Digger’s Funeral will be taking place on Tuesday 23rd March at 3.30p.m.
If you want to watch it you will need the following information.
Go to www.Obitus.com about 5 mins before the time and you will have to insert the username-qeki8256 and then the password-555012
If you would like to see it later, you can wait for 4 days and it will be available to watch for about 20 days.
Gladys Purdy
James says “I attach a scan of an old family-photograph which, I believe, was taken around 1900 of Willesden Cycling Club. Judging by the silver cup in the foreground and the three racing cycles in the photo, I would guess that it was a cycle-racing club rather than a cycle-touring club.
The gentleman with his arms crossed in the front row on the left side of the picture is my maternal grandfather, Robert Oldfield who had a butcher’s shop for many years at 80 Willesden High Road until 1935. He was born in 1868 so would have been in his early thirties if my guess of around 1900 is right.”
Possibly Willesden Cycling Club c.1900-1
“I attach two images of a silver medal awarded in 1895 which you might find interesting. I cannot unravel the elaborate monogramme (BBRC?). Unfortunately, there is no known connection between the medal and my grandfather. The winning time for the 10-mile event (under 27 minutes) was around my best for a 10-mile time trial in the late 1950s! All I ever got was a bronze medal consolation prize.
If anyone can add more information about the club photo (such as confirming its date or the event it was taken for) or about the medal send a message to info@willesdencyclingclub.org.uk
The West London 25 is due to be held on April 4th, 7.31 start on the Amersham Road. If anyone wishes to ride can they let me know by 27th March. The event is also looking for marshals, so if anyone can help this would be appreciated.
Gill
An email from Paul Spicer, the son of John “Spike” Spicer, a long-time Willesden CC member, came our way. His father had a collection of cycling books and other material and Paul is keen for it to go to a good home or homes. If you have any ideas how the collection could be a resource for cyclists in our neck of the woods that would be great. However if you might be interested in having part of the collection either post on the Facebook item corresponding to this post or email info@willesdencyclingclub.org.uk and I will pass the responses on to Paul
This is the tribute to Digger on the RTTC Legends Facebook page, with permission by Dave Binks of Leicestershire RC. The RTTC group is a closed one, so I have copied it verbatim here.
RIP, Paul, and I’ll “See you up the road”.
If I can find a photo, I’ll post it later.
Gladys Purdy writes:
It is with great regret that I have to report the death of Digger Baulch. I have known him for over 70 years. He was a great club mate. In the 1950s he finished in 2nd place in the Best All rounder competition, was part of the winning team that took the National 30 mile team record in 1954 (which wasn’t beaten until 1961) and he held most of the club records and riding with John Blumsden the tandem records too.
When he settled in Leicestershire he joined the Ratea and took on many of the posts needed in the successful running of the club.
He still maintained his connections with the Willesden however, and met up with the Old Timers section to enjoy a chat about “old times”.
R.I.P. Digger.
Harp RC came up with the great idea of a virtual Reliability Ride and Willesden CC, along with the other Chiltern Classic clubs, has been invited to join in.
“As we cannot run the Harp Hilly in it’s usual form we have set up a virtual event for the short 555km route on RGT Cycling. There are two events over the weekend of 30 / 31 January, a 2:30pm event on the Saturday and a 10:30am event on the Sunday.
The events are free to ride as RGT Cycling is free to join and it is free to ride events that have been set up on their ‘Magic Roads’
In case any of your members are interested the RGT Cycling events are:
Saturday, 30-Jan-2021 at 14:30:
http://app.rgtcycling.com/event?code=Q3EE0oqQV9
Sunday, 31-Jan-2021 at 10:30 :
http://app.rgtcycling.com/event?code=tCVA3xy2p5
best regards
Richard Hutt”
If you want to ride and need to install RGT then you need two apps, one on your phone and another on a PC/MAC/iPad. The web page that explains it and tells you what to do is https://www.rgtcycling.com/get-started/.
It might just be my PC, but when I tried a “direct” Windows install of the PC App it did not work, but using the Microsoft Store worked fine.
Our friends at Westerley are organising a Christmas season event and they are inviting Willesden CC. Even if the full 500 is impractical, you can do a bit and give something for a very good cause.
This is what Christmas is all about, getting out on the road to play with your new toys and burning off some calories. Did anyone mention that the weather can be unpredictable? No worries, just ask Santa for a rain jacket and thermals. Even better, get a smart trainer and do all or some of the rides indoors!
