Veterans’ Testing Year

Of club members only Bill Lloyd rose above mediocrity in the 2004 Vets’ National B.A.R. competition writes Clockbasher. Indeed if Bill continues to climb up the table at the current rate he will be a top ten contender by the time he is seventy. Of course the secret is to collect the extra plusses as the years roll by but not to slow down. Impossible you say? Southern speedster Carol Gandy shows how it can be done. In 1995 Carol’s total actual time for the three distances was 7hour 20 minutes. Nine years later she took 7 hour 12 minutes! No wonder she moved from thirtieth to third.
If Bill can pull off the same trick He’ll be champion at seventy four. This year he was twenty first with three great rides. He was just 11 seconds over the hour at 25 miles and backed this up with a 24mph “50” and over 22mph for the century. Great rides at 25 years old never mind by a OAP!
The next “Southport” rider in the table is Royston Freeman at seventieth. Roy was perhaps let down by his 5 _ hour “100”, but hey don’t let that unfurrowed brow fool you, Roy, whose pedalling is as smooth as his baby face, is 74.
Just five places lower is a rider who has always looked his age, and more, Geoff “Mr Plod” Hornby, also let down by a pedestrian “100”. This is surprising as in his day Geoff had a reputation as a stayer (1959 Circuit of the Dales excepted - take a bow Ken Beck ).
At eighty third is the pedaler de charm, Colin Baldwin. But Colin, a two hours eleven minutes “fifty”? Come on, forget the style and try pushing on those cranks. No doubt he will take some comfort from a near 25mph “25” which shows he still has the necessary speed.
In eighty seventh place is Derek Unsworth with times of unremitting consistency not to say dullness, so no surprise there. It’s time he gave the racing wheels back to Yvonne.
Just outside the top one hundred is Ray Green. He only turned to testing when his Audax and track racing ambitions collapsed and he rode just three events. Those grippy Sussex courses may not slow Sean Yates but lesser mortals find themselves stuck to the road and Ray was no exception. Only a two-nine “50” and the thought that he was the first Sandgrounder (if you don’t know you’re obviously not one )
provided some consolation.
At first glance Terry Seanor’s times don’t look bad for a septuagenarian but there was only one slower so he’s got plenty of work to do during the off season. Maybe a few tough audaxs would help him beat 5hr. 20m. for the hundred.
Last and indisputably least is R. Rix. Despite his initials he is no Rolls Royce! Yet another Southport rider who didn’t beat evens for the century. Can’t we agree that if you are not doing evens you’re not racing?
To sum up, only Bill Lloyd can be proud of his season. Among the rest perhaps Derek Unsworth can be best pleased as so little was expected and that is just what he achieved.