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@clubman
This was the North Road section’s ride, starting from Letchworth and going by quiet lanes and paths to a member’s house for refreshment and to inspect his super collection of old stuff, which included not just bikes but four beautifully maintained pre-war Vauxhalls. Then on to a pub lunch at The Cock in Broom, Bedfordshire, which itself is well worth a visit:
http://www.heritagepubs.org.uk/pubs/national-inventory-entry.asp?PubID=2.
However I would not have troubled you with a post just about these matters – it was the afternoon ride which may be of more interest.
The Veteran-Cycle Club is an excellent organisation in many ways, but it is not generally known for its hard riding activities: it’s definitely not a racing club and it does not have those early season 100 mile training rides once favoured by the Calleva and many other sporting clubs. The above mentioned pootle to a pub lunch is far more typical.
As we left the pub I said I wanted to get a few more miles in rather than going straight back to Letchworth and one member, whom I had not met before this Sunday, suggested I rode with him to start with, since he was going northwards. He was riding a machine which to most people would have seemed a hopeless wreck, although an acute observer might have realised just from the fact that it looked so well used that its owner was not an ill prepared novice. The bike was an uncompromising roadster (i.e. upturned bars, rod brakes, Westwood rims and no concessions to lightness, with a fixed gear in the mid sixties) which the owner thought dated from about 1910. We set off at a brisk pace, and I was soon aware that although I wasn’t uncomfortable at this speed on my old but efficient lightweight, if we had exchanged machines I would have been struggling to keep up with my new companion.
This V-CC hardman’s name is Ray Miller, a longstanding member who told me that he would regularly do big distances on this machine, but that it was really his hack, since he also owns another better (i.e. older) roadster, used in the same way in more clement weather. For him a V-CC ride would often amount to a hundred or more miles in a day as he would ride out to distant meeting points. Ray is no younger than me, possibly even a little older.
As you may know, I have an interest in doing long rides on old bikes and before we parted we agreed that we would think about doing a long distance roadster ride next year.
And this question, really, is the reason for my post: is there anyone out there who might like to join us?
N.B. for further reading have a look at this:
http://www.shirebooks.co.uk/store/The-Modern-Cyclist,-1923%20_9781908402622