushed his way in between the
bodies. Over in the corner someone was holding up a chainwheel set – I think
that was the only way he could get a proper look at it. That chainwheel set was
like a magnet attracting a noisy jostling crowd, all wanting to have a look at
it but no one wanting to buy it.
I was just thinking about trying to make myself
heard to someone when suddenly a loud cry rang forth, and immediately I was
swept along towards a small table and found myself in a queue. A fellow in a
‘reindeer jersey’ yelled “TEA UP”! and came in with a large urn. A strange
silence fell over the room as everyone tried to buy tea. Soon there were noisy
quips about the tea, and some people even came in with other sorts of beverages
from the bar. The noise started again. I joined the queue and bought a cup of
tea and the girl behind the table said “Are you new?” She was another reindeer
clad cyclist, and afterwards came along and introduced me to some of the club
members.
I was soon in a circle, gazing at an endless
line of photographs which a tall bespectacled cyclist kept passing along. They
went almost round the room and I am sure I saw some of them two or three times
over.
I almost forgot to mention the peculiar antics
of some club members trying to play table tennis. The ball never seemed to stay
on the table, and the players spent most of their time crawling in and out of
the legs on the floor to retrieve it. Sometimes the ball would go up by the
dart board, but by some miracle the darts always went in the board and not in
the cyclists.
No-one minded these drawbacks until someone
came round with a book. It was odd how the sight of that book caused the
circles to break up and the crowd round the piano to sing louder and faster.
Later my name was duly entered in the book and I learned the reason for the
queer sighs and moans.
I just had a few minutes to look at the
notice-board and the pictures round the wall; then I noticed that everyone had
begun to leave. I was amazed to find it was ten minutes to ten. People ran
around collecting empty glasses and cups, the table-tennis table was demolished
– yes demolished – and the snaps were put away until next week. In a short time
the room was deserted and the noise had now gone outside as people switched on
lights and left for home.
I reached my home, feeling quite bewildered by
it all, and still not knowing exactly how I had spent the evening and how the
time had gone.
“STILL DIZZY”
TOUR de FRANCE
by Trevor Davies (Stars in Your Eyes
version)
During February half-term Peter (Barnett) and I
took a brief cycling trip over the channel which proved both enjoyable and good
value. The new Speed ferry service provided a cheap and rapid crossing to
Boulogne (www.speedferries.com)
and we stayed in B&Bs or Chambres d’Hôtes which we had booked in advance
via www.gites-de-france.com (click on the
separate link for the Pas-de-Calais department). The first night was spent in
Ambleteuse (10 miles up the coast) after an excellent meal at Wimereux (£12 for
3 courses). Breakfast of ham, eggs, cheese, bread and croissants overlooking
the sand dunes, our flasks filled, we drove up the coast for a few minutes to
leave the car at our third night’s accommodation before setting off inland. The
delightful lady who ran the Chambre d’hôte described the road as “vallonnée”
and she was right. She was less accurate in her weather forecast as she thought
it would stop raining. Neoprene shoe protectors were very useful and my
contribution to cycling lore is that those plastic gloves that you get at
garages to stop you smelling of diesel fuel can keep your gloves drier – I now
make a point of taking a pair when I fill up.
We covered a superficially unimpressive 40
miles during the day but were more than grateful to arrive at our second
night’s stay at Lumbres near St. Omer towards the end of the afternoon. Within
minutes we were sitting around a log fire, a hot drink in hand and the rugby on
the telly with our clothes steaming on logs worryingly close to the flames. The
hosts correctly guessed that we were not too keen to venture out in the rain
again so they provided a superb meal of soup, meat and vegetables (pot au feu)
and an apple Clafoutis for pudding – our bill for two for the stay came to £55.
The next day we had planned to visit “La Coupole” (www.lacoupole.com) the centre of the V1
rocket launches and the lady of the house told us that, when she was small, German soldiers were billeted with
her family and their job was to press the button to launch the doodlebugs. What
was surprising is that they always found her to say goodbye each day because
the heat sent backwards by these contraptions meant that they often ended up in
the infirmary badly burned.
La Coupole is an extremely impressive place and
well presented and we spent a good three hours admiring the models, exploring
the vast caverns built by slave labour and watching the short films. This left
us short of time to regain the coast so we took the train to Calais. A very
fast train with a special carriage for bikes cost £4 each and we then cycled 20
miles down the coast from Calais after a “Croque-Madame” (Welsh rarebit with
ham and a poached egg on top). I use the word “down” ironically as the climb
from Sangatte up to Cap Blanc Nez is seemingly endless, particularly in the
fog. The evening meal made up for it in an excellent restaurant in Escalles
(Peter’s Bream in lemon sauce was a particularly good choice but I am not a
jealous type).