The Festive 500 is designed to get us out on our bikes during the festive season holidays and started as a marketing ploy by Rapha. However, after 2019 Rapha decided not to award any of their sought after sew on patches to folks completing the challenge. So we have created our own version just for you.
Westerley CC’s Dave Morrison has combined a few things to rectify the Rapha retraction, and hopefully rectify a nasty disease along the way. Ride a Festive 500 for Harrison’s fund and raise money for research into Duchenne Disease and you can have one of these special badges. SIGN UP HERE
You may not have heard of Duchenne, it’s not the most prevalent disease, but it is a very nasty and cruel disease. It only affects boys, and kills most of them before adulthood. Victims are born with it but decline and wither away during their teens. There are no survivors. The pain is intensified by the fact that, as a rarer condition, public funds for research are directed at more prevalent diseases. This just adds to the despair endured by families with affected sons.
Dave has done a number of long distance rides to raise money into research for Duchenne with his friend film producer Nick Taussig (BAFTA nominated McQueen last year). Nick has two sons with Duchenne. Nick and Karla only found out when their second son was born, that the first already had this fatal disease.
So, whether you just want to ride, want a badge or want to help fund some research into this disease, why not sign up for the Festive 500 Challenge?
You can sign up with Harrison’s Fund, named after Harrison Smith, a Duchenne victim. It’s a small charity and your money will reach the front line, rather than get absorbed in big charity overheads. You can also link your STRAVA account so that your Kilometres are logged with the charity. It’s as easy as that, plus of course getting a few friends, relatives, clubmates and sympathisers to help you raise £500.
Westerley have a selection of local rides which you may choose to use to build up your distance. In fact, we are contemplating doing club rides using these routes over the holiday. You can also ride your own routes of course. But the real challenge can be the unpredictable weather…which may dictate how many kilometres you may choose to do on any given day. Non-members are welcome to join us on these rides but remember, if the weather is bad, unlike the Rapha non-patch version, the Harrison’s Fund version allows indoor rides! You are welcome to ride both challenges simultaneously but only the Harrison’s Fund version offers the finisher’s patch.
Here is our Westerley CC Festive Fayre:
Christmas Eve Ride 151km
Filler Fifty 50km
Westerley Xmas Fat Burner 85km
Wing Tring Thing 201km
Forty miles of fun 64km
PLUS The Box Hill New year’s Eve Fleche.
We suggest that routes are allocated to particular days nearer the dates, based on weather conditions and general consensus if group rides are the order of the day. We are also contemplating a ride to Box Hill on New Year’s Eve where Nick Taussig and his family will meet us will refreshments. Anyone can ride to Box Hill on the day from any start point, a Fleche /Arrows as Audax riders will know, is a ride starting anywhere with a common target, in this case Box Hill.
HOW TO SIGN UP
Once you click to register it will take you to a more detailed event page where you can complete your registration & it will automatically set up your fundraising page.
There is an option to link your Strava account to your fundraising page. You can then publish your rides to your page. Here is an example for you to see what it looks like
https://giving.harrisonsfund.com/pf/georgiana-robitu
Watch out for developments on www.Westerley.cc nearer the time for details of club rides.
Dave Morrison’s tips:
I’ve done the Festive 500 three times and tend to be weather watching all throughout Xmas. If Christmas Eve has nice weather I try and do a long ride to knock out as many kilometres as possible in case the rest of the week is miserable.
I get up early on Christmas morning and do a short urban ride around Harrow. You’ll find very little traffic about and can get back early to be with the family.
Similarly on Boxing day I get out for a ride as early as possible to be back in time for whatever is planned in the afternoon with the family (or football)
The following days I pick the length of ride according to the weather conditions.
I always have a short back up urban ride for really bad days, just to score some kilometres and avoid piling on the pressure towards the end.
But of course, it will be so much more easily planned with Harrison’s Fund as they allow indoor rides to count.
What’s stopping you? SIGN UP HERE
FOOTNOTE: The spirit of the Festive 500 has always been about getting out on the bike over Christmas and the New Year. However, in the modern world of smart trainers it seems a bit unfair that everyone needs to suffer all weathers so, subsequently, it was decided to allow participants to include indoor rides logged on Strava towards their total. This will also allow a few evening rides to count if you have family or work commitments. Whilst some may lament this shift in ‘derring-do’, we would suggest that anyone who wants to do all of their rides outside, still can. More importantly, it may help raise more to fight this deadly disease, which we are sure you’ll agree is far more important. Thanks for your support. If you can’t ride, please sponsor a mate.
