The
First Time I Ever Rode a Tandem By
Bill Paul
[Bill Paul was one of the best tandem
riders Great Britain ever produced. He broke numerous world records with
his partner Ernie Mills, one of which was so outstanding it stood for over
sixty years. Here he recounts the first time he ever rode a tandem and
proves there is hope for all of us! Ed]
My first ride on a tandem was long before I became a club
cyclist and also some time before the Addiscombe CC came into being, so before
I write about that ride I will for the benefit of the younger generation try to
explain how different things were in those days compared to conditions today, as
without that knowledge you might not understand what I'm on about. I have to go
back to the year 1926 when I was only sixteen. I had an old racing bike of a
sort, which I used to get out on whenever I could as we did not get so much
leisure time in those days. I followed sport a lot and had my heroes in quite a
few different games, and in cycling my hero was Charlie Davey, who at a later
date was to become the first President of the Addiscombe CC. He had a shop in
Lower Addiscombe Rd, and being young and silly I would go in there to buy some
small items like a three penny can of oil or a pennyworth of valve rubber or
anything else which only cost two or three pence, as that was all I could
afford, in the hope of seeing Charlie or speaking to him if he served me.
I worked for my Father who had a milk business in Queens Rd
Croydon. It had a shop and two rounds. My Father did one round and I the other
one, and twice a day, not in bottles but in large cans measuring milk into
customers jugs, naturally this took much longer When Mrs. Davey found out that I
was on a milk round she asked me if I would supply her with the daily pint, and
of course I was delighted as it would mean I would be calling at the shop daily
without buying anything and would have a better chance of seeing or talking to
my Hero. During one of these conversations we found that we were both supporters
of Crystal Palace Football Club. I need to attend all the home games at Selhurst
Park, and when I could I would cycle to as many local away games like Charlton,
Millwall, Q.P.R. etc. It was at the end of 1926 that the Palace were playing
away to Dartford in the F.A.Cup and I decided to cycle over to Dartford to see
the game. In those days there was no Flood lighting at football grounds and it
meant that games had to be started earlier so as to be finished before dark, and
kick off time was never later than 2pm I was talking to Charlie a few days
before the match and mentioned I was going to ride over to Dartford to see the
game and he said he was doing the same, so why not go together on his tandem,
and when he said that I could not believe my ears, in fact I was so excited I
nearly wet myself, luckily I controlled myself. As it was an early start to the
game Charlie said be round at the shop no later than l pm if possible. Usually
when I was going to an away game I would get my work finished and get to the
game as early as possible and chance getting there in time for the start, but on
this occasion I dare not be late meeting Charley as he might go without me and I
didn’t want that to happen. So I made arrangements with my customers so that I
could finish early as I was going to Dartford to see the Palace play and also
added for a bit of swan that I was going on the back of a tandem with the Great
Charley Davey who was well known around Croydon as he had broken the
London-Portsmouth and back record a few weeks before, Well Saturday arrived and
I was up early and had a quick cup of tea then off to Thornton Heath Station to
collect the churns of milk and back to the dairy, and off out on the first round
which finished in good time. While I was preparing for the second round my
mother asked me if I was ready for breakfast, and this was where I made my first
mistake. I refused it as I wanted to get my second round done and was too
excited to waste time eating breakfast. I finished nice and early and had plenty
of time to get round to Charlie’s before the 1 O'clock deadline, but in the
meantime I made my second mistake (The big mistake of the day). My Mother asked
me about Dinner and once again I refused it as I was so anxious to get going and
on the back of that tandem. When I got to Lower Addiscombe Road the usual
adjustments were made, like saddle height etc, and then we were off, and me on
my very first ride on a tandem. We made our way out through Shirley to West
Wickham which at that time had an Oak tree in the middle of the road. We turned
right here down Corkscrew Hill up onto Hayes Common, joined the Bromley road
where we turned left towards Orpington, and this is where I began to think that
the ride was not going to be quite as I expected.
The legs were beginning to feel a bit heavy and now my
stomach was getting an empty feeling and that made me start thinking about the
two meals I had refused earlier in the day and not being a club cyclist I did
not know anything about the bonk or hunger knock, but I was about to find out in
a big way. We arrived at Dartford and the first thing we had to do was to find
somewhere to park the Tandem. In those days people living near football grounds
would look after cycles in their back gardens for a few coppers. Charlie found a
place which he thought would be alright so we left the Tandem and made our way
to the ground and found a good place to see the game but by this time I was
losing interest in Football and more interested in a good meal. As the game was
nearing the final whistle Charlie said lets go near the exit so we can miss the
crowd and get away quickly, and I thought perhaps he means we'll find a Cafe~
for a cup of tea and a bit to eat, but when the game did finish off went Charlie
with me following to collect the tandern and as he pushed it out onto the road
he said “come en we’ll soon be home for tea”, and I thought – that’s
it - we are not stopping for any eats We left the ground and I tried to do my
best but I don’t think my best was much good and I did want to make a good
impression. As we traveled home little things happened which made me think it
was not my day. We hadn’t gone very far when we came to a T junction and had
to stop for a car or two before we could pull out onto the main road when I
noticed a coffee stall on at spare bit of ground and I got the smell of coffee
and bangers and beans which made my hunger worse. We pushed on to Orpington
where we came to a short sharp hill and Charlie said “Come on push up” but
that was about the last thing I was able to do, my legs were as heavy as lead
and wouldn’t do any thing I wanted them to, they went
inwards-outwards-backwards-forwards but not up and down as I wanted them to do.
I think they were just being pushed by Charlie, and I think anyone following us
would have thought that I had vacuum cleaner tubes instead of legs. By the time
I had reached Hayes Common I was so weak from hunger that it was all I could do
to stay on the tandem and I'm sure that if Charlie had blown off he would have
finished the rest of the journey a very lonely man. I cannot tell you about the
rest of the journey as I don't remember anything about it, but I do remember
going round to the workshop at the back of Charlie’s place and as he rang the
bell Charley Marshall (who was living with Charlie at the time ) came out and
caught me just before I fell off. After I had recovered a bit I collected my
bike and left for home. I made sure they had shut the door before I left as I
didn’t want them to see me walk up Windmill Bridge. When I got to the top of
the bridge I thought it was going, to be downhill all the way home, but it was
not to be. When I got on my bike after being on the tandem with no steering to
do I found myself going from one side of the road to the other. In those days
there was not the amount of traffic on the roads that there is today so that was
a bit of luck BUT just as I was approaching the St.James and Sydenharn Roads
crossing, on the wrong side of the road a taxi came round the corner and nearly
hit me but I was just able to get back to tile left and we just missed each
other when the driver put his head oat and shouted - and I thought “Caw,
there’s a couple of new words I've not heard before”. I looked for them in
the dictionary without success and a chap I knew reckoned I’d been looking in
the wrong columns. I finally staggered home after that little incident, put my
bike away and prepared myself for
what I hoped to be my last battle of the day, and that was to walk indoors to
meet my mother as if nothing had happened. I opened the door and there it was -
all boiling hot on a pan of hot water, the dinner I should have eaten before
going to Dartford. I soon polished it off and Mother came up with a dish of
pudding. COR!… several cups of tea later I was feeling so good I felt ready
for another ride. I don’t remember riding with Charlie again and I've often
wondered if it was coincidental or if he made sure I never did. By the way,
Palace won 2-1
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