After another excellent night in very good
accommodation www.Lebreuil.com
we took a walk along the coast
at Cap Gris Nez and then raided Decathlon Boulogne to snap up any cycling
bargains (cleaning fluid and oil were a priority).
All in all, an excellent trip with no bike
problems and no injuries apart from my injuring myself while putting a glove on
over-enthusiastically and our recently purchased Brooks saddles are now
infinitesimally nearer the shape of our anatomies. The total cost was in the region of £160 each.
On a practical note we laminated maps cut out
from the Michelin book to make them rainproof (one advantage of having a
primary schoolteacher as a wife). Don’t forget to obtain the new European
medical card and to take out medical insurance. (Post Office is reasonable). I
speak French but a phrase book and a small dictionary would be useful if you
don’t (do you know the word for sprocket?)
PS
sprocket = “pignon” – I checked - and apologies to those not on the internet.
BICYCLE HISTORY
by Brian Langdell
I have just finished
reading an American book entitled "Bicycle - The History". Here are a
few interesting (?) facts within.
The most expensive full
sized bicycle was built in 1895. This was a COLUMBIA and was ‘TIFFANY-SIZED’
and cost $3000. (an annual salary at that time was $1000.). Its lugs sported
eighteen carat gold mountings and spokes had gold covered nipples and its ivory
handle bar grips were tipped with gold. The handle bar was gold frosted and
supported a massive sapphire while the steering column featured a row of
semi-precious stones. "Diamond Jim" Brady, a notorious spendthrift
reportedly bought one for the actress Lillian Russell.
In 1903, the CTC numbers
had reduced to 50,000 members whereas the Touring Club of France had 80,000 and
the Touring Club d'ltalia had 34,000; the latter two were increasing.
In 1902, the French
mechanics were hard at work developing variable gears for bicycles. The Touring
Club of France conducted a series of tests in the Pyrenees evaluating 48
machines by 24 makers, concentrating on the various gearing systems. Only those
that offered at least three gears were accepted. The gold medal went to the
Terrot company of Dijon, for a bicycle with a chain on either side which collectively
yielded a staggering (sic) four gears.
The first primitive
derailleur gears were developed in England during the boom years, but were
largely improved in France. A cycle merchant/publisher known as
"Velocio" (Paul de Vivie) was an early champion of varied gears and
over the years settled on the derailleur as his favourite mechanisms. In 1914,
he encouraged a local mechanic to offer a rudimentary derailleur on his hand
built frames; this encouraged Albert Raimond to start a company which launched
"Le Cyclos" - the first commercially successful derailleur,
introduced in 1924, working with a two sprocket freewheel. A three speed soon
followed and then a double chainring making six gears possible. In the early
1930's, Cyclo introduced a four sprocket system and a few years later a triple
chain wheel. Even British tourists began to demand Cyclo products prompting the
company to open a small factory in Birmingham. (This was at Potters Hill,
Aston). Rival firms arose in France, notably Huret and Simplex.
In more recent years,
over a million Japanese cycle to work every day, some using commuter rail
stations. Parking the bikes was such a problem, that the Construction Ministry
built multi- floored computerised parking facilities. You bring your bike on
suspended arms, lock them in place and the bikes were whisked away to some
location on high. The bikes could be retrieved in less than a minute by
pressing a button.
I DID IT MY WAY
by John Montgomery
During my cycling life I
have never been interested in doing the ‘End to End’, but one evening I
received a phone call from my sister-in-law asking if I had any ideas of how to
raise money for cancer, of which she was a sufferer. Without thinking I said “I
could do the End to End”, to which she grasped at. So I found myself committed.
I had forms printed stating that I would do it on fixed wheel. This would mean
that I would pedal the lot and would not have the range of gears that the
general public think necessary.
I duly caught a train
down to Penzance YHA for the preceeding night. The morning saw me cycling off
in the wrong direction as Land’s End is ten miles further west. And what a
shock it was. Hilly, and my gear was a 69, which with a load on is a bit
naughty on those Cornish hills. And going down is no joke either. Anyway, I
eventually reached the start line which is actually painted on the road. I took the necessary photos and set off. Having
seen the terrain I decided to settle for the main roads as they don’t stick 1
in 3s on them. The weather for the first week was very, very hot and sunny so I
reversed my cap to protect my neck as I was traveling north and the sun was
behind me.
