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to the Archive indexThe EACC’s annual run took place on May 27th. Riders battled through torrential rain to the Museum of East Anglian Life. As usual we had to wait for Andrew Roddham and were 1½ hours late starting. Three riders from a Dutch cyclemotor club had travelled over just to take part in this run. As no one could understand Andrew Pattle’s route map, we nominated him as leader and set off. The Club’s treasurer managed to get her ignition wet after showing off weaving round the puddles. But apart from that the ride to the pub for lunch was quite trouble free. Due to the late start we just managed to dash into the pub for last orders on the food front.
Then for the ride back: Simon Farrier, who had ridden the whole route on his trike deserves a special mention for being one of the first back. One of the Dutch riders was heard to remark that it was the first time they had ever had to pedal up a hill! But they seemed to enjoy the ride and the different landscape from Holland. We hope to see them again next year and hope to make a reciprocal visit soon.
This year we have to admit that none of the usual riders rode over to the run from East Anglia although Richard Rosenthal did ride across on his Cyclemaster. The treasurer and spares secretary took a van—well they did have a lot of things to take to the auction. And Simon Farrier had a note frcm his mummy. Andrew Roddham gave a very feeble excuse for not going!
Anyway, we all arrived safely and spent a cosy night at the Youth Hostel. The morning of the run dawned and Simon Farrier rode over to Southam despite a dodgy big-end. There was a choice of three routes: short, medium and long. Most of the cyclemotors took the short routes, but the treasurer on her trusty Clark Scamp and the spares secretary on his even more trusty New Hudson sutocycle braved the long route. The Scamp decided that Araldite was not good enough to hold on its clutch linings and finished the run without them. Otherwise all machines went round—Simon Farrier’s big-end lives to fight another day. At the auction afterwards the spares secretary managed to get rid of all his old rubbish (sorry—priceless spares!) and three sets of … wait for it … 25cc Cyclemaster rings were seen to go for 75p a pair!
All in all a nice ride with lovely weather and relatively few problems for any of the riders.
‘The Fighting Dwarf’
First published, Autumn 1984