Central London CTC blog

A very successful party was held on Saturday with some 45 new and long-established members enjoying themselves and the virtually continuous supply of wine. Old friends were warmly greeted, new friendships made and absent friends remembered.  Old photographs were discussed and the array of old club t-shirts and jerseys admired.

Pat Strauss as our founder cut the cake. Fuzz Edwards made the journey by bus from Fulham with the welcome news that Mary is recovering well from her recent accident. Our youngest member, Fay, aged 6 months, was bright-eyed watching everyone imbibe themselves.

This was followed on Sunday by the anniversary rides, with one, two and three star riders converging on Blackmore at lunchtime. Altogether 49 riders (and a few who travelled by other means) gathered in the sunshine to continue the previous night’s reminisinces.

Fuelled by The Big Chef’s toast and marmalade, those following the basic plan broke out of suburbia and shot north. By Potters Bar there was a steady trickle of early competitors and spectators heading home, and once onto the B158 and course proper, a vast array of bikes and riders to distract us.

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8 o’clock Saturday night, Shoreditch is warming up. A gaggle of secretaries from the ‘burbs, a muscle of lads up town. Wallowing stretch limos, glowering doorman. And mingling amongst, cyclists in civvies. Heading towards the Classic Car Club, a fantasy for those with unrequited childhood dreams of continental exotica. Even a Ducati 250 Desmo - if this means nothing, let it be. Inside the gates rack upon rack of bikes, guarded by a grunting sentinel. As per the moment, most are one cog machines. Deep rims, gaudy colours, tiny bars. Brakes an afterthought or absent. more »

So, the yellow fever that gripped London in July didn’t last long.

Crystal Palace, sarf London: two men and a dog. The sponsors were struggling to give sun-hats away. A smattering of locals, a few clubs in kit, and, I suspect, most of the rest were friends and family. And us, thanks to a last-minute plan to have a short roll round Kent. No big screens, no enlightening commentary – even the riders, as they stormed over the line and turned to check their time, could see only a garbled mess of numbers.
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Criterium racing Saturday evening June 23rd

A pretty (good) crowd, sporting more than a little Rapha, and with a fair few Condors in evidence. A spectacular pile-up in the Regional race, and a creditable show of 4th by Ben Johnson, at least technically of Central London, in the All Stars. I arrived just in time to see the couriers do complex and secretive things, emerging occasionally for a dash around the square. Racing, but not as we know it. They do have a reputation to maintain. Then the heavens opened, more »

CLCTC is not a racing club, and very few of us would contemplate riding a banked track. But a good number turned out to watch the racing at this traditional Bank Holiday event.As ever, this heralded one of the first really sunny days of the year, and the meeting was packed - CTC groups, LCC groups, Club racers, the couriers and wannabe couriers, L.O.Gs with tells of the past, enthusiastic fans of the current competitors, families, friends and fans.

The morning heats pass as all amble round the circuit, greeting acquaintances, examining the stalls, queuing for food, queuing for drink, and queuing for the toilets. The symbiosis of the race bikes contrasts with the extravaganza of spectators’ bikes - many fixed or single-speed, but also tourers, tandems and trikes.

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On Friday night, over 30 Central London members, plus assorted other interested parties, squeezed into the Calthorpe Arms for a somewhat fraught AGM - the anuual festival of ‘The Picking of The Nits’. But sanity prevailed. matters were sorted, and we moved to a second meeting, at which we did at last decide to seek DA status. My heartfelt thanks to all of you for your support and timely interventions. We can now move on to that which we do best of all - promoting cycling.

As if in celebration, 16 turned out for the Stevenage End of Summertime Audax - amidst a field of 359. If the trains, as usual, worked against us, the weather was perfect - the early chill soon left as the late autumn sun warmed us up. The controls processed riders at speed, even the Saffron Walden cafe queue was manageable. If we were a ragged group before lunch, the long gradual grind to Geat Chishill and on to Reed split us further. But we managed to gather a fine group to ride in to the finish together. Maybe not a true Purple Peloton, maybe more an intermittent stream of purple p…, but for a while it looked great.

PS the Central London ‘Winged Wheel’ stickers are now ready. I’ll be selling them on rides, or send me an SAE and a cheque (£1 per sticker)