For my first effort I
cleared Cornwall, and throughout I averaged 100 miles per day, this being the
limit as around 4 or 5pm it was necessary to look for digs. I now discovered
just how poor the YHA is, very sparse and not open when I wanted them. B&B
became the order; around 5 a quick wash and brush up and down to the pub. Chips
with everything and a sweet to follow to top up the carbs for the day. At
breakfast I also ate as much as I could get away with. The secret of rides like
this is to eat all the things you don’t normally eat, like a fruit cake daily
(family size). This was eaten in two goes by the side of the road! Also it is
important to keep drinking before you get thirsty.
Later in the ride I
reached Scotland. In pouring rain I sat in the gutter, soaking wet, still
pouring water down my neck.
On arrival at Rannoch
Moor my chain came off, and no matter what I tried I could not stop the wheel
from locking up within a 100 yards. I immediately hitched a lift in a white
van. Three cheers for white-van men! Unfortunately it had been my intention to
call on Jimmy Saville as I know where he lives, and he is an ex-racing cyclist
(23rd in the Tour of Britain). Instead I sailed by choked! The only
cycle dealer was in Fort William and they couldn’t fix the wheel problem, and
so “could I come back tomorrow?” Well I had no choice. The next day they
admitted they still couldn’t fix it as they had no spares for ‘proper bikes’,
only for mountain bikes. I was riding a track bike and ended up hiring a
mountain bike. It was top of the range and this was the first time I had ridden
a bike of this quality. It took me a while to understand the automatic gear
changing.
It was eleven o’clock
before I left the shop and I still wanted to keep to my 100 schedule. I came up
with the idea of riding till dark, putting on all my clothes and kipping
under/in whatever I could find. At around 7-30 I came to a town and was lucky
to find a B&B which, at £17-50, was cheap. Inside it was absolute luxury
and would deserve a recommendation to the CTC. Alas, the bike was left in an
open yard, which is not what cyclists want. During breakfast the proprietor
photographed me with his digi, and I found out later they were received at home
before I was out of his road – a nice touch for those back home.
The last section of the
A9 was extremely hard, with winding 1 in 5s. Here the mountain bike, with its
now familiar gearing, was ideal. I would have had to walk if I’d been on
‘fixed’. I duly finished the ride but could not catch a train as they said they
couldn’t fit the bike in. I had to get back to Fort William to swop bikes as
I’d only hired it for 4 days (£54). The only option, apart from cycling in
pouring rain and a headwind, was the local bus. This I managed twice with a
couple of bribes! A further couple of bus rides got me to Glasgow where I
caught a train home.
When I examined my wheel
later I found I had bent the hub of the wheel, which encloses the spindle, as
the large flanges were no longer parallel. At a later date the fixed cog I had
used was on another bike on which the chain seemed to come off regularly. I
thought it was my clapped out chain, but when mending a puncture I discovered
that my 18 tooth sprocket now had only 9 teeth left on it. I have saved this
item and will hopefully find a way of sticking the teeth back on. I’m not
joking, ask Brian Hailing.
TERRY’S POEM
This was written by
Terry Forks and read out at Walsall Section’s annual dinner. Illustrated by Ken
Strong.
Our club has gained a wrinkle or
two,
The competitive edge is almost
through.
There’s no testorone to power the
thigh,
So upcoming hills get a collective
sigh
And most climb off before the
peak,
Performing the only leg-over of the week.
A plurality of trophies gather dust,
Shiny objects of past lust,
Relegated to some back shelf,
Together with our former self,
When a 100 miles was not too far,
To stop our nights coming up to par.
Thoughts
now of an inn along the way,
Where we
can while away the day,
Quaffing
ale by the yard,
Who cares
if the way back’s hard.
We can go
to sleep without a budge,
And
carefully ignore that playful nudge.
Pedalling at a pace quite sedate,
At speeds close to the Bank interest rate,
We tour the lanes quite unbowed,
And no lycra in our chummy crowd,
Which is a pity when all’s said
and done,
The ladies now prefer to hide
their bum.
Weren’t we
lions in the roaring sixties,
But now
we’re mostly in our sixties,
Little to
prove and its all been done,
But getting
out still great fun.
A testament
to being young at heart,
That and
the odd replacement body
part.