www.dadswell.co.uk Mostly cycling records, mostly on three wheels
This page covers activity in 1997
There were seven rides, all successes, but with a fail in there.
1997 North & West Home Counties RRA
Winchester to Wantage and back
tandem-tricycle with Gerry Lewis 3h 50m 44s for 80
miles
1997 Southern RRA London to Southampton and back solo tricycle 7h 52m 8s for 155 miles
1997 North & West Home Counties RRA
London to Oxford and back solo
tricycle 5h 6m 49s for 109 miles
1997 North & West Home Counties RRA
London to Marlborough and back
tandem-tricycle with Gerry Lewis 6h 55m 5s for 150
miles
1997 RRA #20 London to Brighton and back solo tricycle 4h 50m 44s for 105 miles
1997 RRA #21 Pembroke to Great Yarmouth solo tricycle 17h 54m for
360 miles
1997 Failed at RRA 1000 miles, stopped at about 380 miles
1997 RTTC #5 12 hours tandem-tricycle with Gerry Lewis 251.25 miles
This was the year that I first raced on a tandem-tricycle. Some years earlier I had done quite a few miles behind Dave Pitt, but I don't think we ever did any races. By the end of this year, I had visited George Longstaff to place an order for one of my own...
Report of the first two Regional records Schedule for Winchester to Wantage and back with Gerry Schedule for London to Southampton and back
Report of the second two Regional records Schedule for London to Oxford and back Schedule for London to Marlborough and back with Gerry
Gerry and I also had a go at the RTTC 100 mile record. A year earlier, when we first hatched the idea, the record had been 4h 6m. We felt that we might have a chance & so decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, by the time we got to make the attempt, the record had become 4h 1m. In the end we only managed 4h 8m (which still seemed pretty neat, to be honest).
My second attempt at this one.
Report of London to Brighton and back Schedule for London to Brighton and back
Actual times and weather charts
This really was my attempt at the 1000 mile record. But I guess I didn't have the required drive and belief that I could do it, and that I wanted to do it. Quite a pity, considering the big efforts that were made to support me in the second half. Sorry chaps.
Report Pembroke Yarmouth & 1000 Schedule for Pembroke Yarmouth and 1000 Verbose Schedule Pembroke Yarmouth
Other material relating to this ride.
This had another case of a well-meaning checker being adamant that my route wouldn't work. I had a short-cut in Worcester that I had checked a month before the ride, but he was insistent that the 'gap' didn't exist. It did.
The other disappointment with failing in the 1000 is that it lost me the chance to cycle for the entire 24 hours of my birthday. I managed about 2 hours before climbing off.
Jim Hopper had done this side-to-side route before me, setting the time I had to beat. I don't have all the detail of his course, but I remember seeing him through Brailes. This suggests his route might have featured Hereford, Banbury, Bedford.
My route was a bit further north, going via Worcester and Rugby.
Everyone else since has stayed on A40 through Cheltenham to Oxford, then used a bit of A34 to Bicester and then towards Bedford.
I had a month to recover before Gerry and I again teamed up on the tandem tricycle.
Report on 12 hour time trial Result Sheet from 12hour
(the record was beaten the next year with another improvement of 6 miles, by Colin Knapp and P Nicholson)
And finally, for the year .... Gerry and I rode a hill-climb. Windsor Hill in Wooburn Green, Bucks The photo below shows us on the way up. But the drama of the day had been a few minutes earlier.
Most of the time, Gerry's tandem-tricycle is used for touring around with Anne on the back. Racing is an exception to the norm. At the top of the hill, Gerry prepared the machine for the hill-climb. Crucially, he put a front wheel in which was more suited to racing than touring.
We set off down the hill, in the direction of the start. To keep the machine under control, Gerry applied the brakes. At that point, he remembered that the race wheel was narrower than the touring wheel which would normally be used. So the calipers were expecting a wide wheel, and consequently weren't really able to grip the narrow rim.
We had no options but to continue down the hill with the brakes full on. Remember - both brakes are on the front wheel. We absolutely couldn't stop. At the start point, there is a narrow bridge. If a car had been on the bridge, we would simply have crashed into it.
Mercifully, we got over the bridge and the road flattened out. Phew. Now all we have to do is get back up!