Following up her chat with club members at the end of our Maidenhead mini golf championships, Janice Halter, Fred Everett’s daughter, forward some pictures to do with the club’s 1950 dinner to us. If you want to share reminiscences please email info@willesdencyclingclub.org.uk or use our facebook page.
Janice with her parents
The dinner cover
Results
Prize winners
Just after the club mini-golf championship, a couple on a walk came up to talk to us. Janice Halter is the daughter of a longtime member, Fred Everett. She sent the following message to the club yesterday.
On a walk along the Thames at Maidenhead last Sunday (11th October) we came across a group from Willesden Cycling Club at Jenners Riverside Gardens. I had to speak to them as my Dad – Fred Everett – was a very keen member of the club for a number of years and also their Treasurer for many years. One member – Ray Kelly – had certainly heard of my Dad and may have met him. I still have the many medals Dad won over the years including the Life Membership he received in 1968 for 21 years of continuous membership.
Ray mentioned the name of Gladys Purdy – a name I instantly recognised. Sadly Dad passed away in December 1996 and a few club members very kindly attended his funeral in Reading where we live ( Dad was in a care home nearby in Shiplake).
It’s good to know the club is still going.
Best Wishes to you all especially anyone who might have known my Dad or heard of him.
Good luck for the future
From Janice and Peter Halter.
Just confirming the fun mini-golf championship taking place on the Jenners Cafe crazy golf course at Boulters Lock, Maidenhead on Sunday 11th October at 13.00.
The cost of an 18-hole round is £3.50 with a trophy for the winner. Car parking fees may apply but check on arrival.
The 13:00 golf start gives us time for a local bike ride starting at 9.30am from the Cafe in the surrounding area travelling out towards Windsor Great Park with a stop and the amazing R.A.F. War Memorial at Englefield Green (Route info to follow)
Meet at 9am for a coffee if you are early. There is a Facebook event created for you to respond to on the club group page.
Social distancing rules will apply and groups on the road will be max of four.
This event will proceed subject to weather conditions. Check Facebook for updates nearer the time.
Jenner’s Riverside Gardens, Raymead Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 8NP
Would anyone like to ride this event?
It is on Windsor Hill 9.30 start. Closing date is 27th September.
Thanks Gill
This interesting enquiry was emailed today to us by a Roger Hawkins
“I have been doing some research into the history of an early 1960’s Viking track bike now in my ownership. Apparently the bike was used in the 1967 Earls Court 6 days event.
It is my understanding this bike was once in the possession of a gentleman called Ken Daniels and was ridden by Ken in the 6 days whilst a member of Willesden Cycling Club.
The bike has been resprayed at some point, plus it is in need of some TLC and maybe some restoration. It would be nice to get some idea of the frame’s original colour, spec. etc.
Mr Daniels would now be in his mid 70’s. Would the club still be in touch with Mr Daniels?, or have any colour photographs in its archives of the event featuring this particular bike?”
Roger supplied a photo of the bike and some additional details
“I purchased the bike on Ebay from a chap called Paul who lives in Nottingham. Paul told me he purchased the bike from Ken around 15 years ago and travelled down to west London to pick it up. Ken passed some of the bike’s history on to Paul.
Roger would love to restore the bike to as it was in 1967, if possible.
Can anyone help? I will pass on Roger’s contact details if you can.
Ian Oliver
All members and friends are invited to participate in the 2020 Willesden C.C. mini golf championships. Taking place on the Jenners Cafe mini course at Boulters Lock, Maidenhead on Sunday 11th October at 13.00. This gives us time for a local bike ride starting at 9.30am in the surrounding area. Meet at 9am for a coffee if you are early. There is a Facebook event created for you to respond to on the club group page. The cost of a round is £3.50 with a trophy for the winner. Car parking fees may not apply but check on arrival.
The West London Combine 10 will be on the 6th September. The Twickenham have agreed to run this event but would be grateful for any volunteers to marshal.
If any club members wish to ride can they let me know by 26th August. I have one entry so far – Jamal.
