Bathwick Hill Stores

All of you who have ridden the Kennet & Avon canal over the last ten years or so will be familiar with the Bathwick Hill Stores, as we used to stop there on every trip for no real reason other than it was an old-fashioned type shop with a real character of an owner, Ken Smith. It was really too early in the ride for a stop but we always enjoyed going in there for the banter.

I do believe that Paul White and I stopped there for the first time when we rode a really horrible version of the ride from Reading to Bristol around 2002. I had a sore arse and Paul was feeling knackered. Ever since then we stopped there on every trip from Bristol to Reading.

There used to be a Jaguar showroom a few doors up which closed. Tesco applied to turn it into a metro and Ken managed to hold them off, with the support of the Bathwick community, for a number of years, but eventually Tesco succeeded and Ken, like so many other small traders up against the big boys, had to close down last year. Sadly he he passed away last September. This is the newpaper write-up:

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Bathwick-mourns-shopkeeper-Ken/article-1321239-detail/article.html

Hennie Kuiper

Hennie has posted a lot of his pictures on line. For us oldies there are some smashing pictures here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/henniekuiper/

Film show, Sunday 24th January

Film show, Sunday 24th Jan, Riverside Studios, starts 1.30 pm

Cycling Shorts:
The Tour de France and Cycle Racing in Britain in the 1950s, 60s and 70s (U) 1.30pm. London's cycling film aficionados return to Riverside Studios with a selection of shorts and features ranging from the Tour de France through to British Time Trial Championships.

www.riversidestudios.co.uk

This is previewed in Cycling Weekly this week, these shows usually sell out so an early booking is suggested, on line, on telephone, both work well.

Cheers, Barry G.

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!

See Dave Mclellan's article in Winter Newsletter

Twelve Champions

I happened upon this book whilst reading stuff on King Alf. It is a really good book that covers some of the more controversial riders in British Cycling history. Eileen Sheridan, Ray Booty, Frank Colden, Les West, Martyn Roach, Phil Griffiths, Sid Barras, Alf Engers, Ian Cammish, Beryl Burton and Albert Crimes and John Arnold.

It really is a fascinating book for those who remember some or all of these riders or for those who might want to know what cycle racing and training used to be like before science. If Engers and Cammish had tri-bars and energy drinks their records would probably still be on the shelf.

Think about it: do you want to go under the hour for 25 miles? Ray Booty went under 4 hours for 100 miles in 1958 on an 84" fixed wheel! Find out how he did it.

It is available from the author at £20. You will need to contact him through the Wychwood books website at www.wychwoodeditions.co.uk