Spring 2016 - Essex CTC Member Group

Magazine of the Viking Road Club
&
Journal of Essex DA Reunion Fellowship Nº97
Deviock, Cornwall
Spring 2016
VIKING ROAD CLUB
President: Barbara Crowley
EDARF
Editor
Past Presidents:
Christine Smith, Alan Turner
Vice-Presidents:
J E Adams, Mrs E Paine, L Sirett
Secretary:
Christine Smith
Handicapper 11 Stewards Green Road
& Recorder:
EPPING Essex
Saga Editor:
CM16 7BX
(0137 5 383941)
Secretary
01992 573591
smithepping@hotmail.com
Hon Treasurer:
Barbara Crowley
26 St Kilda’s Road
BRENTWOOD Essex
CM15 9EX
Bill Thorncroft
1 Cornsland Court
Rose Valley,
BRENTWOOD Essex
CM14 4HY
01277 231306
Hon Racing Sec:
John Wheeler
36 Warriner Avenue
HORNCHURCH Essex
RM12 4LH
01708 459843
Mobile 07890 610287
Sara Craig
13 Rous Chase, Galleywood
CHELMSFORD, Essex
CM2 8QF
(01245 353292)
Treasurer
01277 227590
john.crowley9@btinternet.com
Hon Auditor:
Eva Paine
Grays Court Care Home
Church Street
GRAY Essex
RM17 6EG
Bernard Hand
169 Normanshire Drive
CHINGFORD London
E4 9HB
(02085 243356)
Committee
John Davis (Chairman)
Margaret Davis
Helen Tegg
Len Sirett
Joan Comport
Christine & Peter Smith
E-Mail Addresses
saracraig1@hotmail.co.uk
bernardsidneyhand@tiscali.co.uk
margaretdavis_123@talktalk.net
bridie1926@yahoo.co.uk (Helen Tegg)
gwdelmar@aol.com (Derek Marsden)
geoff.bonnett@btinternet.com
jengel@btinternet.com (Jill Bonnett)
smithepping@hotmail.com
EDARF
NEWS
Journal of Essex DA Reunion
Fellowship Nº97
Magazine of the Viking Road Club
Spring 2016
Eva
It gives much pleasure to record many old faces even though we
have to say goodbye now and again to old friends. The good
attendance at the last dinner gave us inspiration to keep things
going, let us hope that we will have a good attendance at the do
in May.
We take this opportunity of recording kind thoughts to people
who are no longer mobile, our thoughts are with you.
Christine
I hope you like the new layout. I have been editor of Saga for
some years and now helping Eva with the EDARF News I find
that they often contain much that is the same. As we now have a
combined lunch and the editions are timed to announce details
of this we have amalgamated the two.
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OBI TUARY
Ian Craig 1938-2016
Ian started cycling as a schoolboy, going down to the Tilbury Hospital from
Grays, to visit his brother Bill, who had lifelong illness. He obviously got the taste
for cycling, as in his teens, in spite of his mother’s protestations, he set off for
France with a change of clothes and a small amount of money in his pocket. This
began his love-affair with France. More trips abroad followed often with his
Viking Road Club mates. He was in his element riding a mountain pass on a hot
sunny day.
Ian and Cathy rode a Claud Butler tandem taking their daughter Rachel in a
sidecar. Rachel remembers standing up and shouting into the wind!
Holidays with Ian were never dull. There would always be activity, be it walking,
cycling, horse-riding or canoeing. We were also obliged to visit one chateau per
holiday. His dream was to purchase a house in France, which we did when he
retired at the age of fifty. This gave us many years of French-based holidays, but
we also drove to Prague, Switzerland and Austria.
When in France he would spend
evenings studying the map to plan
the next day’s ride. He would plan a
different direction each day, taking
into account wind direction etc. In
addition, he very much enjoyed
eating out in the workers’ restaurants
at lunchtime. We were often
recognized on return visits.
Ian rode his bike nearly every day,
come rain or shine. For twenty-five
years he commuted by bike to
London for work. Even when he
worked abroad in Australia, Dubai
and Zambia, his bike went with him,
packed in a bag.
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Ian was a proud member of the Viking Road Club, the 40+ and the CTC for 61
years. He took part in Time Trials for many years with good results.
Sadly, Ian’s health deteriorated and it affected his mobility. He could no longer
ride his bike, although he tried courageously to overcome his disability. He
always believed he would get better. He spent the final three-and-a-half years in a
Nursing Home, where he received excellent care until his death on 10th Jan 2016
Sara Craig
Memories of Ian
Fred Wotton
I have just heard that Ian has passed away, and I extend my heartfelt condolences
to you.
In his late teens and early twenties he was renowned for half wheeling. He would
be at the front half wheeling everyone who came to the front and trying to ride
alongside him. In 1958 we went on a two week cycle tour – first of all to the
Brussels World Fair – then flew to Lourdes in southern France. We then rode
over numerous passes in the Pyrenees, if I remember correctly a 3 in 1 day
including the Col du Tourmalet, and into Andorra, from where we took a train to
Barcelona. Then up the Costa Brava coast of Spain and back into France and
flying home.
