Cycling casualties; food for a club run; Easter tour to Cheddar Gorge.

Page 1

Bob Harvey’s editorial this time focusses on the good weather of Spring bringing out ill-prepared cyclists, coupled with ‘weekend’ drivers. Many of his complaints could be voiced today, though to be honest nowadays I’m just pleased to see more people on bikes on the road!

Bob presents some accident figures for one month in the Ruislip-Northwood area. As ever, incidents between motor vehicles and cyclists top the list, but there were only four…I should think more cyclists fell off on ice! Some of these incidents seem rather freaky - one is of a lorry’s chain striking a pedestrian.

From the perspective of a cyclist in 2014, I wonder what Bob would have made of our traffic levels and accident rates - I’ve no idea what the comparative numbers are for Ruislip-Northwood, but ROSPA has some data.

Every year in this country around 19,000 cyclists are killed or injured in reported road accidents, including around 3,000 who are killed or seriously injured.

Cyclist Casualties, 2012
	Child	Adult	All
Killed	13	105	118
Seriously Injured	311	2,911	3,222
Slightly Injured	1,874	13,877	15,751
Total	2,198	16,893	19,091

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Three more members of the club are welcomed.

Page 2

When I saw ‘Food for a Club Run’ by Roger Bingham, I wondered what to expect. I was not disappointed, what with the ’B17 fried in graphite grease’. Nice!

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Ivor Storey’s back with a quartet of humorous asides!

Page 3

Racing Results

I see Colin Turner won the Club ’25’ 72”  event, with a decent margin from Roger Bingham. Alan Stratman and Brian Major feature further down the results table.

Colin came fourth in the Club ’25’ using unrestricted gears, with Alan Stratman back to winning ways. David Saunders won the handicap. I can well imagine the rivalry between these guys!

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Ivor Storey wonders whether the club committee members who attended a local children’s cycle training event did so because they thought they might learn something!

Page 4

Racing Results 

Club ’30’ - Colin back to winning! There’s also mention of a 10 miles event which had three riders, plus a ladies 10 mile event. I’m not sure why these are described as ‘events’ rather than being presented as time trials!

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Murder at Christmas - a fowl story of death over the Christmas period. Concludes on page 5.

Page 5

Letters to the Editor. David Saunders complains about ‘terminological inexactitudes’ in the February magazine’s rendition of the Wantage Story. The editor comes right back at him!

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Club’s Easter Tour to Cheddar, by Dave Saunders (Touring Secretary). Two tandems and four solos. There was a lady participating, who’s recorded as having been called upon for darning and stitching!

Page 6

Club’s Easter Tour to Cheddar, continued.

Page 7

Club’s Easter Tour to Cheddar, concluded

Page 8

Colin’s copy of the magazine has some handwritten notes on the back cover (presumably by Colin), labelled ‘Stop Press’, being notes about entry forms for open events and an event announcement.