Hello

Where’s your mind when you ride this track,  competing again at Bickerstaff?
Riding the Eddie Soens handicap wondering if you’ll bridge the gap
to the juniors who are setting the pace, in this annual classic Merseyside race.
The memory may give you a spark but wake up, this is the Velopark!

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Or are you on the Baginton circuit, chasing the break with the 1st cats. in it?
It’s just 4 miles south of Coventry, with the bunch so packed you can hardly see 
the road ahead which is so fast and it’s shoulder to shoulder so you can’t get past.
The memory may give you a spark but wake up mate this is the Velopark!

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Perhaps you imagine it’s an Axe Edge event or a ‘Three Hills’ one near Stoke-on-Trent
where the talk was often of Les West’s dominance 
and could he go on to international prominence.
He did of course but never took drugs which meant the honers were stolen by thugs.
The memories may give you a spark but this is now and it’s the Velopark.

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Maybe you’re dreaming of Finsbury Park crits; free for all’s with adrenaline hits 
or Chas Messenger’s races in the Chiltern hills; notorious for their thrills and spills. 
And what about the Surrey League; a weekly dose of induced fatigue? Or perhaps Crystal Palace is where you’re at, with a vinyl covered sausage hat, that wouldn’t protect you if you had a crash, but those were the rules and that was that.
Those memories may have you reminiscing - it’s the good old days that you’re missing, but even if these dreams provide a spark, the reality is here at the Velopark.

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What if you’re not even on Tarmac, reliving the days of big John Tomac and mountain biking at Newnham Park, enjoying the racing and having a lark, plucking up courage to dive down ‘The Pipeline’, hoping to hell that you’ll get down it fine. Or simply you’re dreaming of Berks on Bikes, doing off-road trails that get numerous likes.
All those reflections may deliver a spark but you’re now on the road at the Velopark.

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Alone on the circuit what’s the plan, dreaming of catching your minute man in a fantasy
time trial on a drag-strip course, with the all out effort leaving you hoarse; a personal best way beyond your limit. The plan went wrong so you’ll have to bin it. Dream again another day when favourable winds may blow your way and you’re setting  a new course record something your friends may well applaud. 
Those dreams are fine and may be the spark but awake my friend it’s the Velopark.

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Back on the road in sunny Devon you’ll be riding in seventh heaven if you’re head has you chasing the loot in the Totnes/Vire or a Springtime Pursuit. Or how about the A38
a win on there would be really great or maybe victory in the Haytor Hill Climb
but don’t expect me to make that rhyme, because I’m now in ‘MY’ Velopark time, clipping the corners and taking a line that could result in a dream fulfilled on a traffic free circuit, where I won’t get killed. All these imaginings can make their mark but come on guys THIS IS THE VELOPARK !!!

Footnotes:

1. Bicketstaff was an open road circuit a few miles north of Liverpool. In the early 1960s Cycle shop owner Eddie Soens sponsored a race there. Eddie became the head coach of British Cycling. Later the race moved to the Aintree motor racing circuit and, following his death, the race was named in his honour. 2022 sees its 60th running.

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2. Bagington was an open road circuit where the Coventry clubs hosted bunches of 60 competitors. This was unusual in the late 1950s when fields were generally restricted to 40 riders. The course was almost pan flat and big bunch finishes often resulted in massive pileups;  I vividly remember laying on top of one of them!  During that period, amateur road racing cyclists were divided into three categories according to points gained in competition: 1st cats. were the highest.

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3. Tunstall Wheelers member Les West was a dominant figure of British cycle racing in the 1960s and 70s. In 1966 he finished runner up at the World Amateur Road Race Championship in Germany. The winner was Dutchman Evert Dolman who, several years later, admitted to taking drugs. He was never stripped of the title. On home soil four years later, West took 4th place at the World Professional Road Race Championship, after going clear with the winning break and then cramping up in the finishing sprint.

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4. Finsbury Park was a I mile closed road circuit in North London, where bunched events for all categories drew big crowds.  Crit was an abbreviation of criterium:  the continental term for a bunched race held on a short circuit. Chas Messenger was a legendary race organiser and, in the early 1950s, one  of the founders of the original Tour of Britain. Crystal Palace was another London venue which included a closed road circuit and the World Cyclo Cross Championships were once held there.

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5. John Tomac was a multi discipline American professional cyclist, most famed for his mountain biking achievements. Newnham Park is near Plymouth and once hosted a mountain bike World Cup round, won by Cadel Evans of Australia, who later switched to road racing and went on to win the Tour de France and a World title. ‘The Pipeline’ is a fearsomely steep bolder and tree root strewn descent at Newnham Park.  Berks on Bikes (BOB for short) are a mountain bike club in Berkshire which was founded over twenty years ago and now has nearly 200 members.

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6. The Totnes/Vire is a twining race that has been running for over half a century and is one of the oldest promotions on British Cycling’s calendar. Also promoted by the Mid-Devon Cycling Club, the Springtime Pursuits are a series of handicap races, while the Haytor Hill Climb is an annual end of season fixture. 

Season’s Greetings

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