In early 1959 we contemplated giving up our jobs (Ian was apprenticed) to go
cycling through Europe for six to seven months, but common sense prevailed.
Eighteen months later I was transferred to Jamaica.
We went for a ride when I visited you in 2003 and again Ian half wheeled me. He
was a great rider and will be missed.
Christine Smith
When I think of Ian I remember those times in the 1960’s when we all worked in
the City and rode there and back by way of the Hackney Road, through Victoria
Park, across The Marshes, past Eton Manor to Leyton and onwards. You could
only go through the park if you could get to the other side before sunset as that
was when they locked the gates, if then it was via Well Street. Ian worked in
Finsbury Square and I worked near Ludgate Circus and I always hoped he would
not catch me up as when he did he would ride alongside, chatting, and the pace
would get faster and faster!
On one memorable occasion he caught me along the Hackney Road, I intended to
go down Well Street but he insisted that we would get through the park. When we
got to the other side the gates were locked! These gates were at least eight feet
high but Ian wasn’t worried. He made a stirrup with his hands and gave me a leg
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up, lifted the bikes up to me and then climbed up and over himself. Whatever the
weather he never wore a cape, just rode on as though the sun was shining.
Change of Address
DAVE LEWIS
After a long sojourn in the South of France Dave has returned to London and is
back at his old address:49 Gilbert Street
Stratford LONDON
E15 2AG
020 8281 2485
mobile 07745 170053
Letters
From Ann and Harry Miller, Hesdin, France.
Thank you for sending the Saga and EDARF News which we find very
interesting. We apologise for not attending the autumn meet on 24th October and
ask you to accept our cheque for £10 to put towards raffle tickets for the dinner.
For those who remember us we are both very well settled in our new home.
Although an old property in Hesdin, Harry has nearly finished turning the attic
which was a damp into two nice bedrooms and soon a bathroom will be installed
by a plumber and then if necessary we can take people in for Bed & Breakfast
Harry does no more cycling but I am pleased to say manage a 12 mile ride in an
hour once a week. Also I am trying out the local gyms. Yes there are about six
you can try. Mind you the steps in the house keep us very fit! The town is just
right for walking anywhere you wish to go if one can’t drive the car anymore and
don’t have to book if you want to eat out. Won’t bore you any more so have a
good time at the dinner and best wishes to everyone.
From Ann and Harry
Vivian Hand Writes
Firstly thank you both for all you do, after all would we still be able to have these
lovely ‘get togethers’ without you? Thank goodness the Vikings joined us.
Having said that I confess that the last time I cycled was at school! It is only
through my husband, Bernard, that I met this wonderful group of cyclists. The
great thing about these Spring and Autumn meets is you get to meet people
you’ve never met before, but somehow you gel because you all love the open
countryside.
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It was lovely to see Eva there and what a good venue she found for us with the
excellent Golf Club Restaurant.
Very sincerely Vivian.
From Robin & Angela, Grasse, France.
When I wrote last year, I confirmed that we had decided to move and the house
was on the market. We were prepared for it to take some time but it went quicker
than we expected and we moved to Grasse on 1st August. It was not a well-chosen
time, as it turned out to coincide with the hottest August for some years with
temperatures hitting 39 degrees.
We are now in a ground-floor apartment in a closed domaine to the south- east of
the town centre, much closer to amenities and without the worry of 3500 m2 of
France to look after. There are several blocks and we are at the far end of the
domaine behind another barrier, surrounded by greenery and age-old olive trees
which are well-maintained. It’s a different life for us and we are beginning to
realise the advantages.
We are close to the pénétrante (motorway) which links Grasse to Cannes (and to
the A8 autoroute as well) and most of our activities take half the travel time, not
to mention the difficulties of go to Pre-du-Lac from time to time but it is a simple
trip.
Thanks to the house move with big clear-outs before and after, we haven’t been
anywhere much although we did have a few days at a spa-hotel in Montauban
taking the opportunity revisit the Gorges du Tarn and to see the famous bridge at
Millau on the return trip. This year it has been variable with a few early season
hikes postponed because of the weather but in general autumn has been
wonderful. In mid October we had our last dip in a friend’s pool and we enjoyed a
picnic in the sunshine by the sea at Menton before tackling a part of the
Compostelle route which leads to the village of Roquebrune. We are still running
the Scottish Dance group and taking part in the RADA productions - at present
Angela is working on directing next February’s performance, another from the
pen of Eric Chappell of ‘Rising Damp’ fame.
Interesting times were had at the three vide-greniers (or car-boot sales) during the
year before moving when we realised that we had been hoarding too much. At the
end of October, we finally fitted out the cave and cleared the garage so that we
can at least put one car away. The restricted parking is one thing we have in
common with most apartments and any town living in this area but we are looking
for acquiring another lockable parking place to make our life easier.
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All in all, it’s been a year of movement and the disasters along were just a part of
it - we were in Cannes yesterday evening and there was still evidence of the
damage which was caused - estimates for the number of cars lost are between 20
and 40,000. Even now, following the attentats (attacks) in Paris, the streets in
Grasse are very quiet in the evenings. We can only hope that common sense and
humanity will emerge in 2016.
