Paddington Cycling Club?

Bob Davis, another former member, asked me to post this here:

"Hi, nice to get the memories back - I am doing some work on when young Bradley came to our club meeting, I think in Autumn 1998, and came across the thread :

I am Bob Davis and joined in Autumn 1979

Basically, here are some points about Paddington CC which I think have been missed out:

• Adrian Mitchell was a key member from the beginning - a legendary hard man who just ate, slept, trained, raced, worked and slept. And his work was as a brick layer. He would often ride up to 600 miles a week as well as working. One day he told me he had cycled down to a job in Brighton on his hack bike with his tools, but then after a full days work he "cheated" by only riding some of the way back! I remember one Easter weekend when he raced six times, his speciality being an early morning time trial before a road race. We were cycling back from a gym (weights and circuit training session) which were held under John Austin's tutelage (I helped out when I had got my weight trainers certificate) past the mosque and he said "I built that, that curved bit up there". I remember him going out with us after work out on the A4 (not on the cycle tracks) out towards Stoke Poges,and Hedgerley - less traffic then.

• Max Reeve was the most successful: he got silver medal as a schoolboy in the National Track Champs, left the club some time afterwards and had a couple of seasons in Italy as a sponsored amateur. I said hello to him about a year ago after passing him with his kid on the back of his bike when he was going to work (near Ladbroke Grove I think).

*** Neil Carlson** held the club 10 mile record once tri-bars etc. had come in, he was the ultimate techno-weeny with lots of very light bikes. He lives in Hackney, does a bit of riding to get about I think.

*Richard Girdler won a big road race - the Apex trophy. he moved up to somewhere like Northampton, became a frame builder (built me a bike I got stolen) and then ran a bike shop which went bust. he dropped out of sight after that. he had a wife and young daughter when I last saw him about 20 years ago.

• Andre Wagner went abroad and came back to the Kilburn area, he helps Mick Clarke out with Sport and Publicity stuff from time to time

• Chris Hariades got the club hill climb record, raced as a second category rider and now lives close to Dartmoor with a wife and two grown up daughetrs. He still rides a lot down there. His sister, Athene, was killed by a left turning lorry when she was cycling across Euston Road in 1992.

*** Alyn Ross** was a musician. Now a grandfather, he said hello to me about a year ago in Look Mum No Hands. Not riding not, except a motorcycle.

*** Barry Ford** was one of the original schoolboys who formed the club when it was set up by John Austin. He left for Harp RC and is now in Team Quest, or was a year or so ago. Carlo Bordi was also one of the originals who made it to first category.

• the Ron you refer to was Ronnie Blench, an American.
  
  

*** Ken Robinson** rode time trials, Michael Diggins was a junior. I will have a list of members in my archive.

That ought to bring it above 41

I have copies of the old Paddington CC newsletter, which i edited.

I also held an unofficial thirty years anniversary of my first bike race - a Paddington CC Hill Climb which was held on Toms Hill at Aldbury near Tring, with some people in my current club, the Central London CTC.

And finally, I have photos of us in Paddington CC - Sport and Publicity kit - which we were before it became Team Sport and Publicity. We had a club meeting at a pub opposite the roundhouse in Autumn, I think 1998, when Bradley Wiggins, who had just won the Worlds Junior Pursuit Champs came along. Any records of that would be welcome.

I am on rdavis4499@aol.com