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In
the Beginning By Sid Armstrong
The Addiscombe Cycling Club was founded on 29th. January
1929, the founder members included some members of the Norwood Paragon CC
many members of the Vegetarian C & A.C. quite a lot of CTC members and
others without any previous club experience.
Now at that time the Kentish Wheelers novices 25 was an
important event, the promoters having a very strict definition of a novice
as one who has never competed in a cycle race, and I think an age limit of
between 17 and 24 years; It was well known that many clubs used to try and
get any promising young riders to save themselves for this popular event. We
as a newly formed club had many keen to try out their speed, and eight of us
entered the event. Very few novices had good equipment, and only if you
showed some ability or promise could you justify the cost of getting Sprint
Wheels and pukka racing equipment, and as H/P wheels and tyres had not been
invented, our ordinary club riding and training wheels were quite heavy,
with fully rubbered 1 ¼” tyres. However I think all eight of us rode 26”
wood sprint rims, due to other members lending their cherished racing wheels
to us. I rode Bill Wells' Wheels and everyone was on fixed gears.
The event started on the Balcombe road 4 miles south of the
'Chequers' Horley, south to what is now called Ridleys corner, left over
Copthorne Common to the Dukes Head, Crawley Down, left to Newchapel Green
and north along the Eastbourne Road, (A22) to turn under the South Godstone
Railway bridge, turn and retrace. The early starters (I was Number 2) had to
put up with a thick icy fog. I rode without gloves as the only ones I had
were heavy gauntlets. In some places the fog was thick enough to make me
slow down, and I was ringing my bell quite a lot. Got to the turn and
retraced to the Dukes Head where I was unable to slow for the right hand
corner and went straight into a deep ditch, and had to be helped out by the
Kentish Wheelers’ marshall. Both shoes had come off as had my spare
tubular, which at that time was worn across the shoulders. ('Good job I
didn't know about it’ –Bill) I restarted and went on to the finish in
1.15.39 with a clod of frozen earth on my head, spare tyre round my neck and
a coating of ice all over the bike. Even the spokes were laced with a film
of ice and the front brake frozen solid. By this time the fog and frost were
relenting and the sun came out giving the later riders quite good
conditions.
All our eight riders finished as follows: Jack Hall 1.13.28,
Ted Banks 1.20.13, Fred Armstrong 1.18.37, Bill Paul 1.24.02, Percy Huggett
l.14.47, Arthur Kinnaird 1.16.47and Horace Warren l.21.40. The winner was
H.G. Payne in 1.9.41 and our Jack Hall was 4th. Despite his slow novice time
Bill Paul was winning open events in his first year, and went 'on to become
one of the fastest riders in the country, and later with Ernie Mills the
fastest tandem pair in the world. Percy Huggett after a fairly short but
successful racing career put all his considerable talent to official work
for the club and cycling in general. He was our Treasurer for many years
Secretary and Treasurer of the Southern Roads Records Association for over
20 years, race organiser and timekeeper, well known, respected and admired
throughout the cycling world. Lets hope our present young members can do as
well as we of 1929 did.
Sid Armstrong
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