www.dadswell.co.uk Mostly cycling records, mostly on three wheels
This page has a few extra items. Back to Rides in 1991
This annotated schedule shows my progress in the ride.
The overall speed required was very slightly faster than 20mph.
The first handwritten column shows the progress made against that speed in each sector, with a negative value being a good thing.
The next column appears to be my actual times, probably from memory immediately after finishing.
And the final handwritten column shows the number of minutes ahead of a 20mph plan I was at each point.
There's also a little map at the end showing sector speeds.
Ken Whitmarsh wrote this piece for the Echo newspaper (although the report failed to mention that I was on a tricycle)
The man whose name remains as fastest bicyclist over the route is Mr Woodburn.
After I'd succeeded in my Bath Road quest, he invited me out for a drink.
I think he had a little quiet satisfaction that I'd taken the record, as Stuart had been a bit of a rival of his on a few occasions in the past.
Later in the year, he gave me one of his 'postcards', autographed and with a comment on my riding style.
He also added a note of his final position in the RTTC British Best All-Rounder competition for the year.
He had won it before (in 1978) and was frequently a top-12 finisher.
I had a particularly good year in 1991, finishing 24th. His year resulted in a 'difficult' 13th (aged 54).
He can even ride 'no hands'.
I got a card from Stuart, whose record I'd taken. I wonder if he bought the card in 1988, only for me to take several years to eventually beat his time.
And finally. Dave Pitt had always been a bit scared of the solo tricycle record for London to bath and back, until I beat it. Just like he'd never believed he could beat the 50 miles record until I beat it.
Within a couple of months of my ride, he was out there trying to beat my time.
He set off very aggressively, and was well ahead of my time at Bath with 80 miles to go. However, he had over-cooked it and the tough countryside from Bath to Marlborough ate away at his advantage.
Back to Rides in 1991