Best wishes from Angela and Robin.
From Lorna and Tony Hanlon, Rojales, Spain.
Once more November has caught up with us - and we are still dressed in shorts
and tea shirts! The cold weather has not arrived yet and we are wondering if we
are going to have a mild winter – it’s about four years since that happened. Tony
has finished all the winter checks, and because at the weekend we had a severe
storm, he has cleaned up all the debris and polished the windows, so we are
looking smart again - although we lost the top to our swinging chair and have no
idea where it went to! The lorries pass our door with the remains of all the trees
that were uprooted and thrown to one side until the storm abated. Quite a different
life here to our previous one in the U.K.
As usual, this is to keep you up-to-date with our activities which have been ‘hard
work’ mixed in with trying to keep ourselves relatively fit. We have managed to
install a new kitchen and it has made the living area look twice as large as
previously, although I have had to re-learn how to cook with induction heat.
We have both been trying to keep fit by getting on the bikes 2 or 3 times a week.
I am still suffering with my arrhythmia problem but after a bad attack out on the
bike on 22nd June I decided to go to a private doctor locally and she sent me to a
private hospital in Alicante. They diagnosed a damaged heart and damaged right
aorta actually caused an attack whilst I was having a pressure test, so it is all
documented now. I am due to see the head consultant at Torrevieja Hospital in
December which is the start/hope of having the double keyhole operation I need
‘called an ablation’ to get me properly on my feet again. In the meantime, Tony is
looking at obtaining an electrically assisted bike for when all this is behind me.
Tony has suffered a very bad attack of shingles and finished up at the A & E Dept
at the hospital. After being put on a drip for the afternoon, he was allowed home
and finished up on packs of tablets. He is now mostly recovered but not an illness
I would recommend as he still has jumping nerve pains in his fingers which is
quite uncomfortable.
All our best wishes Lorna and Tony.
Ed: Lorna and Tony are planning a trip home to visit friends and relatives and
hope to be in Essex, staying the Comrades bungalow (near the E1) for a few days
in September.
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Cycle Tour of Austria and Bavaria
By Bernard Hand
It was in 1956 that Peter Denton and I signed up for a CTC tour of Austria and
Bavaria. It was to be one from the regular list of tours run from the CTC Head
Office. On the day of departure we arrived at Paddington Station to meet the rest
of our party of 12 from around the UK, and prepare to join our train to Dover. We
met our leader, Valerie Tomlinson from the CTC Head Office and were told there
was going to be something special about this tour. We were to be filmed by the
British Transport Commission for a promotional film for the railways.
There was a special wagon on the train for our bikes with hooks to hang the bikes
by the front wheels. Having loaded the bikes, we then made our way to our
compartment, where a picnic lunch was waiting for us. There was also some film
equipment, and BTC film crew. The idea was for us to be filmed having our lunch
on our way to Dover. Unfortunately, not knowing cyclists very well, we had all
finished our lunch before their cameras were ready to roll. On arrival at Dover the
bikes did not fare so well. They were off loaded by the usual Crane method with a
rope through the frames of about four bikes. The film crew came with us on the
ferry to Calais, and then returned home. The train to Buchs in Austria stopped at
the French-Swiss-Austrian border at Basle where it changed engines to from
French to Austrian. Fortunately there were Couchettes on the train so we were
able to get good night’s sleep.
On arrival at Buchs station we were
met by Reg Shaw, the CTC general
secretary who was to be our
cameraman for the holiday. He was
said to be carrying 60 rolls of film
plus tripod. This would make his total
load of about 80lbs of luggage. He
must have been quite fit. The start of
our cycling tour was a 40 mile ride to
our hotel at Partenen.
The following morning we set off
from Partenen at 3451ft and it was
into the mountains with a climb to the
summit of the Silvrettastrasse at
6665ft. For the decent, we had a
problem! The winter’s snow had not
been completely cleared.
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A Snowplough had removed about 6ft of snow as we started down, but after about
200yds or so we met up with it. We at first thought we would have to go back, but
the crew helped us with our
bikes onto the tracks of the Plough and onto the snow. Fortunately it was not too
far before we found the road. It was then all downhill to our hotel at Imst.
During the tour we
visited the Salt
Mines at Hallein. On
arrival at there, we
parked the bikes and
took a cable car to
the top of the hill.
Before entering the
mine we were kitted
out in white
overalls. Inside the
mine about ten of us
sat astride a slide,
with guide at the
front and slid down
into the mine. There were several such slides, before we reached the mine exit and
our bikes. It was interesting seeing the mine workings. There was a lake at one
level, it was certainly something different.
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It had been a very memorable tour in good company and we made many friends.
After our two weeks, we returned home. However that was not the end of it. In
November, the BTC had arranged a reunion at the Great Weston Hotel, next to
Paddington Station. All our party were there, plus the film crew. After a meal, we
had a screening of our ‘Cycling Abroad’ film. Each party member was given a
tape recording of the film. A film that I seem to have lost. A pity as I would have
liked to have seen it again.
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