In other news Jayne Payne did a very fast ride in the 25 on Sunday with a time of 1:03:23.
Gill
We have 3 fast riders entered already and there is room for more. Let me know if you wish to enter as soon as possible.
Also, last weekend, Stuart Birnie (Hippy) broke his own 12 hour club record with 294.1 miles.
Gill
The club asked that members not wear its colours during lockdown, to deflect resentment from non-cyclists. With the now changed conditions, it’s policy that you can wear our colours freely. Vai squadra verde!🚴♀️🚴♀️🚴♀️
The West London Combine is considering whether or not to run their 25 mile time trial on the Amersham Road on August 16th. The committee is asking if anyone would like to ride this event which would be run as advised by the CTT under Covid 19 rules I.e. no headquarters and no pushing off. If anyone wants to ride this event could they let me know ASAP in order that I can let the committee know.
Thanks.
Gill
Thank you for all your tributes to John Tipping. Lots of photos of bridges and cafes. I managed to ride Tippy’s 10 Bridges last weekend in the lovely sunny weather.
If you want to see the collage please click the link below.
https://tinyurl.com/JohnTipping
I have sent the collage to his daughter who had hoped to join us on the 31st with other family members. It was not to be this year. We look forward to a very special 10 Bridges and Kaf to Kaf in 2021.
Anne
The following is a bulletin from British Cycling regarding the present lockdown on organised cycling.
British Cycling can today (27 May 2020) provide an update on the current suspension of sanctioned cycling activity, which was due to run until 30 June 2020.
While many of you have been enjoying the opportunity to ride recreationally, we appreciate that the cycling community is looking for direction and certainty on when club, group and competitive activity can resume.
In the absence of specific dates from the UK and devolved Governments, which are naturally hard to set, British Cycling is seeking to balance the desire to return to sanctioned cycling activity, where safe to do so, and concern for the health of people in our sport and in wider society. Because cycling encompasses a wide variety of activity, we are therefore proposing to move to a rolling suspension. This will apply to each of England, Scotland and Wales. The following position has been agreed with Scottish Cycling and Welsh Cycling, but we recognise that devolved government guidance may dictate that adjustments are required, including the dates we are working towards.
We have split activity into three broad categories:
1. International and national level races;
2. Regional racing and non-competitive events;
3. Club and group activity.
International and national level races, including national series and championships
Here we are extending the suspension until 1 September 2020.
We will review this on a fortnightly basis and we will give six weeks’ public notice of any extension or curtailment of the suspension. This means that the original dates for a number of national series and championship events across multiple disciplines are no longer feasible but we will endeavour to rearrange these events later in the calendar year if possible.
It is possible that the racing format in some of the disciplines, for example outdoor individual events, may return sooner than others if appropriate measures can be put in place to manage the risk in line with Government guidance and any guidance that we put in place. In all cases we will carefully consider the options available including reasonable measures that can be introduced to manage the safety of the events, participants, volunteers and the general public.

Regional racing and non-competitive events e.g. sportives
Currently we believe that regional races are more likely to return sooner due to shorter travel distances, fewer event personnel involved and the expectation that they will attract lower spectator numbers. However, due to the current Government guidelines on social distancing we feel that now is the right time to extend the suspension to the 1 August 2020. We will review this on a fortnightly basis and we will give four weeks’ notice of any extension or curtailment of the suspension.
As with international and national racing, we will adopt a risk management approach which means that some disciplines or events can return ahead others if the format allows the safety of all to be managed appropriately.
We have also taken the decision to extend the suspension to the 1 August 2020 for Sportives and other non-competitive events. As with regional racing, we will review this on a fortnightly basis and we will give four weeks’ notice of any extension or curtailment of the extension.
FAQS FOR EVENT ORGANISERS
Club and group activity
The third category of activity is other club and group activity, such as coaching, instructing and leading, club rides, HSBC UK Breeze rides and similar.
It is likely that these activities can be reintroduced at shorter notice, with a greater degree of flexibility, with appropriate guidance and measures to manage risk ensuring compliance with Government guidelines and emerging industry best practice. As such we will be extending the current suspension until 4 July 2020 to be consistent with the stages announced by Government. We will review this on a fortnightly basis and we will give two weeks’ notice of any changes.
If you would like further information as well as links to FAQs and the situation specific to Scotland and Wales, then please link to the BC website here
