The picture Hennie didn't put in.

What a joy it was to browse through the Hennie Kuiper pictures Ev recently brought to our notice on this Blog. Late 70's early 80's, marvellous pictures of an era of heros, riding proper bikes, no hats so we could recognize them, nothing stuck in their ears or on their handlebars and pushing proper racing gears. What an old fart I am! I searched all through the pictures looking for one of the most dramatic moments in bike racing I ever saw on TV and it is there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/henniekuiper/3749388186/in/set-72157621681116938/
Hennie was away on his own with only a few kilometres to the finish of Paris-Roubaix, the Classic everyone wants to win. On a right hand bend his rear tyre rolled off and he slithered to a halt in the kerb. What a panic! Hennie's face was a picture of intensity. He flung down his bike, turned to look behind him for help and to see where the chasers were. He clapped his hands to hurry up the mechanic. He needed his spare bike but the lad came with a wheel and made a pigs ear of the change. Then another guy ran up with his complete bike and he was away again, still in the lead. The whole incident took only 30 seconds but it must have seemed like a lifetime to Hennie. He won on his own. Here he is with Mick in the square in Westouter at Gent-Wevelgem a few years ago when he was with Rabobank. I always thought he looked a bit like a young Millsy.

Snow, What Snow????

A lot of moaning going on about the weather, but, 32 years ago, this type of weather bothered us less. It was I believe February 1978 when Mick Ayliffe, Nick "Dinky" Dunkley, Steve Edgar and yours truly set off on one of Mick's 24 hour training rides to Bognor Regis on snow covered roads. Yes, 120 miles in really bad conditions.

But we were hard men. No overpriced bits of polystyrene on our heads. No fancy overshoes or gortex gloves. We just used to get on with it. However, were cautious and rode down Givens Grove because of the icy conditions.

It was of course an epic ride. Nick riding ahead of us by 20 yards for no reason for parts of the ride and getting soaked in slush from a passing vehicle. Slogging up Bury Hill, arriving in Bognor for eats looking like coal miners who had just finished a shift.

On the way back my left hand crank came loose and thank God for those old dumbbell multi-spanners. Mick whacked the crank on with a brick and it was tightened back on and lasted until I got home. What a day it was, the sort of day that one remembers and when the weather turns bad thinks "I've been out in worse conditions than this!"

On another topic, Robert Douglas and I went on a ride to Hindhead in freezing conditions, a good 80 miles, and on reaching Milford on the way back I found that my bottle had frozen decending Hindhead!

Don't beleive the climate change scaremongers, it has been as bad as this before!